SC Gully, Glen Coe

The second day with Hannah and Dave, while working for Abacus Mountaineering, we went looking for some steeper ice to play on. Upon our arrival to the sunny corrie we found SC was empty, and fitted the bill nicely. Good neve and ice was found on the initial steep pitches, providing great first time placements. Higher up Dave took the lead, topping out into the warm sun.

Unfortunately this weather can't last with wind and snow creeping in, it will be interesting to see what will happen if all the surface hoar becomes buried.

Curved Ridge, Glen Coe

Yesterday I returned to Scotland, finishing the long journey from Switzerland that started on Saturday evening.

It was nice to return to snow, ice and blue skies - all making for a pleasant day. I was working for Abacus Mountaineering with David and Hannah. We made an ascent of Curved Ridge, making good use of the ice pitches on the approach and in the gully start. On the ridge itself the fresh snow has been well stamped down with good neve below. There was also a helpful (and very wide) track on the descent into the corrie.

Sam, Dave and Max were all instructing other parties on the ridge, making for a sociable atmosphere.

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Skiing in the Alps, 4 Valleys

The past week I have unfortunately missed the sunshine of Scotland, though skiing in Switzerland was a reasonable substitute.

We were based in Nendaz, which is near Verbier and part of the 4 valleys circuit. We skied a variety of itineraries during the week, with just a bit of uphill rewarding us with fresh snow and quiet slopes. We even found some skis down a steep ravine, after getting drawn in by some nice untracked slopes. It seems a previous skier hadn't coped too well with down climbing (swinging off tree branches) grade 2 ice and their skis were stuck on a small snowy ledge. It made the walk out all worth while.

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11 Feb - Fiacaill Ridge, Cairngorms

A little bit of an old post, but I've had a lack of internet while I was away. The photos show a day before the blue skies settled over Scotland, with thick mist covering the Cairngorms. Still a good day up Fiacaill Ridge was had on some good snowy steps. This day I was working for Ryan Glass

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Cuneiform Buttress, Buachaille

I walked into the Buachaille today with Dave. I wanted to have a closer look at Raven's Gully.

It looked promising at first as we approached on hard neve, passing various ice formations. Upon soloing up to the first main pitch though no ice could be seen running down from the first main chockstone. A quick change of plan and we went onto Cuneiform Buttress on the right climbing The Long Chimney via a bit of a variant (vague guide book description led to making our own line up). The chimney was a struggle and the other sections akward, with soft snow hiding blank rock slab. Still we got there in the end to see a beautiful sunset on our descent.

Two other climbers also followed us to Raven's Gully and appeared to climb the route. The first problem they overcame gymnastically, doing the splits between the walls. I don't know if conditions improved higher up.

Aonach Mor, Winter Skills

Today I was out with Lou and Emma practising a range of winter belays, roped movement and some step cutting for good measure. We found a bit of everything with some good neve below the Nid ridge, slabby patches of ice, windslab, and a cornice to try climbing through (only a small friendly one, though I suspect there are some big ones above a few of the climbs).

It felt colder today, with light winds and good views.

Glen Coe, Intro to Winter Course

Today I was working for Jagged Globe on an Introduction to Winter Walking. We went to the Glen Coe ski area, to enable a quick ascent into the snow line. We went through a range of skills including kicking steps, sliding and using crampons. The snow was soft and dry at all levels, with hard neve never too far down. The views were also stunning with light winds and cold temperatures.

Neanderthal, Glen Coe

Good mixed conditions up on Lost Valley Buttress today, though if I was being picky a little less snow, hiding the cracks, would of been nice. I went up with Mark Walker to climb Neanderthal (VII, 7) which was a real 3 star route. The second pitch had some hard moves off the belay then a sensational pitch above.

Just shame that the cloud came in, limiting the views. It also seems a yellow jacket is useful to create good looking photos, I can hardly spot myself on the photo below!

Buachaille Etive Mor, Lagangarbh Buttress

A short day today as Lou couldn't get out until 8am and we had to be down by 2.30. I decided to head towards the Buachaille, as it is a short walk-in. The snow level had risen more than I expected, it was certainly snowier on Thursday.

From below Lagangarbh Butress still appeared white so we headed for the chimney route, up steep and awkward heather, rock and ice steps. Short approach but not easy. Closer inspection showed that route wasn't very wintery, but the nearby Staircase Butress was. A pitch of ice led up to the buttress where we picked a line of around grade IV up on the left-hand side, with one very short and steep crux section (6). The turf was well frozen and the crag covered in a crusty snow.

To approach the guide book says to keep right of the watercourse, but it appears easier if you keep well left until high up or step over the watercourse above the obvious steepening (10m drop) to the left side and continue upwards.

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Smith's Gully, Creag Meagaidh

An early start today though we were down at 3pm after climbing Smith's Gully (V, 5) on Meagaidh. This is a classic gully, and proved to be worthy of its status. Good sustained climbing on ice and well formed neve provided delightful and fun climbing.

As we ascended Raeburn's the rocks were all freshly hoaring up. We were a little worried about the snow while approaching Raeburn's Gully. The bottom section had a damp and heavy snow that was reasonably bonded and possible to puncture through to stand on well frozen snow below. Part way up it changed to hard neve then just before the route a drier slab of snow. This same drier snow was encountered near the top and was poorly bonded to the neve below, in this case we could avoid it. On descent we took the safer option of descending down the ridge, navigating in thick mist.

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Beinn Udlaidh Ice

A warmer day but dry with sunny spells. I had a pleasant day while working for Jagged Globe at Beinn Udlaidh. Short walk-in and plenty of good ice. We headed up and climbed 'South Gully of the Black Wall' (IV, 4). The main ice pitch is fat but the top was a little snowy. Fortunatly it was possible to dig and excavate the newer, heavy snow to find old neve below. The cornice wasn't too problematic in surmounting.

Other teams on Sunshine Gully (lots of snow), Ramshead Gully (unconsolidated snow around two big chockstones), start of Green Eyes and West Gully.

There was certainly a range of snow encountered during the day. Most of the new snow, when found and sometimes in quite deep accumulations, wasn't well bonded to the older neve. The colder weather due over the weekend should soon sort that out.

The west sector and views from the crag below. I now have a new camera so photos should markedly improve.

Ben Nevis Water Ice

Today I was working for Jagged Globe on the Winter Mountaineering course. The aim of today was to find some ice to climb, a relatively easy objective given the great conditions.

We headed up to Ben Nevis to play on the ice pitches below Carn Derag. Ther

e are a variety of 40 -50m lines of varying grades. After a bit of ice bouldering we headed up a 2 pitch grade III route. We then continued coaching on both ice and short rock steps as we headed back down the path.

If it wasn't for the drive up the (icy) track it would of been a relaxed day in the sun.

Although the higher routes look white the still need a fair few freeze thaw cycles with ice being scarce and the Orion face looking thin. Other teams out on Observatory Ridge and NE Buttress.

Photos of the North Face from the upper car park (above) and Carn Derag / Castle Gully Area.

Crest Route in the Lochan (again)

I joined Rod and James today who were keen to go up to the Lochan. I fair bit of snow fell overnight, just stopping early this morning. It went almost down to the road, with significant accumulations above 700m. Fortunately it was light and fluffy (must of been light winds overnight) so trailbreaking wasn't too arduous.

We climbed Crest route today (V,6) which is an amazing route. Great steep and positive climbing with loads of gear. It took a bit of sweeping to find the cracks, but the snow was easily removed.

To cap it off the clear skies gave stunning views when we topped out.

Inclination, Glen Coe

Today I went into the Lochan with Kenny and Guy. We took an early start to avoid the afternoon weather that was due to come in.

Upon arrival we found an inviting white and frozen crag, with clear views and no wind. We were all keen to climb Inclination which takes a counter line to Tilt.

The climbed proved to be fun and interesting, with positive placements and good gear. The neve is good on the ledges and turf well frozen. The cracks were even clear for easy placements.

By the afternoon it was snowing heavily, with a fair amount accumulating. I expect the approaches to be a little hard going tomorrow.

Other teams were on Twisting Grooves and Gully, SC and NC.

The photos are by Guy Steven

No. 4 Gully, Ben Nevis

Yesterday, between myself and Dave, we took a Jagged Globe team of 6 clients up No. 4 Gully on the Ben.

A dryish day, there had been a little bit of damp snow overnight, but the forecasted blizzards didn't arrive until the evening. The old snow had frozen up making walking easy, with just a little fresh snow enabling steps to be kicked. Teams were out on Point Five, Green, Ledge Route and North Gully, though there was a bit of spindrift about making climbing difficult in places.

No views from the plateau today, but a nice slide down Red Burn.

Lochan, Glen Coe

The last two days I have been up to the Lochan in Glen Coe with Jagged Globe. Both times I was looking at snow anchors, though with different clients.

Yesterday we made an ascent of Broad Gully, but the same snow was very soft this morning with a little bit of overnight debris evident. So today we used the East-facing walls on the West side of the corrie, which provided us with much harder snow. Upon completion of our our bucket digging roped ascent we summited then descended the NE ridge - a grand excursion!

Now need to go to bed a little earlier now to cope with the 0745 meetings.

White Corries

Today I was working for Jagged Globe on the first day of an Introduction to Winter Mountaineering. We went to the Glen Coe ski area which provides quick access to snow and ice.

On the mountain a range of neve, windslab and ice was found providing good conditions to go through a range of axe, crampon and boot skills. The munro was also bagged on a generally pleasant and dry day.

We found the snow to be very stable over most of the mountain, with only the occasional small pocket of windslab.

Other teams reported good neve on the cliffs in the Lochan. With a sudden rise in temperature followed by some cold temperatures things can only improve further.

Ben Nevis, Compression Crack

A mainly sunny and calm day on the Ben today. Frosty this morning creating the main danger of the day - black ice on the drive over. The snow has started to harden with many slopes now turning into neve.

We picked a line up one of the cascades below Carn Derag this morning. There are a variety of possibilities from grade 3 to 5, all in good shape.

Next we wandered over to the obvious ice on Compression Crack which was fat. The higher icy chimney also provided some great moves, though not so easy when an isolated spin drift avalanche is pouring onto your head!

We stayed hoped for the upper easy slopes as they were a bit loaded in isolated sections with various layers within the pack.

Shelf Route, Buachaille Etive Mor

A high avalanche warning last night made think hard about possible venues for today. It was forecast to snow most of the evening with strong Southerly winds creating windslab. On waking up though I noticed the temperatures had been warm with freezing levels above the summits, so most of precipitation had been rain or wet snow higher up.

We opted for Shelf route which proved to be a fun mixed route with some nice positions, especially topping out on Crowberry Tower. There was also a 35m ice pitch on the way up to Crowberry basin to start things off, at around grade III.

The snow felt stable, and beginning to re-freeze on the upper slopes. We were also able to descend into the corrie providing a quick descent.

The turf is still frozen and with the lower temperatures over the next couple of days the snow will readily freeze. There is a good cover above 700/800m with the gullys well filled.

Scotland Conditions Shaping Up Nicely

Since making the drive North last Friday I have been on the hill every day. Last weekend I was working for Nick at Alpha with Glen and Rob. This was an intro winter course, but as they had been out trying there crampons out we decided to do Dorsal Arete on the second day - a fine grade II climb in Glen Coe.

I then met up with friends Kath, Paul and Mat on Monday. We initially headed to do Cairngorms to find much snowier conditions. Up on Fiacaill Buttress we soon discovered its white appearance wasn't soft snow but well frozen snow ice. This allowed us to climb anywhere, but a lot of time is needed to dig out the cracks for protection. An ascent of the Couloir was chosen then a top rope session of Belhaven, The Seam and Short Circuit (all very different to last time I climbed them).

We were all keen to climb in NW on Tuesday and Wednesday, somewhere I have been climbing only a handful of times. The first day we made the long but steady walk into Beinn Eighe and the imposing Triple Buttress. Last time I was there I made an ascent of the Central Buttress seconding the memorable crux. This time it looked a little blacker than hoped. Mat and I climbed East buttress that had good snow and neve on the ledges, though the steeper bits were dry and so we used just 1 axe to ascend. A great route though.

On Wednesday, after much debate, we decided to stay in the NW and drive to Glen Carron to look at Sgorr Ruadh. After a little confusion navigating around a deer fence and a 2 hour walk we looked up, to find, nothing that resembled winter! To save the day we went up a grade I gully on hard neve, finding a snowy branch higher up (possibly grade III) before descending another gully on the far side of the top plateau. Not quite as hoped but not a completely wasted day.

So Thursday I returned to the West and was working with Adele and Jagged Globe. The clients, Paul and Bob, had already done a few routes and were keen for ice so the West Face of Aonach Dubh was chosen. We went up the long and varied number 3 gully - which was new to myself, Adele and Al Halewood who was also there working. Some good initial grade III ice pitches lead to a snowy gully and bits of easier ice higher up. Just when you I though it was all over though the climbing continued over rock steps and snowy flanks before eventualy topping out by the Lochan descent. Fun journey.

That is the last 6 days in a nutshell. Need to now get a new camera to replace my broken one so I can display some more pictures.

Black Cleft and Central Ice Fall Direct

It may now be all change, but it certainly has been a great month for winter climbing. This week I ascended Central Ice Fall Direct (VI) with Baggy which is a 3 pitch pure ice climb that probably hasn't been in since the mid 90's. Yesterday I was on Cloggy with Dave climbing Black Cleft (VII, 7) again a route that hasn't been formed for years. Both classics and great fun to climb.

I'm now heading up to start work in Scotland, though after climbing so much recently it feels more like the end of the season rather than the start!

Kayaking and Ice

On Saturday I ran a 3 star training course on the Menai Straits. It was surprisingly pleasant in the sun, even though the temperatures were low. I was out with Leo and Gary, going through a range of strokes and playing in the various currents created in the Swellies.

The plan was to go to Llangollen today, but over the weekend the river has started to freeze over -removing eddies! We decided conditions therefore weren't ideal and postponed the assessment until a latter date.

Instead I went out to Cromlech Ice Falls in the afternoon, which are climbable in places, with some friends. No one was about, so it was nice to enjoy some roadside ice in the peace and quiet.

Blue Skies over the Carneddau

Busy week with 6 new routes this week. All in the Carneddau and around grade V on mixed ground. Today I was with Si Lake and Dave whilst the other day I skied in with Baggy.

There were certainly some fun pitches amongst them, I just need to name a few and write them up now. There are a few photos below from today.

Cwm Idwal Ice

Today I took my Dad and Norman up to play on the ice at the back of Cwm Idwal. There are a variety of routes providing good ice from II to VII with a short walk-in. Unfortunatly everyone else loves the ice too, and even mid-week it was packed.

We did some skills, sliding and talking about snow on the way in before duckin and diving to find a variety of ice pitches to play on. This included taking some harder lines up in Devils Kitchen itself, exploring the dark recesses of the cleft.

A beautiful day with no wind and pleasant winter temperatures.

New Routes and Enough Snow to Ski

My legs are feeling the burn after a couple of exciting days in the winter wonderland that is North Wales (along with the rest of the UK).

On Monday I did two new routes with Dave up in the Carneddau, both offering mixed climbing around grade V making good use of the frozen turf. With blue skies and distant views you couldn't ask for much more.

Yesterday I went for a ski tour from my house, after Baggy was engaged looking after his kids due to the local school closures. It was definitely a first being able to ski back to my door.

Today I got out climbing again, with a further 2 new routes. Both were in the Carneddau again providing 3 -4 pitches of mixed fun. The second was unexpectedly steep, possibly around VI-7, providing just enough gear. A ski back down capped the day off nicely.

The Cold Weather Still Prevails

I think my girlfriend is tired of me telling her how lucky she has been with the weather. Ice is forming nicely at all levels with the low temperatures looking set to continue.

Yestetday I took Tom up Deep Cut Chimney on Stob Coire Nam Beith. There was some good ice in the initial chimney and the recent wind had scoured the slopes to reveal old neve higher up.

I also went up to Ceitilin Slabs down Glen Etive on Thursday, for somewhere different. Unfortunately the 'copious amounts of ice' as described in the guide book wasn't present but we did climb a gully not described. This provided small interesting steps of grade III / IV.