Mountaineering Day 4

Today it was all about the snow anchors! As I left my house this morning to be hit by the refreshing Scottish rain and tropical temperatures I thought to myself two options - Ice Factor or lots of wet clothes. When I mentioned to options to Giles and Ivon, it was a no-brainer! So we headed into Glencoe and had a wander up into Coire na Tulaich on Buchaille Etive Mor. After spending the last two days placing wires in cracks and slings on spikes it was time to dig! With minimal hard wear on our harnesses we dug and dug and dug until we had looked at all the different snow anchors and also tested them out to see their limitations. All the anchors were working well as there was a good icy layer under all the soft snow. After pitching our way up one of the gullies we looked at how we could protect others and ourselves on a descent. We bumped into Matt and Dave (PYB) on the way down who had climbed Curved Ridge via mainly gullies. As expected they said there wasn't much snow on the ridge. It turned out to be a fantastic day and we were all very glad we didn't go to the Ice Factor to get stupidly pumped and get a caffeine high!

Mountaineering Day 3

It was Wednesday blues today so Ivon and Giles were starting to get tired legs. None the less the were absolutely fantastic today and put everything they had into the day. The weather was wet, warm and windy but that didn't stop us. We blasted up to the base of the East ridge of Beinn a Chaorainn where we geared up for an attempt at the ridge. We had agreed if it got too windy we would bail. It turned out to be great sport. Snow cover wasn't great and where there was snow it was all soft and wet. The wind didn't affect us and even when we topped out it wasn't too bad. Ivon and Giles roped up and moved together on all of the ridge and pitched a couple of sections. They made great progress and are getting much slicker at handling hardware and ropes with big gloves on (practice makes perfect!). From the top the guys wanted to do more navigating so we headed to point 1044 then down the north ridge of Coire Buidhe before heading over to Bealach a' Bharnish and back out to the woods. There are alot of trees down in the wood but still a way through.

Mountaineering Day 2

With high winds and a murky outlook it was no surprise we had Dorsal Arete all to ourselves. One team got an early start and were up and down before we were even half way on the route. On the walk in there were many cars and mini buses pulling up but none of them were following us up Dorsal. Result! Ivon and Giles were keen to get on the sharp end today, so after i led a couple of pitches to get them started, I gave them the rack and ropes and off they went. Giles led a pitch and then Ivon. Giles went on to block lead through the arete and Ivon finished with a pitch to the top. A great effort by both. This was Giles first winter lead and Ivon's first climbing lead! Well done! The winds were not a problem and it was never too cold until we topped out on the route. We descended down Broad Gully which is well stepped and a little soft in places and got to the car just as the drizzle hit us. Top effort guys! Lets try and hide from the wind tomorrow too! All the rock is black up there. Twisting got climbed and said to be 'very rocky'. Forked and Boomerang Gully got climbed and were looking great.

Mountaineering Day 1

Today I was back out with Giles and Ivon for their 1st day of a week long mountaineering course. As its been two years since we last went out, we spent the day refreshing some basic winter skills. A reminder of stepping, slipping and stopping as well as moving on some steep terrain without the aid of a rope. One aim of the day was for Ivon to get stuck into her navigation so after moving up the Nid ridge we went through and practiced various strategies that can be used in the winter environment. It was helpful navigation weather as the cloud was in and visibility wasn't great. We navigated over to the Summit and then Ivon and Giles navigated us back to the comfort of the gondola. A good day, set us up nicely for the week to come! Looks like its going to be a windy one!

Siamese Twin and White Shark

Today was Matt and Alex's final day out with myself, working for Abacus Mountaineering. With tired legs and a drive to the airport tonight, Aonach Mor was the suitable option. We jumped on the 1st gondola up and had a swift up-lift on the chair. We were the first to arrive at the top ski hut where we geared up as the vast numbers of climbers flowed in. A quick stomper down Easy Gully (I) saw us traversing the bottom of the crag to find our route of choice free for taking, Siamese Twin (IV,5). So after the guys built a belay I headed up the first pitch finding nice ice and good runners. Matt and Alex flew up too, both climbing really well, I could only just keep up with the belaying! The main pitch was brilliant too, good ice for axes and feet and ok for screws. Again Matt and Alex dispatched well! One final pitch saw us on the top for elevenses! Another stomper and traverse later we were building more belays on the bottom of White Shark (IV,4). This route was fantastic! Having never done it, it was hard to tell who was more excited to do it. On the approach the guys saw a climber swinging through the crux and they wanted to be there! So 3 pitches and some great steep climbing saw us at the top to see a rescue going on somewhere above the twins area. I hope everyone involved is ok. So over the last 3 days we climbed 810m of grade 3 and above ground, ticked off 12 stars, one Cold Climbs classic and climbed at 3 different venues. Not bad for some mild weather! Well done to Matt and Alex!

Green Gully

It was another mild day in the Scottish mountains, woolly hats were not needed for today's Abacus Mountaineering team consisting of Matt, Alex and myself. With several teams around the mountain this morning, we were lucky enough to find Green Gully (IV,3) free for taking. After yesterdays outing the guys were super keen to get a little pumped. The route was nice and soft taking good sticks all the way up, ice screws were good to and the Ice was a little stepped here and there but still great fun. On the last pitch I took the guys up a steeper finish which really gave them the most pump of the day and also Alex reported a good stint of disco leg! Big smiles all around on the top and a leisurely walk down the Red Burn. I don't think we hit the freezing level today until we reached the top of the route, there was a slight crust forming on the snow but it felt pretty mild today. Comb Gully was reported to be in good shape. Castle Ridge, Wendigo, Ledge Route and others were climbed. We just need a good cold spell to freeze everything up.

South Post Direct

Today was the first day for Matt and Alex's 3 day climbing course, I was working for Abacus Mountaineering. With a wet and mild forecast on the west coast we decided to head a little further east to Creag Megaidh to avoid the dampness. It paid off, we were in the cloud all day but it never rained on us. Our plan was to head up Staghorn Gully (III). On the approach we passed some avalanche debris from the base of the gully however once we got into the gully the snow was wet but stable. It was nice and soft all the way up so we were able to move up most of the way un-roped. On arrival to South Post Direct (IV,4) we could see that the ice looked continuous and good enough to climb on! The guys were well psyched! They were happy to put the Cold Climbs classic off for another time and climb something a little steeper. The route was brilliant, a really cool cave half way up too! Mike was on the Pumpkin (V,4) which sounded very brilliant fun.

Central Crack Direct

What a wild day on the East! The forecast was due to be warm in the afternoon on the west coast so Kenny and I decided for an early start to get over East. On arrival it was very windy and it was clear that it was going to be hard work. Not what we wanted on our rest days. Anyway, heads went down and we battled into Coire an lochain to have a look. On arrival the upper parts of the crag looked great, so we planned to head round to number 3 buttress. On crossing above the great slab we came across some spooky wind slab so instead we headed straight up to the base of number 2 buttress. We decided to climb Central Crack Route (IV,5) which was a great little number. Good boulder problem start into some nice steady grade 4 climbing. We were relatively sheltered from the southerlies but got blasted on the top and coming down the goat track. Many teams in T-sneachda, mostly all suffering in the foul weather. Lochain had survived the Strong winds much better and was looking much whiter! A great day to be back at the car at 1pm. Unfortunatly no photos today.

Flutted Butress Direct

Today's weather was fantastic compared to the weekend so Craig, Graham and I decided to head East to the Cairngorms for a nice short walk in. Whenever I go climbing with Graham, I usually do most of the leading so today Graham and Craig guided me up a route. As the route went on they had done enough leading and I led 3 pitches, Graham led two and and Craig led one. The route was in great condition with a good covering of snow. There were reports of good climbing on Hell's Lum with Tim climbing Brimstone Grooves with his client and other climbing Deep Cut Chimney. Fiacaill Buttress looked great however getting to it may be tricky as there was a reasonable amount of spindrift lingering around the bottom of the crag. A great day out in great sunny weather.

Austrian Alpine Club Meet Day 2

Today was our second and final day of the winter meet and fortunately it did feel a little more wintry. Our original plan was to traverse the Aonach Eagach however a last minute decision saw us heading towards the Lost Valley heading for the Zig Zags on Aonach Dubh. With the mixed abilities of the group, this was a good option as some members took the lead and others were happy being on the other end of the rope. After topping out on Gearr Aonach, we then proceeded to the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochain. The weather was a little better than yesterday but still quite blowy. The buttresses were starting to look black, people were out in the gully's and also Crest Route got an ascent. A great finish to a nice weekend.

Austrian Alpine Club meet Day one

Today was the first day of the Winter Meet that I put together for the Austrian Alpine Club. We didn't have a particularly big turnout but this was a nice sociable event. Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball so the dreams of Tower Ridge, Aonach Eagach and Point 5 gully were soon diminished. With high temperatures and high winds we headed into the Mamores. It was raining at the start and raining at the end and pretty much all the time in between. We headed up to Stob Coire a'Chairn (981m). On arriving at the summit the group were more than happy to head down for tea and cakes, a good choice I think!

Number 3 Gully

Today was another fantastic day to be working in Lochaber, blue skies, light winds and fantastic climbing conditions. Due to a little slip on the descent from Stob Coire nan Lochain yesterday, Izzi wasn't feeling on top form and on our approach into Ben Nevis we agreed that we needed some Vitamin D in our lives! So we opted for a quick ascent of Number 3 Gully to the sunshine, instead of heading for our other objective of Green or Comb Gully, both of which had many teams on them. We headed up to the summit as this was Izzi's first time up there.

Double hit in Glencoe

Today I was working with returning client Izzi from Essex. She's been dying to go climbing as her last few personal trips have being either rained or winded off. So today we headed into Stob Coire nan Lochain in Glencoe. We had many options for the day but we started off on the Cold Climbs classic, Twisting Gully (III,4) which had some great neve on it. The climbing was brilliant and Izzi made quick work of it. We topped out and nipped back down and then climbed Raeburns Route (IV,4) which was fantastic. I have wanted to do this route for quite a while now and it is worth its 3 stars. The crag was pretty quiet today with other teams also on Twisting and Raeburns and also Dorsal, SC and NC Gully. The buttresses were black but where the snow is sitting (gully's and easier routes) it is of good quality.

South West Ridge - Douglas Boulder

Today was another fantastic day in the office! Today I was out working with father and son team Alan and Austin. We had lots of options today as Ben Nevis is looking fantastic but with a cold and a sore back in the group we opted for something low down and not too demanding. It turns out that both Alan and Austin are fitter than they think and our next 3 days out will be alot more adventurous. They are keen for Tower Ridge, Thompsons Route (their surname is Thompson) and a day out in Glencoe. Fingers crossed for some nice weather next week for them. Many other teams out enjoying the good conditions. Indicator wall, Sioux Wall, Kenny and Gordon did Italian RH and many other routes were climbed. North Buttress looked fantastic today too with at least one team on it.

Number 3 Gully Buttress

Today I was working with a pair from QUB Mountaineering Club who are over from Ireland. Over the last couple of days Coreen and Yo have been doing some winter skills and some grade II climbing. Today they wanted to have a swing around with 2 axes. So today we headed for Ben Nevis as there were lots of options for us to have a look at. We headed into Creag coire na Ciste to see what options we had. There were many teams out today but we opted for Number 3 Gully Buttress (my first ever winter route, back in 2006). This route has some patches of ice and some great mixed terrain which allowed the guys to have an taster of the different styles of climbing. We weren't the only ones on the route, a couple of other teams were making an ascent which made it a nice sociable day. Kenny was working with Gordon and climbed Two Step Corner. Other teams were on Green and Comb Gully and I think a team went up Thompson's. Castle ridge and Ledge route also saw ascents and were reported to be in good condition but a little windy.

Comb Gully

Today was my second day working for Abacus Mountain Guides with Brin and Dave. Ben Nevis was much quieter today with nobody ahead of us after our 8am start. Unfortunately we couldn't see a great deal so we weren't sure if we were being followed up. We headed up and climbed Comb Gully (IV,4) which was in great condition. Good ice all the way up. Mike and his team went and climbed Thompson's Route, which sounded fantastic. Teams were on Two Step Corner and Don't Die of Ignorance. Fresh snow had fallen over night and wind slab has been laying in places but our approaches were fine to head up. A great day with two really keen and competent climbers, great weekend!!

Cascade and Experts Choice

Today I was working for Abacus Mountain Guides with Dave and Brin who wanted something around the grade 5 mark. As they haven't been climbing for a while we opted for the Cascade (IV,5) on Ben Nevis. To get onto this we climbed a long pitch of about grade 3 ice below and left of the Cascade. We climbed the Cascade in two pitches then shot over and climbed up Experts Choice (III,4) to find a buried axe belay at the top, thanks Mike. Then followed a nice sociable walk down the Red Burn. The mountain was very busy today, was great to see so many folk out enjoying the weather and conditions. Teams on Glovers, Tower Ridge, Number 2 gully Buttress, Comb Gully Sioux Wall, Strident Edge, Route 1, Ledge Route plus many more. The snow was generally good, seemed to be bonding well but with fresh snowfall due tonight it may well be a little different tomorrow.