The final summit of the Three Peaks: Ben Nevis

Completing the 'Three Peaks' (reaching the summits of Snowdon, Scafell and Ben Nevis) is quite an achievement for many hillwalkers, so for a small group of Year 8s from S. Anslem's Prep School in Derbyshire to complete this undertaking is a fantastic achievement!

I was working for West Coast Mountain Guides, and along with teachers John and Helen, we accompanied an enthusiastic team of 8 up Ben Nevis, and in very good time too, 7 hours up and down, which is quicker than many adult teams!  We encountered a reasonable amount of fresh snow towards the summit, and in places it was mid-calf deep!  We were lucky to have the summit cairn to ourselves, despite probably close to 70 people milling about the summit ruins.  It certainly wasn't a day to hang about on the summit, so after a quick congratulations, photo and bite to eat, we swiftly descended back down to Glen Nevis.  A very impressive achievement for the 8 young mountaineers from S. Anslem's Prep School, let's hope that they've caught the mountaineering bug, and find their way back up the Highlands again soon!

S. Anslem's Prep School on the roof of the UK

Two rounds of the Inn Pinn, Black Cuillin, Skye

The Black Cuillin of Skye has to be one of the finest mountaineering playgrounds in the UK, if not the best, so I jumped at the opportunity to guide the most technical of all the Munros, The Inaccessible Pinnacle, or the Inn Pinn for short.  I was working for Martin Moran, and guiding Craig, Mike, Anona and Steve.  Mike and Steve had climbed a bit in the past, whereas for Craig and Anona it was their first real experience of climbing outdoors, what a fantastic place to start!

Mike and Steve surrounded by clouds on the final pitch

We started out from the BMC Hut at Glen Brittle, and made our way up the scree slopes of Sron Dearg and onto Sgurr Dearg.  The weather throughout the ascent was very changable, with strong gusts and rain coming through regularly.  As we approached the summit of Sgurr Dearg, the clouds rolled in, obscuring views in every direction.  Due to the low visibility, it was only when standing on Sgurr Dearg, that the incredible Inn Pinn could be seen, and for first timers, it is an exhilarating sight, as the knife blade of basalt, which is only meters thick at it's base rears up from the gabbro mountain.

Anona and Craigon the summit of the Inn Pinn

Mike and Steve opted to be guided first, so we roped up and made our way down the loose ground to the base of the East Ridge.  From here, it is a moderate rock climb to reach the summit, requiring two or three pitches, particularly when the rock is damp, which it was for Mike and Steve's ascent.  We soon gained the summit, before abseiling off the west face, which can be done in a 20m abseil off an in-situ steel cable.  With a quick turnaround, I was back up the Inn Pinn with Craig and Anona, both of whom, considering their limited climbing experiences, did very well, and as we reached the summit, the clouds lifted, giving us fantastic panoramic views of the surrounding area, which was impressive to say the least.

Anona abseiling off the Inn Pinn

Looking at the west face of the Inn Pinn,
with Sgurr Mhic Choinnich in the background

We then descended back down the way we had come, everyone immensely satisfied having reached the summit of the 'mountaineer's Munro'.

The knife blade of rock that is the Inn Pinn

Looking back to Sgurr Na Banachdich

A fine day on Curved Ridge, Glencoe

Today I was working for West Coast Mountain Guides.  I was out with Bill and Mike who were keen to either climb Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis or Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor in Glencoe.  With the weather not looking fantastic, the decision was made to head to Glencoe and climb the classic Curved Ridge.  As we pulled into the lay-by by the SMC's Lagangarbh Hut, it was steadily raining, so donning waterproofs, we headed up towards Coire Na Tulaich, before veering off eastwards and round towards Rannoch Wall and Curved Ridge.

Not long into the approach, the rain eased, and despite weather forecasts, failed to materialise for the remainder of the day.  The scrambling on Curved ridge is great, with good, continuous clean rock and plenty of opportunity to build quick belays, either by placing gear or by using one of the numerous spikes on the route.  As we drew level with the base of the impressive Rannoch Wall, we chatted briefly to a team, about to start up the classic VDiff, Agag's Groove.

We reached the top of Curved Ridge, and the summit of Stob Dearg (the first of the Buachaille Etive Mor summits) in good time, before making our way round to the top of Coire Na Tualaich, and descending via the screes and broken ground down into the coire.  Bill and Mike were also keen to learn a few key scrambling skills such as building quick yet safe belays, using both natural anchors such as spikes and threads, and with placed protection such as cams and nuts, so we ventured off the descent path to one of the many outcrops that scatter the coire.  On the final leg of our descent, we heard the distant rumble of thunder, and again the rain fell, hopefully after the team on Agag's Groove had topped out!

Bill and Mike on Curved Ridge, with Rannoch Wall on the left

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.

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

Escaping for some guaranteed sunshine! El Chorro, Spain

The weather since the weekend has taken a bit of a turn, and has probably rained on the hour, every hour (except today). That's how it felt anyway, whilst trying to hatch plans for a climbing trip for the forthcoming ten days or so.  Staying in Scotland... cold and wintery over the next few days, the Lakes... warmer, but still rain forecasted, N. Wales... warmer again, similar forecasted rain to the Lakes, Cornwall... Could be quite pleasant, although with a bit of rain forecasted, and a 600 mile trip, is very hard to justify unless the forecast is near perfect, which it isn't quite.

So after much deliberation, we decided that the safest bet would be to head to sunnier climes, and in our case, the climbing mecca of El Chorro, in Southern Spain.  Getting from Malaga Airport to the El Chorro is very straight forward by publoc transport, and once there,  the climbing out in El Chorro really couldn't be any simpler. With a lifetime of climbing, both trad and bolted climbs, ranging from hard single pitch test peices through to some very adventurous multi-pitch routes, within walking distance of the fantastically run Olive Branch (which comes highly recommended, Mel and Gary do a great job of running the place!), and almost guaranteed sunshine, it's a sure winner.

So with temperatures forecasted to be in the mid 20s, oodles of climbing in very close proximity and great company, this promises to be an excellent trip, and hopefully set me up well for the trad season back in the UK later this month.

Here's a book review that I wrote a year ago or so, which should help inspire some of you to go and buy the book, and get out to El Chorro! 

http://kenapplegate.blogspot.com/2011/01/rockfax-guide-to-el-chorro-spain.html