Something different: Drytooling at Newtyle Quarry

With a favourable forecast over east, Scott and I ventured to Newtyle Quarry, one of Scotland's few drytooling venues (the other that I know of is beneath Ballachulish Bridge in Glencoe, so please do let me know if you know of any others!). 

Having not really done much drytooling before, we started on the easiest lines of the quarry, Bonzai and Grooviliscious, both coming in at D4 (roughly equivalent of Scottish VI), and I have to admit that neither of them were that straight forwards, both sporting a few blind moves and a number of thin hooks, nevermind having not really spent much time pulling on ice axes or standing on tiny edges with crampons for some time!

Me on Bonzai

Scott on Grooviliscious

Scott on Roofiliscious

Having both led these, we had a go at Roofiliscious D5+, which packed a punch right from the floor.  In the end, we decided it would be more conducive to top rope this line, which after working out a couple of the lower moves, was technically not too difficult.  Just quite physical!

It was great to get the forearms working hard again, and re-adjusting to balancing with points on tiny edges, and hopefully good preparation for another good winter!

Here are a few tips for visiting Newtyle Quarry:
-Make sure that your axes are sharp, and ideally modified for mixed climbing (click here for more info).  You'll reap the benefits of a sharp hook on the tips of your tools!
-Both belayer and climber should wear a helmet.  Some of the rock is very loose, a fair sized block came down after we had pulled the ropes through.
-Eye/face protection probably isn't a bad idea should an axe placement pop.
-Take a clip-stick if you have one.  We clipped the second bolts on each of the routes, just to limit ground fall potential.

Enjoy!

Get in touch for Winter Courses 2011-12

As another summer passes by, it's time to look forward to this coming winter (not forgetting some autumnal rock climbing!), and with temperatures today on the summit of Ben Nevis just above freezing, it won't be long until the first snows arrive.  The past two winters have been fantastic, with some great early season conditions, so fingers crossed for a third.

Please do get in touch at applegateken@gmail.com or 07799 863068 if you are interested in developing your experience in the winter mountains this coming season.  I am based in Fort William throughout the year.
 
Prices per day start from: £160 for 1 person, £180 for 2 people, £200 for 3 people.

A nice wintery surprise: Ledge Route, Ben Nevis

Fresh snow this morning

Following a very mild Friday, with high winds, heavy rain and temperatures on the summit of Ben Nevis hitting 7 °C, I was a little unsure as to how wintery it would be for a two day Winter Mountaineering Course, working for Abacus Mountaineering, with Wes, Jamie and Gary. Fortune, it seemed, was to be on my side! Once the strong winds died, the temperatures dropped and the rain ceased, which all happened at once, at about 6am, it had left behind a reasonable cover of fresh snow down to about 700m. 

Final snow ridge of Ledge Route

Wes, Jamie and Gary had all climbed a number of grade 1 gullies, in the Lake District, and had plenty of experience summer hill walking and scrambling, but were after something a little more adventurous, and also were very interested in learning the rope work required to protect tricky steps both in ascent and descent.  My decision to head for 'Ledge Route II' was confirmed as we approached Coire Na Ciste, and saw that the fresh snow had transformed a previously quite bare Ledge Route back to its full winter glory.  Quick progress was made up this classic route, stopping occasionally to focus on various rope techniques, before making the summit of Carn Dearg, where there was at least 4 inches of fresh snow, and it was certainly very wintery up there.  We headed round to No. 4 Gully, and had a look at stacked abseiling to enter the gully.  On regaining the base of Coire Na Ciste, the clouds lifted and it was clear that a lot of the freshly fallen snow had melted, leaving Ledge Route quite black again.  The flatter sections will still be snow covered, but the steeper section will be back to bare rock.

Coire Na Ciste this afternoon

It was a very quiet day on Ben Nevis, with a couple of teams heading up into Observatory Gully and a couple of others on Ledge Route.  The ice that was on Good Eve's Buttress and Raeburn's Wall is starting to look at bit thin, as did Hadrian's Wall Direct, which is riddled with large holes.  I'm sure Comb Gully Buttress will still be fine, as will Comb and Green Gully and some of the gullys on Creag Coire Na Ciste.  Freezing levels are due to be at 900m tomorrow, so it could be another good day.

Just hanging on in there: No. 3 Gully Buttress, Ben Nevis

Day four out with the three from Sheffield.  With a good forecast, and not many other options, heading up high on Ben Nevis seemed to be the sensible choice, and 'No. 3 Gully Buttress III' high in Coire Na Ciste the most appropriate route.  The great thing about the route is that every pitch is different, and the line makes it's way through some very impressive scenery.  There is also scope for much variation, allowing additional difficulties to be included, depending on conditions.

Goodeve's Buttress and Raeburn's Wall

As we entered a deserted Coire Na Ciste, we had great views over towards Goodeve's Buttress and Raeburn's Wall, and it looks as though the first couple of pitches of 'The White Line III' are still holding on in there, and could be used to gain 'Raeburn's Easy Route II'.  'The Gutter III,4' and 'Beam Me Up Scotty III' also look just about complete, so a combination of the lower pitches of 'Glover's Chimney III,4' and then moving onto 'The Gutter' may also provide a good day out.  The lower pitches of our route, No. 3 Gully Buttress, could also be clearly seen, and looked to be in good conditions, and having climbed the route earlier this season, during another thaw, I was confident that there would be enough snow and ice to complete the route.  I chose to head directly up the first pitch, taking in a nice section of steeper (and very hard) ice, which the others all enjoyed, before moving across the big traverse, underneath 'Quickstep V,5' and 'Two Step Corner V,5', which is complete, but dripping wet, and no doubt quite unstable.  Above the traverse, I opted for a rocky pitch, which heads straight up to the plateau.  There is enough ice on this pitch, but again, its very hard in places, shatters quite easily, and required care to climb.

The big traverse on No. 3 Gully Buttress

Topping out on a cloud free Ben Nevis

We were treated to blue skies and sunshine (a surprisingly reoccurring theme this winter!) on topping out, and enjoyed the quickest way off the mountain, the Red Burn bum slide, which has developed a few gaping holes. Another great day on Ben Nevis! We only saw two other teams climbing, both on 'Green Gully IV,4'. which is holding on well, and Mike Pescod was out on 'Comb Gully IV,3' and reported good ice.  Forecast is for cooler temperatures, so the ice that's still there should last a bit longer...  It's not over yet!

Ben Nevis this afternoon

It turned out alright: Dorsal Arete, Glencoe

South Buttress of Stob Coire Nan Lochan
 

Another day out with Phil, Ben and John.  As we pulled up in Glencoe this morning, there was low cloud and it was drizzling, without any signs of letting up.  Fortunately for us, the forecast of a high pressure moving in as the day progress materialised, and from about 11am onwards, we were treated to blue skies and sunshine, along with some great views out towards the Aonach Eagach and beyond.

This was my first time climbing 'Dorsal Arete II', on Stob Coire Nan Lochan in Glencoe, and given the traffic that the route had received yesterday, I was fearing the worst, given the current winter conditions, but we lucked out, and were the first of only two teams today.  The route is quite straight forward, starting on snow slopes just to the right of Broad Gully, and with good conditions on the route for the most part, we made good progress up the easier section of the route, before heading up a slightly bare chimney, and gaining the exciting finale, the exposed rocky fin, which today didn't require an axe, but did require a bit of care due to the loose blocks.  I'm sure that the route must change each season due to rockfall, but today we didn't significantly add to the erosion of the route, and topped out on the snow free west shoulder of Stob Coire Nan Lochan. Another great day out!

Jenga blocks on Dorsal Arete, be careful what you pull on!

It was very quiet in Stob Coire Nan Lochan today, and the blackness of the buttresses will be the reason why.  Boomerang Gully and Broad Gully (descended by a team today) are complete and Forked Gully, North Gully and NC Gully still look complete, although SC Gully is missing large sections.  The top-outs of some of these gullies will be quite precarious given the steep and soggy cornices still present, and until temperatures drop, which will happen to an extent through the night, they are probably worth avoiding.

Stob Coire Nan Lochan

Faulty Plumbing on Fawlty Towers, Ben Nevis

A huge difference from Saturday!

With soaring temperatures, I thought that the ice on Fawlty Towers may just about be hanging on in there.  It was, just.  Today, I was out with my brother, Phil, and a couple of his friends from Sheffield, John and Ben.  Ben and my brother had kindly helped me out when getting ready for my Mountain Instructor Award Assessment back in October, and again, with my Mountain Instructor Certificate Assessment in the pipeline, the three of them were willing 'guinea pigs' once again.  I should point out that they're all very enthusiastic and keen to learn the ropes of winter climbing, so a win-win situation for all.

Carn Dearg to Castle Ridge

Fawlty Towers is normally a great grade III snow/ice climb, finishing low down on Tower Ridge, however today, it was looking a little bit lean, and with water dripping down all the buttresses of Ben Nevis that I could see (the cloud was low, so I couldn't see up into Coire Na Ciste or Observatory Gully), it was going to be a damp experience for all.  The first pitch usually involves a good snow-ice groove, however today, we had to take a line slightly to the right which involved a bit of rock climbing in order to gain the thinning ice above, which was good fun, and not without interest. The turf was still frozen in places, and what ice there was, was not bad at all, but care was needed not to dislodge the now unfrozen blocks.   The three climbed well and quickly, helped by their previous rock climbing experience, and it wasn't long until we gained the crest of Tower Ridge.  It did sound as though there was a team on Tower Ridge, but given the low cloud, it was impossible to be sure.  We descended Tower Ridge and the West Gully of Douglas Boulder, which all added to the adventure of the day. 

Looking up Fawlty Towers, taken by Phil Applegate

 
Conditions on the mountain are far from ideal, with a huge thaw currently in progress, and due to continue throughout the next few days.  With a high pressure system set to dominate as of tomorrow, our saving grace might just be the cooler night time temperatures.  Vanishing Gully, Italian Climb and the routes on the Douglas Boulder are all no longer climbable, reports from others suggested that the ice lines on Creag Coire Na Ciste are no longer viable either, but a team did climb No. 3 Gully Buttress.  I'd imagine that Green Gully and the ice lines high on the mountain are hanging on in there, but for how much longer I wouldn't like to say.

Busy on the Ben: Number 3 Gully Buttress, Ben Nevis

Following some quiet days on Ben Nevis, today was a stark contrast!  Understandably, as it is one of the few mountains still managing to hang onto it's winter coat.  There was a very steady stream flowing up hill alongside the Allt a'Mhuilinn today, comprising of teams of climbers, all with similar objectives in mind.  I was working for West Coast Mountain Guides today and was out with Ashley and Dimitri.  They had both climbed Tower Ridge a couple of weeks ago, and had found it to be at the edge of their comfort zones, so were looking to climb something of similar technical difficulty but perhaps without the length of Tower Ridge.

Ashley and Dimitri on the first belay

The gearing up spot in Coire na Ciste, beneath the Trident Buttresses resembled something from a school playground, with numerous climbing 'gangs' in varying stages of readiness.  Whilst gearing up, I noticed that Number 3 Gully Buttress had a team leaving the first pitch and with no one else heading that way, decided to go for it.  Fortunate really as it had been my number one choice from the outset.  Conditions on the route were overall very good.  The snow was firm enough, and the ice was, for the majority of the route, in good shape.  I was keen not to simply 'guide' Ashley and Dimitri, so we looked at belays, tactics, leader placed protection, protecting traverses and in-situ gear amongst much else.  The ice higher up on the route was quite thin, and care was needed not to destroy the remaining patches!

Views across Coire na Ciste

A thin, but climbable Two Step Corner

A thin, and climbed Quickstep

We pretty much had the route to ourselves, as we never really did catch up to the team ahead. Another great day to be out.   Both 'Quickstep V,5' and 'Two Step Corner V,5' were complete, just, and there was a brave team on Quickstep, but I didn't quite see them negotiate a pencil of ice barely the width of my waist!  Other teams on Green Gully, The White Line, Banshee, Central Gully & RH of Creag Coire Na Ciste, Central Gully of The Trident Buttresses, Comb Gully amongst many others and reports of numerous teams on Point 5 Gully.  Freezing levels didn't really drop through the night as forecasted.

Quiet in Observatory Gully: Observatory Buttress, Ben Nevis

With the freezing level forecasted to be high for today, James and I decided to go high on Ben Nevis, with the intention of climbing the ice line of 'Observatory Buttress V,4'.  We walked in with blue skies and sunshine, which stayed with us for most of the day, although the clouds did occasionally roll in, eerily down Observatory Gully and obscure otherwise very clear views of Tower Ridge.  It was quiet on this side of the mountain, with two teams on Hadrian's Wall and two on Point 5 Gully.  A couple of other teams passed beneath us later on, Mike and his client who climbed 'Smith's Route V,5', which has only really just come into conditions, and there were footsteps leading up to a well formed 'Tower Scoop III'.

Coire Na Ciste today

 

Observatory Gully today

James starting up pitch 1, with Hadrian's Wall in the background.

The route was clearly in good condition, judging by the fat white streak on an otherwise blackening buttress.  James led the first pitch, which was a straight forward icy groove, to the first snowy bay.  I took over the lead and led through the various bulges and steps of ice, before climbing through the short but steep crux.   The ice so far had been nothing short of excellent, taking first time axe placements and good ice screws where required.  James led on through to reach the large terrace, from where an escape into Observatory Gully is possible.  I was keen to have a go at the 'Direct Finish V,5', which is the recommended finish for a number of the other climbs which finish at the terrace, so a big traverse put us at the base of a well formed icy groove.  James then led the groove well, and after 50m, belayed over towards 'Left Edge V,5'.  From here, it was obvious where the Direct Finish went, but it was also clear that the ice was quite thin, so that axes were going to have to be carefully placed, and that the climbing would link patches of thicker ice and neve on the ledges and less steep sections.  After three tied off ice screws, I was able to get a sinker, before committing to a series of more technical moves, and finally appreciated the security of a well hammered No. 10 nut!  The climbing was never desperate, in fact, it was good fun, but quite serious at the same time.  We topped out to an amazing cloud inversion, with only the tops of Carn Dearg, Trident Buttress and the summit popping out, and both agreed that it had been a fantastic route!

Me on the crux pitch.  It was steeper than it looks!

The temperature didn't rise as much as forecasted, with the freezing level at about 1100-1200m through the day.  Tomorrow's forecast is for milder conditions and strong south westerly gusts, so it would be worth sticking to the thicker ice routes.

Views of Tower Ridge

Hadrian's Wall Direct, Sickle and Point 5 Gully

 

Great out east: Savage Slit, Coire an Lochain, Cairngorms

Early start this morning!  Two teams, made up of Scott and James, and Alex and I headed over to the Cairngorms this morning, as Alex and James had been over yesterday, and reported good and improving conditions in Coire an Lochain.  Clouds were low on the approach, and we entered a very quiet coire at 8:30am, geared up and headed up to climb 'Savage Slit V,6', the classic of the coire.  Another team were just starting out on 'Fall Out Corner IV,7' but I think backed off later.  Conditions on Savage Slit looked fantastic, with good riming, ledges holding solid neve, and the cracks mostly clear of ice.

Me starting up pitch 1 of Savage Slit

Alex on the short, sharp pitch 2

I linked the first two pitches, climbing a great 25m pitch up to the first in-situ belay.  The climbing was quite sustained and technical, but never particularly difficult, and reasonably well protected.  The crux today was the final pull onto the chockstone belay, where footholds become slightly less positive.  Alex then led through, climbing the following short pitch to the next in-situ belay.  The climbing on this pitch involved some good old thrutching and chimneying tactics, with plenty of good gear throughout.  I then led the final pitch, which started off by finishing up the 'slit', which again sported some interesting climbing, before finishing up easier snow to the plateau.  The guidebook does mention abseiling from the second in-situ belay on double 60m ropes, however that would miss out the third pitch and sense of true completion.  The third pitch is also highly recommended!

Looking back at the buttresses of Coire an Lochain

Overall, conditions were fantastic (possibly near perfect for Savage Slit?), and will further improve for tomorrow.  It was very quiet in Coire an Lochain today, with only teams on Sidewinder, Hooker's Corner and Ewen Buttress.  Scott and James climbed The 'Lamp V,6' over in Coire an T-Sneachda and reported conditions to be good, but not as good as Coire an Lochain.  Tomorrow should again offer some fantastic winter conditions in the Cairngorms.  Back here, both Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor are looking far more wintery, there'll be plenty to go at again!

Quick glimpse of Ben Nevis en route home

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

Careful pickings: North Buttress of Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe

Choice of route today was absolutely essential, given the high avalanche risk on the mountains.  John, James, Alex and I decided to play it safe, and chose to head to Buachaille Etive Mor in Glencoe to climb 'North Buttress (West Route) IV,4'.  Mike Pescod's new guidebook 'Winter Climbs Ben Nevis and Glencoe', published by Cicerone, suggests that once established on the route, that it is safe from avalanches.  It has to be stressed that this does not include the approach, which could be prone to avalanches, particularly due to the angle of some of the slopes.

A stag, standing proud, with North Buttress in the background

Alex waving from the top of pitch one

The route, which is made up of a series of chimneys and grooves, provided some great climbing, although quite bit of clearing was required today to find those buried hooks and gear placements!  Belays are all big blocks, which meant that we could abseil back down the route from the top of the difficulties to beyond the start, in four abseils.   The winds were strong southerlies, although wrapped around the northern end of the mountain, transporting a lot of loose snow from east to west, and also throwing quite a bit of spindrift down the route!  Windslab was forming on the approach, particularly on the western side of the broad ridge as the day progressed, but we were able to stick to the exposed rocks, turf and lower angled slopes to ensure a safe descent. It was a social day, with four of us out, and we did come across another team starting up, just as we finished our last abseil.

John having just thrutched his way up
the difficulties of pitch two

MIC Training, Day 4: Aonach Dubh and Stob Coire Nan Lochan

What a wet day!  Heavy rain was falling at all levels today, saturating the snow pack, and blackening the buttresses, and a fair bit of existing snow and ice was quickly making it's way out to sea.  All was not lost however, far from it.  With the rain due to stay all day, we had a day of mountaineering, scrambling up a slush covered 'Dinner Time Buttress II', on the west face of Aonach Dubh, along up to the summit of Stob Coire Nan Lochan, and down 'Dorsal Arete II,3'.  The focus of the day was dealing with more mountaineering terrain, where straight forward pitching would be both unnecessary and very time consuming.  The decent of Dorsal Arete enabled us to look at the tricky business of managing two clients down steep and technical ground, whilst using various belays to keep everyone safe.

Tim and Dave on the damp descent of Dorsal Arete

Signs of avalanche activity were present, with quite a bit of debris at the base of Forked Gully.  There was a surprising amount of ice on Dorsal Arete, and with the forcasted refreeze tonight, the snowpack should firm up well, and provide very good climbing conditions for the next few days.  There will be a slight rise in temperatures on Friday, but existing ice on the higher crags should be in great nick.  We only saw one other team today, who had climbed 'Ordinary Route IV,5' on the Summit Buttress of Stob Coire Nan Lochan, who seemed to have had a good day, despite the rain.  Another productive, but somewhat damp day!

MIC Training, Day 2: Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Glencoe

Overnight, there was a lot of fresh snow, down to about 300m.  This had fallen on all slope aspects, meaning that there was probably little wind through the night, and therefore hadn't created much new wind slab.  However, with the forecast suggesting an increase in wind strength throughout the day, particularly from the west, wind slab would be steadily building on the leeward slopes, so those facing east, but also lead to cross loading, filling in gullies and depressions on other aspects too, especially those perpendicular to the wind directions, so in the case of Stob Coire Nan Lochan, northerly facing gullies, of which there are quite a number.

Snow being transported from west to east,
looking out toward Aonach Dubh

Day two of the MIC Training course was spent focusing primarily on personal climbing, but also with thought on efficiently guiding two clients up a route, making the most of the limited time windows of opportunity in which to teach winter climbing.  Rusty, Tim and I climbed 'Ordinary Route IV,5' on the Summit Buttress of Stob Coire Nan Lochan, which proved to be an excellent mixed route, throwing in a fair share of tricky steps and great situations in amongst quite a complex crag.  The turf was all pretty frozen, and asides from the odd patch of rotten ice, the climbing was all pretty secure.  As forecasted, the winds did start transporting the snow onto the crags, and whilst not a problem on the route, meant that descent down the various gullies became more serious, and therefore no longer an option so we ended up descending the ridge joining the summit of Stob Coire Nan Lochan to Aonach Dubh.

Late afternoon views to the southern slopes of the Aonach Eagach

A very productive day, with again, a wealth of new tips and techniques practised and discussed.   A busy day in Stob Coire Nan Lochan with other teams out on Innuendo, Twisting Groves, Twisting Gully and Dorsal Arete. Tomorrow, the winds are forecasted to be north westerly, and overall, with the freezing levels at around 600m for most of the day, conditions should be great.  Care should however be taken based upon the SAIS forecasts.

The Wild North West: Glen Sheil & Torridon

Back in 2004, I took my first steps on steeper snow and ice, on an introductory winter climbing course with Martin Moran, and I remember it well, with days out on the rugged mountains of Liathach, Meall Gorm, Fuar Tholl and Sgurr an Lochain.  Since then, despite numerous promises to myself, I have only spent a very small amount of time up in the north west, so decided to start doing something about it.  I had the opportunity to join the same course that I had been a participant on 6 years previous, with the aim of picking up tips and techniques required to instruct and coach winter climbing in an adventurous yet efficient and safe manner.

Looking out towards Beinn Dearg and Loch Maree

Tuesday was spent on 'Way-up Gully I' in the magnificent Coire Dubh Mor (translates as 'Big Black Coirre'), on one of the finest ridges on the UK mainland, Liathach.  This corrie is home to some of the great ice lines of the North West, including 'Poacher's Fall V,5', 'Salmon's Leap VI,6' and 'Umbrella Falls V,5'.  I had climbed Umbrella Falls quite a few years ago, arguably having bitten off a little more than my climbing partner, Andy, and I could chew back then!  We did finish the climb, albeit in the dark, and made it down safely, but we both certainly learnt a thing or two that day!  I digress, so back to 2011, we ascended Way-Up Gully, and continued to the summit of the most easterly Munro of Liathach, Spidean a'Choire Leith, to then descend 'South Gully I'. The upper slopes on the south side had been scoured, leaving quite a hard icey surface, fortunately lower down, below 700m or so, it was much easier going with the softer snow.  The ice lines today were a long way from being complete, with only the thinnest of smears of ice highlighting where the various lines of thick, dribbling ice should be.  These routes all require snow lying above to feed the ice through cycles of melt/freeze, and fortunately, despite there being very little snow above the lines on Tuesday, this will have changed over the course of the week! 

Descending a very snowy Forcan Ridge

Wednesday saw a later start, in the hope of making the most of a reasonable weather window.  To a large degree, this worked, as despite a wet start, making our way up to a grade I gully on the north side of the 'Forcan Ridge II' in the Munro lined valley of Glen Sheil, we topped out and descended the ridge in much calmer conditions.  Snow fell heavily throughout the middle of the day, and was settling down to 600m.  Rivers and streams remained in spate!  Throughout the day, the risk of thunderstorms was present, due to a mass of warm air being forced upwards by an incoming wedge of cold air. More info here: Causes of Thunderstorms.  Later that evening, Glencarron was treated to a display of forked lighting, the booming of thunder and the threat of power cuts.

Tricky down climbing on The Traverse of A'Chioch, Beinn Bhan

Thursday morning brought an early start, due to the promises of foul weather hitting the west coast of the UK mid afternoon.  The team today headed up onto Beinn Bhan, a magnificent Corbett, with its six dramatic NE facing coires, the majority of which containing a fine array of classic mixed and ice climbs, on some of the continuously steep cliffs in the UK.  The aim for the day was to climb one of the most adventurous grade IIs in the area, 'The Traverse of A'Chioch II'.  The route starts on the dividing ridge between Coire na Feola and Coire na Poite, and is more than just a straight forward climb, involving some down climbing, traversing and exposure to reach the final four pitches.  We were lucky to have blue skies, light winds and great views for the first few hours of the day, but on topping out, it was clear that things were changing, rapidly!  Some of the wildest weather I've experienced came through once we had finished, bringing with it torrential rain, storm force winds, and high up, a lot of fresh snow.  I'm sure the early start, and hence early finish was very much appreciated by all.


Whilst this stormy weather renders the hills almost out of bounds for the time being, in the long run, it will only lead to improved climbing conditions for the winter ahead, so long as its not perpetual!  Nevis Range is closed today, and looking out the window, I can't say that I'd be too inspired to head out today.  I shall be on my MIC Training this coming week with Plas Y Brenin, fingers crossed for slightly better weather!

An exploratory day on Pinnacle Buttress, Ben Nevis

An absolutely amazing day out on Ben Nevis today, with clear blue skies and no wind.  It doesn't get any better!  Mike, Scott and I didn't have any concrete plans when we met up this morning, but by the time we had reached the car park, we had decided to head up to the lesser climbed area of Pinnacle Buttress on the eastern side of Tower Ridge.  On the approach, the snow had firmed up after a substantial thaw and good re-freeze, making travel around Coire Na Ciste pretty straight forward.  There was some avalanche debris at the base of No. 2 Gully and The Trident Buttresses.
 

Mike venturing up pitch 1.

Mike led the first pitch of 'Pinnacle Buttress Direct V,5', which sported some good snow-ice, but also some patches of very brittle hard ice.  An interesting mixed move right finished off a great intro pitch.  Mike had spotted a corner which may or may not have been climbed before, so Scott led us to the base of the corner.  I took over the lead, and found the 'possibly climbed before' corner quite bold, but with good ice and turf, the pitch felt reasonably secure.  The crux was a steepening at about two thirds height, which was fortunately well protected by an awkward to place thread.  Mike's next lead was pretty uneventful, up easy snow slopes, so he then led the final pitch to the top of the Great Tower.  Again, a variety in the quality of ice made the pitch quite tricky, particularly an awkward move right over a very thinly iced up slab with very small features for feet.  This brought us out onto the Great Tower, just before Tower Gap, and with the sunshine on the plateau looking so appealing, we finished up Tower Ridge.


It was a pretty quiet day on Ben Nevis, with teams on 'Glover's Chimney III,4', 'Green Gully IV,4', 'Hadrian's Wall Direct V,5' , 'Moonwalker IV,3', 'Garadh Gully' and numerous teams going up and down 'Number 4 Gully I'. The crags of Coire Na Ciste look a lot blacker than those on the eat face of Aonach Mor, but I did hear of some mixed action on some of the modern test pieces taking place today.  The higher buttresses will provide some good mixed climbing, but it does look like the ice lines will be getting a lot of attention over the next few days.
 

Dramatic scenery on the top pitch.

It seems that we weren't the only ones to have been climbing on Pinnacle Buttress of the Tower recently: first ascent of 'Goodfellas VII,8'

A quick blast: White Shark, Aonach Mor

With a small window of time in which to climb today, I teamed up with Scott and Dave, for a quick route on the east face of Aonach Mor.  Conditions haven't been great since the weekend, with quite a substantial thaw stripping a lot of the snow, and certainly reports from yesterday suggested that the mixed routes on Ben Nevis were quite black.  The weather last night and this morning has solved that.  With strong north-easterly winds bringing in moisture, the rime has been building up well on the buttresses, and it's looking very wintery up on the east face at the moment.  The cornices have firmed up, although they are still quite large, and the top of Easy Gully will warrant the use of a rope for access for the time being.

Dave leading into the clouds

 'White Shark IV,4' is a route I had a go at a couple of years ago, but it was during quite mild temperatures, and the top ice pitch had become detached  from the rock, so I escaped up an equally serious 'Aquafresh IV,4', to it's left.  This time however, things were a little different.  The ice was in good shape, taking both 'good' ice screws and mostly first time axe placements.  Dave led the first pitch, to just beneath the steep crux pitch, I then led on through, up the steep ice, to find a convenient tunnel through the cornice, therefore avoiding the need for any awkward top-outs. There were only two pitches, so unfortunately Scott wasn't able to jump on the sharp end.  Car to car, it took 4 1/2 hours, which made quite a pleasant change from 'the norm'!


The weather for the next few days looks good, with light winds, lowish temperatures and little precipitation, the climbing conditions on Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis should be excellent!

The looming cornice at the top

The convenient tunnel through the cornice

A route less travelled: The Groove Climb, Ben Nevis

Scott tackling pitch 1 of The Groove Climb.  

If there was a freeze last night, it must have been very brief, as today the snow was quite soft and freezing levels had risen to around 1100m, and with an evident thaw in process, Scott and I decided to head up high again.  The cloud base was at around 700m as we entered Coire Na Ciste (again), and visibility was down to about 100m.  With far less climbers about, and with the cloud in, Ben Nevis took on a very different feel to yesterday.

We ended up retracing our footsteps from yesterday, to seek out a somewhat obsure, yet one starred climb called 'The Groove Climb V,6', which was only a few metres to the left of yesterday's 'Slab Climb'.  The routes aren't fantastically imaginatively named here!  Despite it's short 70m length, the route manages to squeeze in a number of obstacles, the first being loose, unconsolidated snow on the steep and sustained first pitch, which Scott led well, particularly as the gear wasn't great, and then quite a strenuous, but safe, pull out of a very tight cave/belay up and over the capping chockstone, onto easier ground above, which I led.  A long traverse leftwards brought us to a huge spike, from which we were able to abseil down (60m), and down climb back to the packs.

Guy and John were on 'Slab Climb' and then 'Wendigo IV,4', other teams on 'Zero Gully V,4', 'Hadrian's Wall Direct V,5', 'Number 2 Gully Buttress III', 'Green Gully IV,4' and 'Thompson's Route IV,4'.  The forecast is again for the freezing levels to be above the summit, but all the mentioned routes should be ok, however there will be an increased risk of avalanches with the increase in temperature and precipitation, so care is needed.

One to come back to: Slab Climb, Ben Nevis

This morning, the path up the Allt a' Mhuillin, to the CIC Hut was perhaps the busiest I've ever seen it.  Strung out along 4km, I counted 20 headtorches, everyone with heads down, heading to their own adventures on the impressive crags on the north face of Ben Nevis.  Scott and I also had our own adventure in mind, to try 'Slab Climb VI,7' on South Trident Buttress, in Coire Na Ciste.

Scott leading pitch 1 of Slab Climb, Ben Nevis

Scott led the first pitch well, managing the ropes well in order to protect me on a tricky, and slightly insecure down climb of a few meters.  I then took over the lead, to attempt the crux pitch.  From the belay, the crux pitch is a soaring slab of 40m, riddled with small overlaps, small ledges and two parallel cracks running vertically.  I hooked my way carefully up, constantly searching for cracks suitable to place gear, but everything seemed to be flared, iced up, or too thin.  After about 8m of climbing, I finally uncovered a bit of tat around the tiniest of chockstones, and thankfully clipped it, deciding that this, as my first tech 7, might be a little too bold today.  We abseiled off, promising to come back another day to try this route. The guidebook does suggest that the route is reasonably well protected and best climbed early season under powder, making me think that it's best without ice lined cracks.  You live and learn!

The temperatures at 900m were just above freezing, due to a temperature inversion (temperature increasing with height), so the snow became wetter as the day progressed, and the top layer of wind slab came away easier as the day progressed.  It's due a freeze tonight which will help consolidate this.  Many of the Ben Nevis classics were climbed today including 'Point 5 Gully V,5', 'Green Gully IV,3', 'Gargoyle Wall VI,6', Darth Vader VII,7', North East Buttress 'IV,4' and 'Glover's Chimney III,4'