Sandra on the sharp end: Hidden Chimney

Goat Track Gully

Great first mixed climb today with absolutely solid neve, some impressive ice (Mirror Direct) about and a lot less dripping. 

 Urs coming to grips with axe - rock and axe - ice contact.

What a stunner!

I was bracing myself for a fearsome walk into Sneachda today with high winds forcasted, but alas, what a day ensued! Points for naming the piece of rock, bottom right hand...

 Urs' first Scottish gully, lovely firm snow, lovely views...but more importantly, LOOK at them pretty colours - we were wonderfully synchronised in shades of lemon and lime. I'm not completely convinced that Urs fully grasped my hapiness about this.

Fiacaill Buttress looking fairly white - teams on the usual routes.









Ursula taking the speedy route down - not the nicest snow to be practising ice axe arrest on, but I guess better than doing it for real!

Social Meet on tour too, 9th January

Social Meet on tour, 8th January

Compression Crack, Ben Nevis, 2nd January

On the 2nd we plodded our way up from the Torlundy carpark with the aim of climbing ice on Ben Nevis, committing to carrying just an ice screw rack (on the Ben, that means just a few nuts and hexes for belays). Of course, it's all changed conditions wise now, at least on the surface; but underneath the fresh snow is going to be a base of neve and ice.

There were a fair number of teams around, and plenty pouring up the path as we climbed our route. Compression Crack was by far the first biggest chunk of ice on the Ben. The top section wasn't a goer but there was an excellent entry pitch 150 metres or so to the left, beneath Centurion. The ice was great, mostly toffee texture and a little damp in places. We had a very exciting (entertaining for me) incident with a crampon that wasn't apparently so keen on climbing, but the thing to stress from that is - always thread your crampon strap through the lace of your boots, that way at least you won't lose it altogether! From the top of the steep section, we made two abseils into Castle Gully and one final one from an abolokov to the base.

Got a lift down the track (and up the track and down the track again, because for some reason in all my chattering haste, as soon as I started talking to  Robin I dumped my rucsack on the ground and there it magically remained) with Robin Clothier & Nick who'd been on Point Five.

 Looking up into Coire na Ciste, which was especially bare. Still, it's not as if it's all gone: from a sweep of ice on the Curtain right round to Point Five and a suggestion of Hadrian's, it's there alright.








Two climbers heading in to Number Two Gully, showing the Ben in quite a different light on the day.

Compression Crack** V,5, is the main flow of ice in this picture, left of centre. The central buttress the Castle with Castle Gully South and North lying on either side. The opening pitch we started up, because it looked the best, was to the left of this picture ascending almost directly beneath Centurion on Carn Dearg Butttress. On our descent we wandered down the snow gully that looks here as if it is directly below North Castle Gully

Is that utter belayer concentration or a man in need of a snack? 

Mmmm, what lovely ice.


Martin looking rightfully happy at the top of the top pitch.

Glen Shiel Munros, 31st December

Apologies for adding this so late, I've been internetless in deepest Glen Garry over the New Year. 

Alice and I went for a shortish walk in Glen Shiel to see out 2010, on a lovely circular walk that took in two Munros - Carn Ghluasaid and Sgurr nan Conbhairean, and then followed the southern ridge off Drochaid an Tuill Easaich. I think the plod back along the main road to the car was probably the tiring bit! 

This was Alice's second day out on snow, and gave her a good spell of holding her walking axe to get used to the feel of things. We saw a few other people out, but I think they must've been thinking of that night's festivities as they were up and off quickly.

It was a beautiful day  - not monumentally so, but one of those days where you get regular glimpses through the cloud, to the sun, the landscape and a bit of blue sky.