Last minute plan: Creag Dubh, Newtonmore

The original plan was for Jo (pronounced Yo, and short for Johann!), to spend a day taking me and one other scrambling in preparation for his MIA Assessment.  However, one other cancelled at the last minute, so instead of the two of us going scrambling, we made a last minute decision to 'just go cragging' and ventured over east (where the forecast was better) and to go to one of Scotland's premier roadside crags, Creag Dubh.

Creag Dubh is a fanastic crag, being steep, ten mins from the road and generally the rock is of good quality.  However, the crag has got a reputation for bold climbing due to the lack of gear placements, and perhaps not a place to 'push the grade'.  With that in mind, and given our time constraints and the risk of rain, we thought that a day of ticking off some of the easier routes would make for a good day, so first up was 'Strapadicktaemi E1 5a'. I led up the first pitch, and it was quite clear why the route had been given that grade.  The climbing was great and all on very positive jugs, however, with some long run outs, a fall was pretty much out of the question.  Jo then led through, up to an in-situ abseil point, although with abseiling being the only means of descent from the top of most routes here, I don't know why something more permanent could not be set-up to abseil from i.e. chains/cables rather than masses of unsightly tat.

The first pitch of Strapadicktaemi

Looking across 'The Great Wall' of Creag Dubh.

We then repeated 'Inbred HVS 5a', which I think is technically slightly harder than 'Strapadicktaemi', just with better protection, and finally 'King Bee (Direct Start) VS 5a', before calling it a day, and driving back to a wet Fort William.  It was nice to be out cragging after such a wet May.  Fingers crossed we get some more dry days soon!

Two Cairngorm Classics: Steeple & The Needle, Shelterstone Crag

The impressive Shelterstone Crag

With the continuing good weather (karma after a wet trip to El Chorro last week?), I met up with Dave (Wee Dave) in the Cairngorms on Thursday night.  We left the Ski car park, with the plan to head over the back of the Northern Corries, into the Loch Avon basin and to the spectacular Shelterstone Crag, one of the finest in the Cairngorms, if not the UK.  Our intentions were to spend two days climbing on the Shelterstone Crag, and to spend the night underneath the famous Shelterstone, an enormous boulder, which has peeled away from the crag many years ago, and created a natural bivi spot, or howff, as the locals would say.  This meant taking in expedition kit along with climbing gear, which meant Dave and I both carried quite heavy loads up the Fiacaill Ridge, through Coire Domhain (in which there was still quite a bit of snow and remnants of old snow holes), and down the steep descent into the Loch Avon Basin, one of the most beautiful glens in Scotland.

Dave on pitch 2 of Steeple

We reached the base of the crag just behind another team, who were about to start up 'The Needle E1 5b', so decided that we would go for 'Steeple E2 5c' instead.  After two fantastic pitches of 5a climbing, up thin slabby corners, and an easier pitch of 4b, Dave led smoothly up the crux of the route, a stiff 5c pitch, which was deceivingly tricky, and involved strenuous moves to gain a rightward trending ramp, which didn't ease off until near the belay.  A fantastic lead!  From here, an easier pitch lead to the base of a striking steep corner, which  involved some great lay-backing up a thin finger crack, before the ultimate pitch, which although short, packed quite a bit of a punch, and coupled with the sensational exposure, made for a memorable pitch.

Dave on pitch 6 of Steeple

Looking down pitch 8 of The Needle

We quickly descended to spend the night underneath the Shelterstone, before an early-ish start on Saturday ensured us pole position on The Needle.  Dave also had to be back in Aviemore by 6pm, so we had to move reasonably swiftly.  Despite a few more broken pitches on The Needle, the climbing was still excellent, and again, the final pitches definitely had the same sensational exposure with the ground dropping all the way to the base of the crag, 250m or so directly below.  The final pitch involves threading chockstones in a deep cleft, and from experience, can't be done wearing a rucksack, before popping out onto the summit of Shelterstone.

Threading the 'Eye of the Needle' on pitch 9

Having topped out at 1pm, we quickly descended back to the base of the crag, to then haul our packs back up to Coire Domhain, across to the cairn known as 1141, down the Fiaciall a Choire Chais and back to the Ski car park for 4pm.  The two days were certainly two of the best multi-pitch climbing days I've had in the UK,  absolutely amazing!

The highest rock climb climbed in the UK today? Unicorn, Glencoe

Today, I took a slight gamble, as I wasn't absolutely certain as to whether it would be warm enough to head up onto the high mountain crags, but fortunately that gamble paid off well!

Unicorn takes the obvious left facing corner in the centre

Max Hunter and I took the plunge and headed up to Stob Coire Nan Lochan in Glencoe.  The climbs here start at around 900m, and with the crags having a northerly aspect, if anywhere was going to be cold, then it would most certainly be here.  Fortunately, our chosen route, 'Unicorn E1 5a' (5b in Gary Latter's Scottish Rock: Vol. 1) did catch the morning sunshine, warming the rock and with just a gentle breeze throughout the day, conditions were quite good throughout.  The route follows a very striking monolithic corner, before heading up a short chimney and can be climbed in 3 or 4 pitches.

Looking up Unicorn

I led the first pitch, which is said to be the crux of the route, and it did involve some rather precarious moves crossing from the initial rib to regain the main corner crack, and definitely felt more like 5b than the SMC Guidebook grade of 5a.  From here, Max led a soaring pitch directly up the corner crack, which had ample protection and some thought provoking bridging moves higher up.  There is an old in-situ belay at the top of the corner, but it probably warrants removing due to it's age.  I then led the final pitch, up easier broken ledges, taking care not to dislodge the numerous loose blocks, made worse by another hard winter, before tackling the final chimney.

The route is a 3 star classic, and after a bit of traffic will be much cleaner than it was today!  Well worth the gamble!

Clear views of the Aonach Eagach and Ben Nevis

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...

Is that it for winter? Rock climbing in Glen Nevis

I'm not writing winter off just yet, and with freezing levels below the summit of Ben Nevis tomorrow, it does look like the ice may hold out a little longer, but with a low pressure system tracking it's way across the British Isle on Tuesday night, I thought that I would make the most of the current dry and mild conditions closer to sea level, or more specifically, in Glen Nevis.

Alex leading Tonis on Sheep Flank Wall

Rain was threatening as Alex and I drove into Glen Nevis, but we thought that we would just press on, and fortunately, the rain didn't really amount to anything.  First up, was a route that I had tried a few years ago, the steep fault of 'Kraut E1 5b' on After Crag.  I had had to rest on the rope last time I had tried the route, so with a bit more of a tactical approach this time, i.e. shake-out before the crux, I climbed the route without too much of a problem.  It was steep, and an enjoyable awakening to this season of rock climbing.  We then wandered over to Sheep Fank Wall, which having had a number of trees felled around it's base, now sported clean, dry rock, and some enjoyable shorter routes.  I then led 'Tonis HVS 5a' and 'Brown Slab E1 5b', the latter of which can be found the the late Ed Grindley's 'Rock Climbs in Glen Nevis', both of which were quite technical and a little bold at their respective cruxes.

So, a good start to this season's rock climbing, finger's crossed that the rain holds off tomorrow.  I was out working in on Stob Coire Nan Lochan in Glencoe yesterday, and made an ascent of Broad Gully, which was still complete along with Forked Gully and North Gully, and there is still a reasonable amount of snow up in the coire, and certainly the coires of Bidian Nan Bian are still firmly gripping on to their winter coats.  Progress up there will be quite tough though, as there are are no footsteps to follow!  Still plenty of ice to climb on Ben Nevis, including quite a bit of ice around No. 2 Gully Buttress area (The White Line, Expert's Choice etc.) and check Scott's Blog for details on the conditions in Observatory Gully.