23-29/2/07 BMC International Winter Climbing Meet, Glenmore Lodge
Saturday and Sunday - A wet start to the international meet in the Northern Cairngorms....
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The first day of the international meet was hosted by a wet, but suprisingly still quite wintery Northern Cairngorms. I was lucky enough to be teamed up with the Japanese contingent of the meet, Hiroyoshi Manome and Katsutaka Yokoyama - or, more conveniently on those shouted inter-belay winter conversations - Mano and Taka! I asked them if they had done much mixed climbing to which they modestly replied 'only a little'. This turned out to be a little bit on big walls in Alaska, a little bit on new routes in the Gangotri Himalaya (Meru Sharks Fin), a little bit of new routeing in the Andes and little bit on the fine looking icey mixed climbing they have in Japan (brief photo article on this to follow...) All in all - a lot! We 'warmed up' (actually cooled down on the wet and slushy) Overseer Direct in Coire an Lochain and also climbed Invernookie and The Message. |
Despite fairly unpleasant weather and conditions the two Japanese lads and many other member of the meet got some kind of idea for the style of mixed climbing on offer here in the Highlands.
Monday 26th - Ben Nevis gives visiting guests a great insight into the joys of Scottish Winter Climbing....
Folk who had been studying recent conditions and picked up a forecast who thought they were in for a fine but quiet monday morning on the Ben were in for a shock. Ice conditions were excellent high up but the arrival of around 50 of us from the winter meet meant the Ben would be anything but quiet. There was a certain 'Storming the Bastile' feel as the Barbarian hordes flooded up Observatory Gully - but there was plenty of ice, blue skies and sub-zero temperatures giving smiles all round and the hosts feeling justifiably proud of the Ben putting on a great show for the guests.
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I was fortunate enough to be climbing again with Mano, Taka and Pete Rowlands and it was a pleasure and a privilege for us to show them one of the finer sides of Scottish Winter Climbing. We climbed the superb and icy 'Albatross' and Mano led the final pitch to belay on the summit trig point. With perfect winter views in all directions could there be a better introduction to Nevis? Mano showed his talent and enthusiasm by simply climbing untill he ran out of rope 60m up the route having done the crux and first 2 pitches in a oner! |
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Now downgraded to VI,5 Albatross represents the harder end of that grade on the Ben and, in 'normal' conditions is a much tougher proposition than similarly graded routes such as Astral Highway, Slav Route and Psychedelic Wall.
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Ian Parnell and John Varco, with partners from the International meet made the 3rd and 4th ascents of 'Babylon', Simon Richardson and Chris Cartwrights VII,8, high on 3 Gully Buttress and right of Gargoyle Wall.
Es Trsesidder and Slovenian Rok Zalokar, watched by the muttering hordes on the other side of 3 Gully, added the 'Rok of Ages' finish to Gargoyle Wall at a spicy and icy mixed VII,7 - Good effort!
Other teams enjoyed excellent ice and mixed conditions on Smiths Route, Point Five, Indicator Wall, Psychedelic Wall, Tower Ridge, Slab Climb, Diana, Two-Step Corner, Thompson's, Green Gully, The White Line, Glover's Chimney, The Cascade and the list goes on.
So, despite poor weather and thawing conditions either side, today left everyone with a high feel good factor and an insight, albeit a brief one, into just how good the winter climbing here in the Highlands can be....
Tuesday and Wednesday - Category 4 and 5 avalanche hazard, 80mph winds and various interntaional colds give perfect conditions for rest days!
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Whilst a few hardy souls braved difficult mountain conditions to climb routes such as No Blue Skies, Bulgy, Ventilator, Savage Slit, Haston Line most folk were content to have a day or two off. Bouldering teams went out to Cummingston and Dave Macleod took a keen group to Newtyle to try 'Fast and Furious'. Dave re-climbed the line as an impressive first outing for his tools of the season and found many of the old pick holes had blown and been replaced with new ones at a similar grade. Mano took a fairly spectacular lob at one point, sweeping a rucksack on the floor with his head! Be careful when clipping on Fast and Furious.
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Thursday 2nd March - Mixed climbing extravaganza in Coire na Ciste, Ben Nevis - 3 New grade VIII's on the Ben?
Another day of good conditions on the Ben saw more early bus loads of international teams heading west out of Glenmore. Never before had I witnessed so many teams on both interesting and new mixed ground in Coire na Ciste. Es Tressider, Sam Loveday and their international guests climbed the brilliant 'Stringfellow' VI,6 above the Garadh - which lived up to it's 3 star status. Dave Macleod with the strong visiting Japanese team, Mano and Taka, climbed a new line high on the Left side of Tower Face of the Comb and parallel to 'The Good Groove' at a steep and reportedly slightly loose grade VIII. Ian Parnell and partner appeared to be climbing a new line on the Sioux Wall area of 3 gully buttress and Vivian Scott, accompanied by a fairly wide eyed guest, climbed a steep and technical chimney left of South Gully at a scary VIII,8 - yet another great effort inspired by the fantastic enthusiasm for Scottish Winter climbing displayed on this meet - from guests and hosts alike.
Mick from Ireland, Fedda from Sweeden, and I climbed Garadh Gully, Raeburns Direct, a very fat Cascade and a pleasant, easy and aptly named 'The Gift'. Many of the Nevis ice classics mentioned recently in these reports were also climbed.
All that remained was to re-group back at Glenmore Lodge for the final night celebrations - A lively night, with the beer, not to mention Zambuka, flowing as freely as the chatter and enthusiam over the pleasures and pains of Scottish Winter Climbing.
A big thanks to Nick Colton, Becky Mcgovern and the BMC for organising the whole meet and the folk at Glenmore Lodge for their fine Highland hospitality. Here's to the next one.....
