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Highland
Guides News & Mountaineering Reports
27/6/2008 A
Traverse of the Gran Paradiso....

Perfect
weather with very snowy conditions high on the glaciers and faces continue
to give excellent mountaineering conditions in the Alps. British Guide
Kathy Murphy and I took a group of 8 'KE' clients on a traverse of the
highest peak entirely in Italy - The Gran Paradiso. On the slightly harder
routes Steve Monks and ISM clients climbed the Ciarforon N. Face and an
Italian team climbed the Paradiso N. Face.
From
the Rifugio Chabod, instead of descending directly into the Valsavaranche,
we traversed the impressively engineered 'footpath' crossing the passage
Grand Neyron and descended the fixed chains (buried in snow) on the far
side. Despite the 1600m of descent to the valley the walk out was a pure
pleasure and bombardment of wild flowers, Ibex, Chamois, Marmots and fine
views across the Paradiso National Park.
June 21 2008 Promising
Conditions Across the Alps....

One
(older!) resident described the late spring / early summer mountain
weather here in the Chamonix Valley as the 'worst' since 1948. The
result of this however is masses of snow in the high Alps providing
good coverage both on the glaciers and many North Faces. |
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Last
week I completed my IFMGA Guides alpine training course. We had
mixed weather and conditions with the fist day in the Aguilles
Rouges feeling distinctly like a bad January day in the Northern
Cairngoms! We still completed the fine small alpine ridge that
leads to the summit of the Aguille Crocheus from the Flegere lift
station.
Leaving
Chamonix in search of less snowy hills we found better conditions
on the superb traverse of the Jaggigrat above Saas Grund. Accessed
from the excellent new Hosaas Hut this gives a fine AD ridge traverse
- all on the crest on good rock and is accessed by an enjoyable
10 pitch Diff / V.Diff giving a great alpine outing.
Back
in the Chamonix Valley the sun has returned and good summer alpine
conditions prevail. Yesterday we completed the traverse of Pointe
Lachenal and the Arete de Cosmiques in perfect weather and snow
conditions.
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June 2008, Alpine Via Ferrata
The
snowy start to the alpine summer has kept most teams out of the
high hills and searching for low level valley alternatives to their
mountaineering plans. Via Ferrata provides an easily accessible
yet often spectacular and fun alternative when the mountains are
out of condition.....

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We
thoroughly enjoyed the steep and 'juggy' via ferrata at Thonon,
near Bonneville in the French Alps which offers the steepest Via
Ferrata pitch in France - most find this a fairly pumpy undertaking
although of course it is not 'unethical' to rest on the equipment
in this sport! Mat impressed a large crowd of onlookers by 'freeing'
this pitch sans pied....as the photo shows! |
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This
superb crag at Gogarth near Holyhead in Anglesey is home to the
great British 'Hard Rock' classic, 'A Dream of White Horses'.
This is one of the most intimidating HVS's in the country to 2nd
as despite the climbing all being very reasonable there is a lot
of exposed traversing, some of it in a downwards direction!
It
is a superbly atmospheric route with sea cliff exposure, good,
but not bombproof, rock, views out to South Stack and inquisitive
Seals down in the Zawn below. It was also much windier than anticipated
giving a chilly mountaineering feel despite the sunny weather.
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1st
June 2008, Hard Highland Rock & Alpward Bound....
Its
been a great start to the summer cragging season in the Highlands
although the forecast for this week looks a lot wetter than
anything in the last month.
The
Lochaber sport crags have seen a fair bit of interest with
Mike Tweedley making a spring red-point of Dave Macleod's
recent route, 'Stolen' (8b) on Steall Hut Crag. Blair Fyffe
started working this route too but the main midge season is
now kicking in and Steall Hut Crag midges take no prisoners!
Blair had a good start to the season red-pointing 'Axiom',
Dave Macleod's 8a on Tunnel Wall in Glen Coe. He also had
a great week in the Outer Hebrides with Tony Stone and made
a rare repeat of 'Stone', an E5 on the epic Highland crag
Sron Ulladale on Harris.
Finally,
keep a close eye on Dave
Macleod's Blog over the summer. He's been training hard
and working on his new Nevis project on Echo Wall....rumoured
to be E12! If Dave succeeds it will mean the hardest trad
rock climb in the world will be on Ben Nevis. Awesome! |
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I'm
heading out to the Alps for the summer in early June.
Stay
tuned here for regular alpine reports throughout the season.
Also
check the Alpine
Guides Blog for regular and reliable mountaineering
conditions reports.
I'm
driving from London to Chamonix on the june 11th if anyone
is interested in sharing a lift. Contact
me for more details.
Have
a great summer on the UK rock or if you are heading Alpwards
- Bon Chance, Bon Courage et peut-être voyez vous
là!
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24th
May 2008, Sandstone, Gneiss and Gabro - Warm & Dry Highland
Rock....
I've
enjoyed another week of perfect weather and conditions working for
Martin
Moran Mountaineering in the North West Highlands. Melvyn and
I found some classic Multi-Pitch VS rock on the S. Face of Sgurr
a Chaorachainn (Sword of Gideon) and, at Diabaig, Boab's Corner
and 'Evasion'. The latter providing a very fine long sustained first
pitch with a slightly bold start. It deserves its star awarded by
the new Guide and is worth seeking out as one of the lower grade
routes at Diabaig which must be one of the best VS - E2 crags in
the country. |
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Later
in the week Phil Ashby and I took a team of 5 folk around the Southern
Cuillin Munro's. Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor, Sgurr Alasdair,
Sgurr Mhic Choinich and The Innacessible Pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg.
We split this Southern Round with an idyllic bivvi in Coire Lagan
and a welcome cooling off in the 'warm' waters of Loch Coire a Ghrunda. |
15th
May 2008, Cuillin Ridge Traverse & Classic NW Highlands Rock....
The
'uber blocking high' pressure continues over the West Highlands and many
teams have been out making the most of it. John came to the Highlands
last week on a Martin
Moran Mountaineering course and intending to make a complete traverse
of the Black Cuillin Ridge on Skye. We
warmed up with some introductory rock climbing and an ascent of the brilliant
'Cioch Nose' in the Applecross Hills (see below).
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After
a slightly leisurely start for the ridge traverse we hit the semi
purgatorial slopes of Garbh Bheinn just as the sun was warming up
for a long late spring Highlands day.
We
still made good time and traversed most of of the Southern half
of the Ridge before dropping down to the high spring in Coire na
Bannadich for an early supper and water re-fill.
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This welcome break along with a foot bath and the developing evening
alpenglow kept us going over Bannadich and Thormaid and onto the
superb bivvi spot between Thormaid and Greadaidh.
Here
we joined Tony
Hanly (Skye based guide) and Mike
Pescod (Fort William based Guide) and their clients with whom
we would share stories of the day, a few drams of Talisker and much
of the next days scrambling.
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After
a sunset over the Outer Hebrides and a good nights sleep we had
breakfast and an early start with the sun rising over the mainland
and Blaven to the East.
The
scrambling and climbing just keeps on coming on this northern half
of the ridge climaxing on the Bhasteir Tooth with a tired but 'airy'
ascent of Naismith's Route. Onwards and after 2 long superb days
of mountaineering the summit of Sgur nan Gillean and an ambition
achieved. |
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A two day traverse of the Black Cuillin Ridge on Skye. The finest
mountaineering expedition in Britain. |
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The
Cioch Nose
A
**** Severe classic of the North West Highlands and, with much
superb scrambling on to the summit of Sgurr a Chaorachainn, another
one of the most enjoyable mountaineering outings in the British
Hills.
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Latest
testimonial from Skye Mountaineering Course Here.
4-9th
May 2008, Spring Magic on The Isle of Skye....
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The
snow lasted long and late this winter on Skye and only a few weeks
ago the Famous Black Cuillin Ridge could be seen in it's fantastic
white alpine coat.
The
arrival of lovely warm spring conditions throughout the Highlands
gave a very rapid dispersal of the remaining snow pack and superb
conditions for walking, scrambling and climbing on the Skye Ridge.
David,
Phil, John, David and I had 5 days enjoying different sections of
the ridge and 'ticking' some of the classic scrambly Munros. After
a shockingly wet start to the week with a soaking on Sgurr Mhadaidh
we moved on to dry warm rock on the West Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean
and the E. Ridge of Am Bhasteir.
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Sgurr
Dubh na da Bheinn, Sgurr Greadiadh, Thormaid, Bannadich and the
Inaccessible Pinnacle were all also climbed, all in lovely warm
and breezy weather.
There
is a great new path up to the the start of the W. Ridge of Sgurr
Dearg now providing the quickest and most pleasant approach to the
Inn Pin. The path is accessed by taking an obvious left turn off
the BMC Hut - Coire Lagan path at a point directly beneath the start
of the ridge. |
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