Summer Mountain Leader Training: Lochaber

It's been a busy few days and following on from my climbing trip to the Cairngorms, I was straight into observing a 6 day Summer Mountain Leader Training Course, run by Mike Pescod of Abacus Mountaineering.  Although the training course isn't compulsory for those looking to become a Mountain Leader (you can apply for exemption), it is certainly highly recommended as it cover the syllabus set out by the MLTUK, following which a consolidation period will allow potential Mountain Leaders to practise the various techniques and skills before putting themselves forward for assessment.

Day 1 was spent focusing on introducing the role of a Mountain Leader and core navigation skills, and we headed up to the hills bound to the east by the River Lochy and north  by Glen Loy.  Due to the fantastic high pressure we had sitting over the UK, we were treated to some great views towards Ben Nevis.  With such good visibility, compasses remained in the rucksack, and just the map used to pick out various features, as we covered ground up towards Stob a' Ghrianain before descending into Coire an Lightuinn.

Navigating on the flanks of Stob a' Ghrianain,
with Ben Nevis in the background

Day 2 saw the team heading up the North Ridge of Stob Ban, in the Mamores, with an emphasis on group management and leadership, particularly on steeper and more rocky terrain.  The day highlighted the need for dynamic leadership, using a variety of leadership styles to safely and efficiently cover tricky ground, whilst still allowing a healthy degree of freedom for the group, who certainly wouldn't want to be 'in-tow' all day.  Again, we had great weather, and views up Glen Nevis and across to Carn Dearg and the southern slopes of Ben Nevis.

Negotiating steeper ground, just off the North Ridge of Stob Ban

Using the rope in the event of an emergency,
looking out to Ballachulish

Day 3 was another steep ground day, but on ground that as a Mountain Leader, you wouldn't intentionally encounter.  In other words, ground that as an ML, you would only be required to ascend, or more likely descend, in the event of an emergency or as an escape route.  We ventured into Glen a' Chaolais, by Ballachulish.  The various granite outcrops allowed the team to learn and practise safeguarding both a group and themselves by means of a rope (and nothing else!), by building belays, setting up simple top ropes using waist belays and abseiling using 'classic' methods.





Day 4 was based in Glen Nevis, looking at various methods to evacuate a casualty from the hills using improvised stretchers and other carrying methods before practising river crossings, both with and without a rope.  There were plenty of others in Glen Nevis, enjoying the sunshine (before the midges start attacking!)  The evening was spent route planning for an overnight expedition.

Practising river crossings in Glen Nevis

Days 5 & 6 were spent on an overnight expedition, with a strong emphasis on navigation and, of course, walking in amongst some fantastic mountain scenery.  We started in Glenfinnan, west of Fort William, and headed up onto Streap, which despite not quite attaining Munro status (3000 ft or 914m), still feels very mountainous, and has a narrow, airy ridge leading up to it's summit.  The weather did finally close in, which enabled the group to practise navigating in poorer visibility.   Another big aspect of becoming a Mountain Leader is the ability to navigate in any conditions, so part of the evening was spent navigating in the dark, relying on pacings, bearings and reading the steepness and aspects of the ground beneath their feet.  On day two, the weather cleared again, and we walked up Na h-Uamhachan, a broad ridge at 691m, and then descended back into Gleann Dubh Lighe.

Day 2 of the expedition, heading back down to Gleann Dubh Lighe,
with Loch Sheil in the distance

All the trainees took the course in their strides and are well on their way to becoming Summer Mountain Leaders, and for me, I found it very useful to recap the delivery of all the aspects of a Summer ML Training course (I did mine back in 2003), and enjoyed a productive week.

Potentially a new route: Mint Sauce E1 5c*, Glen Nevis

Having enjoyed yesterdays session on Sheep Fank Wall in Glen Nevis, Alex and I decided to head back and climb some of the other routes up there.  The rock is clean and dries quickly, and although the routes are short, they're quite technical, and on the whole, quite well protected.  It's a great micro crag! Alex warmed up by climbing 'Haul HVS 5a', which sports a nicely exposed crux, before gaining easier ground to the tree belay.  He then mentioned that there could be a potential new route, which I was very keen to try...

Just beyond the crux of Mint Sauce

Beneath the first roof of the crag, which is bound by the route 'Fence Edge HS' to it's left, and 'Sheep Fank Direct S' to it's right, is a small hanging slab, which looked quite blank, and not recorded in any of the guidebooks for the area.  Protection seemed to be reasonable from the ground, so I thought that there would be nothing to loose by having a go.  Having placed a Wild Country Zero Friend and a small Black Diamond micro-stopper, I made a few false starts before finally committing to the thin and quite strenuous slab, with feet on the tiniest features and hands undercutting varying quality of holds on the roof itself.  The join between the roof and slab didn't yield a thing for hands!  It was only a couple of moves across the slab, but felt quite exposed, as a slip would certainly not be pleasant!  Once I had gained the arete to the left, I muttered to Alex that I wasn't quite out the woods yet, before placing a solid cam, and establishing myself on the easier line of 'Fence Edge'.



I'm surprised that the slab had not been recorded, as it was a good route, with quite a technical crux, and it fits in well with the other routes on offer on the wall.  I've emailed the Scottish Mountaineering Club, and put the route forward...

POLLDUBH, Sheep Fank Wall:

Mint Sauce   30m   E1 5c *. Ken Applegate, Alex Wheeldon. 29 March 2011.

Start beneath the corner 3m right of the lowest point of the crag.  Climb up the corner, to the roof then make a delicate traverse left, across the hanging slab to gain the arete of Fence Edge and easier ground above.

Alex pulling through the crux on Tickattack

We finished the afternoon off with 'Tickattack E1 5b', which boasts an exposed and entertaining move as it's crux, to gain easier ground above.  Well protected, and good fun!

It's looking wet tomorrow, so I'm going to head up and see what winter's left on Ben Nevis...

The very white peak: North Ridge of Stob Ban

The final day of working for Hughes Mountaineering saw me heading into The Mamores, with Declan, Tom and Miriam to have a last mountaineering adventure with one real criteria for the day: to get back for the Ireland/Wales Six Nations rugby fixture at 5pm!  With snow forecasted and a shift in the wind direction, it made sense to stick to ridges, and with that in mind, opted to head up the North Ridge of Stob Ban.  Stob Ban translates as the white peak, and although the term refers to it's quartzite composition, it was certainly very white with the freshly deposited snow.

A snow covered North Ridge

The ridge has great character, rising at first quite sharply out of Glen Nevis, then easing off before tackling what at first seems to be an improbable buttress.  Once up close, the true nature of the difficulties become much clearer and easier than initial impressions might suggest.  A couple of rocky steps and some meandering lead to a spectacular snowy arete, leading the way towards the various false summits and finally the shattered quartzite peak of Stob Ban.  Windslab, which had been forming on the easterly facing slopes over the past couple of days, was also forming rapidly on the westerly facing slopes due to the new wind direction.  On the summit, we bumped into a team from the Ice Factor  who suggested that the trench they had created on their ascent (also our intended descent) would prove useful, however so much snow had fallen that their foot deep trench had already filled in.

Not a great photo but it shows the
amount of snow on the descent path

We were able to forge a path back down the mountain, through at times waist deep snow, trying to stick to the line of the path as closely as possible, which was very obscure at times.  We made it down for just gone 4pm, allowing enough times to make it back for the rugby, but  I bet they wished they hadn't have bothered given the final score!  A great and very different three days, all reflecting the diversity and challenges of Scottish winter mountaineering.

A Grand Day Out: East Ridge, Stob Ban

At the moment, two friends from Spain have come over, in the hope of bagging their first Scottish winter climbs!  Luckily, I'm fresh out of MIC Training, and was keen to give Fabien and Jorge a flavoursome taste of Scottish winter climbing, whilst using them as guinea pigs, or Conejillo de Indias!  I didn't think they would have any objections!  It wasn't easy to pick a route which fulfilled all the criteria of being an ideal intro route, providing big adventure, whilst being safe given the high avalanche risk, forcasted by the SAIS for Lochaber and Glencoe.  It was in the eleventh hour that I decided to try the 'East Ridge II/III' of Stob Ban in the Mamores.  Route choice was again absolutely critical, and the East Ridge on the North Buttress seemed to tick all the boxes: a ridge, east facing, safe approach over low angled slopes, safe descent and potential for adventure.

Fabien and Jorge enjoying themselves

I've not climbed on Stob Ban before, and I've no idea why really, as the East Ridge was great!  It has quite a mountaineering feel, with some varied climbing, from snowy ridges to short technical steps, and has great gear and belays all the way.  Route finding didn't seem to be too tricky, with it being a case of following your nose, although I'm sure many variations at the grade are possible.   Conditions on route could not really have been better, with bomber turf, solid neve, and not too much loose snow.

Fabien and Jorge tackling one of the trickier steps

We opted to descend by going over the summit of Stob Ban at 999m, and then follow the ridge east to then head north back down the Allt Coire a'Mhusgain.  Fabien and Jorge are both keen sport climbers, so fitness and physical ability were not going to pose too much of an issue, but I'm sure they'll both sleep well tonight!  There were other teams on the route, how many exactly, I've no idea, as we were the first team, and only saw two other teams.

All clad in yellow, on the summit of Stob Ban, 999m