Scottish Winter 2007/08 Climbing and Mountaineering Reports
| 28/2/08 Success on the Dorsalgrat, Stobbers, The W.Face of Aonach Mor and a brief history of time. (Well, Scottish Winter Climbing anyway.) Family Holmes and Donald were ahead of the pack on Dorsal Arete today and enjoyed good wintery conditions for easy mixed climbing. Rob Smith went soloing on the W. Face of Aonach Mor - a good choice considering the category 4 avalanche hazard on the back of westerly winds. He reported fine wintery conditions - ice and stiff snow in the gullies above 800m with only the odd pocket of accumulated windslab. Over on the East Face it was a rather different story and SAIS Lochaber forecasters Blair and Gaz triggered a decent sized windslab avalanche on the scarp slope above the Braveheart corrie (deliberately!) Click here to read our latest article - a comparison between the history of winter climbing developments on Ben Nevis and the Northern Cairngorms followed by a brief discussion of these developments in an international context. Read on and I'd be glad to hear any comments, errors, omissions etc. etc! |
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27/2/08 Observatory Ridge and Ledge Route, Ben Nevis
It's been a pretty wild start to the week here in the West Highlands. On monday Craig, Gavin, Arran and I were out winter skills training on Aonach Mor. There was a lot of snow getting blasted around and some good training opportunities for everything from avalanche awareness to goggles management! Yesterday the winds were gusting in excess of 100mph so we took the sensible (and fun!) option at the Ice Factor and dry tooling in the valley.
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Up on the Ben today conditions were far better. Craig, Gavin and Arran enjoyed moving together, alpine style, up a freshly snow plastered Ledge Route under the expert watchful eye of Don Wan King. Gaz and Sam enjoyed the fully trad mountaineering outing of Observatory Ridge, never easy! They reported good icy conditions and fine stiff neve moving into Zero Gully near the top. Whilst certainly not in normal climbing condition they also reported ice building on both The Orion Face and Mega Route X. There is plenty of life in the winter of 2008 yet.........
22/2/08 Wild Winter Day in The Northern Cairngorms
It was 0.0C at the Coire Cas Car Park this morning and -1.5C later this afternoon. It was a lot colder in the Corries too with some powerful gusts of icy wind as Andy's ginger ice beard demonstrates!
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Andy and his clients climbed Goat Track Gully in fine lean icy condition - A good choice when you don't want to poke your head out on to the Plateau as it is not necessary to top out. Despite the wild wind there were decent conditions for snow and ice craft training and for most of the easier gully lines. Some of the buttress routes were catching a bit of rime also. Descending the Goat track late this afternoon there was such a powerful gust we had to ice axe arrest to stop being blown back up the slope - a strange combination of concern and hilarity! The day belonged to February and it was good to descend across the moors with a decent covering of fresh snow and even cornices forming on the path! |
20/2/08 Back to Winter in the West High lands...
It was a cold and windy day in the West Highlands and a bit of a shock to the system for those of us who had quite got used to the fine alpine weather. It felt much more like a normal february day on Aonach Mor with fresh snow on the ledges and a light rime on the crags. On the easier ice routes conditions were getting even better. Damien, Caroline and I enjoyed 'The Web' whilst Rich, Mark and Fiona climbed Right Twin and a good grade II ice line next to The Web.
Up on Ben Nevis, Gaz and Sally reported fine conditions and good thick ice on 'Indicator Wall' V,5.
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18/2/08 The Brenva Face, Ben Nevis
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It was a busy day for Ben Nevis and Highland Guides today. And what a day. Minus 5 this morning and clear blue skies. Damien, Caroline and I headed up to enjoy the positions and avoid the crowds on the Brenva Face. Infact 'Cresta' would be rather busy all day, as would another thinner line to it's right. But we had 'Bob Run' all to ourselves and enjoyed the good sun softened ice, stiff snow and super views out across the Carn Mor Dearg Arete. Rich took Mark and Fiona up 3 Gully Buttress and Gaz and Steve enjoyed Raeburn's Easy Route. Other teams were climbing Smiths and Psychedelic Wall. Although some ice was building low down on lines like The Curtain, Point Five still has a few gaps on the 2nd pitch. Zero and the Orion Face are lacking a lot more than that and the mountain certainly has a pleasant if premature spring alpine feel about it. |
17/2/08 Skills Training on Aonach Mor
Conditions were excellent around on the East side of Aonach Mor today for winter skills training. Mark, Fiona and I practiced cramponing on everything from stiff snow and frozen turf to water ice, verglassed rocks and also a bit of pure rock climbing in them too. We had lunch in an 'in-situ' igloo at the base of G and T Gully, very handy, and then climbed Easy Gully over in Coire an Lochain
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There were numerous teams out on the East Face ice routes and a light riming was setting in on the summit as we walked off. We could do with a bit more of that blasted on to the crags to make them white again as they are looking distinctly summery at the moment. Lower down in the ski area the snow had softened up a bit and there was some surprisingly reasonable skiing to be had.
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15/2/08 Spring continues in the West Highlands....
The temperatures continue to be much colder than forecast here in the West Highlands but with windspeeds gusting at 5 mph and bright sunshine it is a pleasure being out on the hill. We returned to the East Face of Aonach Mor today and enjoyed some steep gluey ice on the crag classic 'Left Twin'. Descending through the completely dry and grassy central Buttress we then headed over to the South side of the Coire. Numerous teams were enjoying the ice pitches near Easy Gully which were shady and way less banked out than usual giving some fine short routes. We climbed an excellent & steep little grade III pitch in this area and topped out over the cornice on perfect pick placements in stiff snow. It looks like the Blue skies may be over for a while but with the frosty nights remaining the ice should hang on in for a while yet - Bon Weekend. |
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14th February 2008 ~ Right Twin, Aonach Mor East FaceEddie, Mark and I celebrated Valentines with a 'day off' from the Nevis Nordwand and pottered up from the Aonach Mor gondola to the East Face. There was a sociable alpine atmosphere at the top of Easy Gully with various teams enjoying the fine views out to the cloud inversions across the East Highlands. Over here in the West we basked in sunshine, again! |
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We
climbed the almost 'Chamonix Goulotte esque' Right Twin - an excellent
3 pitch, 2 star, grade 2 and an ideal place to enjoy some amenable
ice climbing and rope work training. It is possible to take belays
that are completely sheltered from falling ice debris which is a
good thing in the current slightly hollow ice conditions. Following
folk up ice routes is even more sub-optimal than normal at the moment! |
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13/2/08 Raeburn's Easy Route, Ben NevisI was on Ben Nevis again today and climbing with Eddie and Mark for Jagged Globe. We climbed the 7 pitch grade II 'Raeburn's Easy Route' - A fine mountaineering expedition with icy runnels and good stiff steep snow slopes. The left hand finish to this (Experts Choice) looked superb and contender for the best piece of ice on the Ben at the moment. Mike and Rose (Team Abacus) climbed a steeper left hand start and found an interesting route up to the left topping out on the Plateau near Tower Ridge - an excellent long icy grade III/IV. |
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| Team super Guides Francais climbed Psychedelic Wall (or very close to that line) - which was a tad on the THIN side. "How you say" - MIXTE!! |
12/2/08 More Nevis Panoramas & The Cascade and Number 2 GullyThe stable dry weather continues here in the West Highlands and I was in Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis today. Being a little lower it is looking even more spring like than Observatory Gully. I followed team Ice Factor, Jamie B and Will, up the Cascade. I've done this pitch many times before over the years but it felt a like a long way today - it's not banked out! It was also a little wet and hollow at the top giving some slightly unnerving acoustics! |
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| Number 2 Gully was however easy angled and in Grade I condition. Pleasant stiff snow with lots of bucket steps up to a very friendly exit. Pulling out onto the plateau suddenly gave a striking winter sunset across the West Coast and far West Highlands. There may not be a huge amount of ice around but I could get used to this weather - which is good as it looks set to continue for a while.... |
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| Doug had a baptism on ice at the top of Observatory Gully today and we climbed Good Friday and Tower Scoop with a descent of Tower Gully in between. These gave some fine grade III ice pitches and were all in good shape after last nights freeze, the first of many by the looks of it for the this week at least. |
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A super strong French team consisting of a Chamonix and Briancon Guide made extremely light work of a fine looking Smith's Route and then practically romped up a very lean line high on Indicator Wall. They knew not what but it was in the region of Shot in the Dark. Indicator Wall itself was complete although rather thin at the bottom giving it a superb Riders on the Storm look. On the Summit we had lunch in a warm southerly breeze and named the Munros - Ben Mor on Mull, The Rum and Skye Cuillin and then all the big hills of the Southern Highlands. Doug only has 40 or so Munros left to complete the full round but we lost count looking North. A real Nevis classic day and with this week of high pressure there will be more on the way - See you up there!
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9/2/08 Tower Ridge & Number 3 Gully, Ben Nevis It was calmer than forecast on Ben Nevis today but not cooler. The freezing level is still sky high and the buttresses largely black with the occasional collapsing icefall to add that 'late season in Observatory Gully' feel. Steve and I climbed the Douglas Gap West Gully and expected a buffeting on Tower Ridge, we didn't get it and weren't disappointed. Instead we enjoyed some fine alpine scrambling with rock, turf, snow and ice all coming in to play. |
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| Traversing a murky but not wild plateau we abseiled down No.3 Gully and into the clag of the Ciste. Visibility was at least 20m and I pointed out to Steve all the fine ice and rock architecture he would see "if" it were clear. Ah well, it's always worth coming back to the Ben.....
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6/2/08 Curved Ridge & Superb Wintery Conditions in Glen Coe Many teams were out enjoying the full winter conditions in Glen Coe today. There was much fresh snow down to around 600m and we enjoyed a fully plastered Curved Ridge. Some of the trickier summer sections were banked out and plastered in useable sticky snow, a real pleasure. We enjoyed fine views from the summit and descended Coire na Tulaich. There was another team on North Buttress who reported difficulty finding gear in the snowy and icy cracks and Gaz and Chris had a similar deal on Ordinary Route (Summit Buttress), Stob Coire Nan Lochain. |
5/2/08 Winter Skills on Aonach Mor Today was much pleasanter than many recent wild days. It was cool and calm with a freezing level well below the summits. I was working for Jagged Globe teaching winter skills on the East side of Aonach Mor. Conditions were good in that we had stiff snow to kick and cut steps, practice cramponing and construct snow anchors with lots of soft snow and fresh windslab to look at interesting snow stability tests. Tomorrow looks like another coolish and relatively calm day to get out and enjoy the masses of snow around at the moment. The skiers at Nevis Range today were certainly having a good time.  |
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| 2/2/08 - Moran & Blakemore make the First Ascent of Suspense Wall, Beinn Bhan. And a fine repeat winter ascent of Centurion on Ben Nevis.... Martin Moran and Tim Blakemore made good use of the cold weather, blizzards and fresh snow on saturday to make a fine first ascent of 'Suspense Wall, VII,7 in Coire na Feola, Beinn Bhan (in the North West Highlands). The route takes a direct four pitch line up an intimidating wall with no other existing routes on. Tim described the climbing on more than one of the pitches as very sustained and very bold. Good effort and more details on Martin's conditions page. Further south, on a wild and wintery day here in Lochaber, Guy Robertson and Pete Benson made a fine one day repeat ascent of Centurion, the classic HVS on Ben Nevis. Carn Dearg buttress was suitably plastered and other strong teams reported leaving the CIC hut in their goggles....to walk down the path, so those two must have been suitably rosy cheeked! Stop Press: Captain Vivacious and Stevie Wonder climb the Last Great Chimney on Ben Nevis, Font WI 10 X for the sit start (without a pad, spotters, or the aformentioned insulation).
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2-3/2/08 - Snow Holing on theCairngorm PlateauSaturday gave tough but rewarding winter conditions in the Northern Cairngorms. Trail breaking, rimed rocks, a strong buffeting from the wind and sub zero temperatures down in the valley. Up on the Plateau that night it was -11C. Jenny and I headed up the Fiacaill Coire an-t-Sneachda to avoid a high avalanche risk in the Corrie although many teams did seem to be completing snowy gully climbs without great incident. |
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We set about digging a snow hole up on the plateau and were rewarded with good stiff wind blown snow - the perfect digging and building material! After a brief night navigation exercise we settled in for a cosy night immune to the blizzards outside. Strong southerly winds deposited much fresh snow during the night so keeping the exit clear required much digging! |
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| This morning dawned windier and slightly warmer than forecast and it was a wild traverse of the Plateau back to Coire Cas and the ski area where many teams were out practicing winter skills. Most folk heading in to climb in the corries today 'bailed out' on the walk in - Good decision! |
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1/2/08 - The Big Freeze Hits The Highlands We postponed our snow holing trip today as the promise of snow drifted and closed roads was less appealing than a day of fixing gear and making flapjack! This is the view north out of our garden here in Fort William. Snow settling down to 100m with the freezing level not much higher. Various strong teams are assembled here in the Fort to take advantage of the cold wintery conditions and tomorrow looks like the day to do it. The skiing looks like it's had a great boost as well with many of the lifts and runs at both Nevis Range and Cairngorm preparing to open for another 'big saturday'. A series of very cold nights and low isotherms looks set to continue into next week and with more snow on the way. Difficult conditions in the meantime but all more than welcome as further building blocks to great snow and ice conditions later in the winter. Have a great weekend out there and let us know what you get up to. |
