Technique practice

Ian making the moves on steep ice

Yesterday was a long day for Ian, Paul was ill, and today the weather wasn't loking good, so we headed to the indoor ice to practice footwork, using 2-tools, and other steeper climbing techniques.

Vomiting and Boomerang Gully

We were up early this morning and headed off aiming to be the first on Dorsal Arete in SCNL. On the way there we sought out toilets in Ballachulish but the smell of fried potatoes was just too much for Paul, so we detoured back to Roy Bridge.
After this Ian and I arived at the crag later and I have NEVER seem such a crowded route, so we diverted to Boomerang Gully, a very pleasant route itself.

Ian high up on Boomerang Gully

Golden Oldie

Today I joined a Plas y Brenin group led by Dave Evans and Dave Rudkin on the West Face of Aonach Mor

I went up the superd "Golden Oldie" alongside Dave E, Mike and his son.

Dave E & Mike

Mike & his son

 

  

Dave Rudkin took a party up the ridge alongside.  

Dave Rudkin & party

Lakes Mountain Conditions - Helvellyn & Climbing

Helvellyn above Red Tarn

It looks green in the Cumbrian valleys but if you head upwards you'll find a good amount of snow and ice.

Photos are of Helvellyn above Red Tarn at 7.00 this morning. Number 2 gulley, V-corner etc look like they could be fun tomorrow morning - but I'd advise starting esarly for the best conditions and no crowds. It gets light around 06.30. The weather forecast is for a clear and cold night which should see a nice freeze.

Number 2 gully

On the tops the snow has blown across and the ground is well frozen so I'd expect great winter conditions with nice views for early risers. Don't forget your crampons though.

If you're looking for some "flat ice" to practice winter skills and especially crampon use (but possibly step cutting too) then I found some good sheets of ice above the path whilst walking. I was dashing down but if you are map reading or practicing your navigation I think you'll find it around Grid 355 158. But beware - always look at the ground below where you do any practicing and consider "what if" you trip or slip.

Striding Edge 12/3/10

I'm available for Winter Skills classes as well as Navigation, Scrambling, and Rock Climbing - but not this weekend. I can be contacted at info@MountainInstructors.co.uk

I'll be going rock climbing in the Lake District. Developing a climber who wants to progress to severe climbs, do retrievable abseiling ,and top ropeing. We'll also do some navigation, route finding, and although it will be chilly I expect to see a fair amount of sun.

Have a great weekend.

Beinn Dearg, North Scotland - a missed opportunty

We headed further north hoping to climb Emerald Gully IV.4 but I woosed out. A blister is coming and I have winter clients arriving in 2 days so need to be careful, also we heard warnings of gullys full of snow and  the recent news of avalanches. So we walked in optimistically but I felt in need of a rest and we turned around.

We had great views of a very white An Teallach, but this is a picture of todays objective, Beinn Dearg (not reached... this time)

We headed back south, breaking the journey for a nice lunch at the Mountain Cafe Aviemore 

There's loads of snow around and a few days ago Aviemore was snowed in with Tesco's running out of some foods.

More blue sky!

Applecross, NW Scotland - March Hare's Gully

We headed North (after climbing Eas Anie) on wonderfully narrow roads to stop at the Jacobites Mountaineering Club hut at Inver. A wonderfully remote and cared for hut. Despite being away from the road the members have carried in an Ikea kitchen, large gas bottles and a solar system for lighting - extreemly impressive.

The sleeping is on wooden platforms (needing a thermarest and very warm bag) and after a late supper and long day we were off to do some heavy-duty snoring before getting up (slightly too late) and heading off.

Beinn Bhan has a series of cliffs and this picture is the very impressive Coire Na Poite. The ice in the left/middle is Silver Tear V.5 350m, the most popular route today. We headed for March Hare's Gully IV.4 300mtrs where I grabbed the crux first pitch - wonderful and well protected with hexes and ice screws.

We stretched the pitches and got onto the ridge and summit in time for photos and to decend just as it got dark. We'd summitted ahead of other teams that started ahead of us on other routes and hope the decent in the dark was ok.

Yet another sunny day - we are getting tanned (when out of the gulleys)!

Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe

On the summit of Stob Dearg (part of the Buckle) 1022m

the summit ridge walk off

Fantastic weather on the Buckle, we walked in early with other parties heading for the poular routes of Crowberry Gully, Curved Ridge. Another pair had a "slip" on Raven's Gully V.6 (they were ok if a little shaken and limping).

Heading over to the first pitch of North Buttress IV.4

We climbed North Buttress IV.4 which is an obvious route linking a series of chimneys on the big buttress. Navigating to the route is fairly simple (especially with blue skies). Follow the well trodden path until you cross the prominent stream, then scramble up towards the 2 large boulders silhoueted on the ridge. When you're on the ridge head upwards to the obvious chimneys and the start of the route.

Plenty of rock on this route

Conditions were good, but a little more freeze/thaw will increase the number of ice axe placements. It is a mixed route so be prepared for conditions as shown in the picture above (especially on the crux moves).

Looking down at a sihouete if the mountain cast over the Glencoe road

No need for ice screws but got some great Nut and Hex placements. It's got some great wee cracks to hook your tools into.

Ben Nevis from Buchaille's North East summit at 1022m

The snow was stable so we decended down the gully of Coire na Tullach, with a bit of glissading (bum slides) to loose height swiftly. BEWARE - this is not an appropriate decent if avalanche conditions are poor.
Back to the car and off for an early and well earned fish & chip supper.

Ben Nevis climbing

A great day's climbing on The Ben. It was cold last night and minus 8.5c when I met Dan (from Real Adventure) and Bridget, my "clients" for guiding today. We used a key to the forest gate and drove up in my Golf (more instructors seem to have VW's and La Sportiva winter boots than any other brands). I have winter tyres and chains - couldn't have got up the track without them.

North Face of the Ben whilst walking in.

It was an interesting day apart from the climbing - we saw a fell runner in his shorts on the summit (wow!), people scrambling just above the start of Tower Ridge at 4pm (wow - have a headtorch and/or be sleeping out the night) and somebody using ice axes to make an ascent of the shelter on the Ben's summit!

My instructor plan was to guide Harrison's Climb Direct, a IV.4 four-star on Carn Dearg Buttress, but it looked thin of ice from the track so we headed up towards Italian Climb, but it also loked thin, so we kept ascending to climb Glover's Chimney III.4 which meets the ridge at Tower Gap, then follows Tower Ridge to the top.

People on the summit of Ben Nevis

Glover's Chimney is in the book 'Cold Climbs' but we had it ot ourselves. The initial ice is good, then it's a long easier plod up steep snow before the final rocky chimney, a rock climbing conclusion before it meeets Tower Ridge at at knife edge point of the ridge but you can clip the in-situ rope before scrambling on up out of Tower Gap and heading on to the summit.

Looking back down Tower Ridge from above Tower Gap

Navigation was a doddle today - superb views and tracks in the snow to follow. Though one lady did walk over to us at the top of Tower Ridge to ask if it was the decent gully.

Walking down to the decent at Number 4 gully.

The cornice on No 4 gulley had been cut through so the decent was ok and the snow was soft enough for some swift glissading.

Climbing Conditions - plenty of low down ice; higher up it's not been warm enough for water or snow to consolidate so lots of fluffy white stuff but it's not good for whacking pic's into. The icefalls bewlow the CiC look good, The Curtain isn't in codition. Italian Climb looked like the snow was unconsolidated; Italian Right-Hand looked thin; and Vanishing Gully looked like it might be OK. Ridges look great though.

Icefalls below CiC hut

Aonach Mor - Roaring Fourties

Today was to be a shorter day so we took the early uplift on the Aonach Mor Gondola. Weather's been cold and the avalanche forecast is fair.

The carpark was packed at 7.30 and we were worried... until we saw some familiar faces and SARDA dogs - it was a host of Mountain Rescue Teams out training with the dogs.  Al, an instructor I know from Glenmore Lodge, jumped into our cabin and we caught up on gossip.

We took the 4-chair lift onward and walked up to the top with 2 other pairs. The cornice is big enought into the decent gully to make an abseil off a snow bollard a wise move.

We enjoyed dropping down Easy Gully (grade I) in the soft snow and headed off to Roaring Fourties IV,4 140m. There's snow covering most features so be ready to do some digging for gear, and the resulting hot-aches that this can bring.

The first pitch was open, with thin ice hidden under the snow. Pitch 2 could also do with a bit more ice, and might be more straight forward later in the season, I got an early short screw in and was soon seeking another placement before committing into the steep corner when I found a wire and screw gate, looks like sombody else had a problem here and bailed out but I silently thanked them, clipped it and moved on up. It isn't a one-move mission and the interest continues through pitch 2 into the 3rd pitch. A great route but not a soft touch, maybe some more ice will ease the difficulties?

We got to the top just as the sun came out with some fantastic light and silhouettes, and bumped into a team from Deep-Cut Chimney yesterday.

Deep-Cut Chimney, a Very Long Way

I thought it'd be colder towards the east in the Cairngorms today, but discovered the car covered in frost so we headed west to Glencoe. There was a line of 9 headtorches up the vally ahead of us at 7am. We passed Aonach Dubh as it got light (the Screen looks good) and walked on up to Stob Coire Nam Beith.

North West Gully looks in good condition but we moved left to join the parties on the 450 metre Deep-Cut Chimney, a IV.4 **** yes a 4-star route! And very long - don't arrive late!

Conditions are ok, a bit thin and we placed mainly rock gear and a peg.

Above the obvious difficulties is some old abseil tat. We continued on up and went right at the big buttress and kept right for 2 pitches.

Another party who went left seemed to have a more straight forward time. It's a long journey above the difficulties to the summit and we met another party at the summit just before it got dark. The decent was good, but we did see lights at the summit an hour later and think it was one of the other 2 parties who started way behind us. Great route, but get there very early!

Cautley Spout

Making the most of the cold weather Dan, Simon and Gareth and I headed off to Cautley Spout tonight.

Cautley is in the Yorkshire Howgills and is a 250 metre grade III icefall that takes a lot of cold weather before it's climbable.

Tonight there was a fair amount of runing water, but there's still plenty of ice. Beware though as the ice is "thin" on the first 2 pitches with poor protection.

After 2 pitches we decided to solo, so then the ice got firmer but we just kept moving on. Another excellent outing.

I thought my Petzl Myo RXP was very bright.... but when Dan and Simon switched on the bike lights they'd mounted on their helmets it got seriously bright (Dan's bikelight is off in this photo).

Now I'll need to save up for one of those Ultra bright Petzl headlamps!

Green Eyes

Green Eyes on Ben Udlaidh is the line going up and rightwards on the ice in the middle of the photo below - it's nice and fat, but it was windy today with steady streams of spindrift hiding ropes and climbers.

We went to climb this (IV.4*) but a leasurely start, and a party ahead of us, resulted in a change of routes but here are the pictures for anyone wanting info on this fantastic route.

Smoking the White Owl

With a forecast of strong winds and a slight rise in temperature Alan Halewood and I went off to explore Sgurr Finnisg-aig and to fing StWO (grade III.4). To get there park at the Aonach Mor chairlift and follow the track behind the building, after 45 minutes and a few twists and turns the crag appears on the right up the hillside. A bit of trail breaking gets you to the route.

The ice was substantial enough for good ice screws, but water was running in places.

There were some fantastic iceshapes for hooking and holding, and evidence of lots of icicles having fallen down.

The wind picked up and we topped out with a blast of snow in the face.

The route finishes about level with the top gondola station so we made a dash for it. The cabins were running but it was too windy to let us on board and it took 50 minutes to dash down the track, my son Tom (mad downhill mountain biker) does it in 7 minutes!