Stob Coire nan Lochan

Back in Scotland working on a 5 day Intro to Winter Climbing course for Mountain Magic, www.mountainmagic.co.uk

Blue Skies, no wind, warm sunshine but fortunately clear skies and dry air meant heat loss by radiation from the snow surface to firm it up and it kept firm in the shade today. Hence my call to head up to Stob Coire nan Lochan with a view to Dorsal Arete having firm snow paid off! The contrast in temperature from Sun to shade was huge. A couple of teams from the Joint Services centre with Mike Brownlow and Matt Heffernan were hoping it would be enough for SC Gully, it looked promising but they turned back after a closer look and headed over to Dorsal Arete and Boomerang Arete. Dorsal Arete still has a good cover of snow, most of which was firm.

Ed enjoying his First Winter climb

As ever Dorsal Arete gave Paul & Ed a good introduction to winter climbing, looking at climbing movement, efficient ropework systems on easy climbs, building belays and using runners and generally trying to be organised and efficient. Topping out was an abrupt change from cool conditions and snow to warmth and bare ground on the ridge.

Dorsal Arete, still with a good Snow Cover

Cracked Cornice above Pinnacle Buttress waiting to fall, sometime!

Red Tarn Face of Helvellyn looking ‘Stunning’ on Sunday

Richard passed these photos onto me from our day climbing on Helvellyn on Sunday.

Bladerunner (IV)

‘Stellar Day’

Helvellyn, Sun, Neve & Ice – not often words put together except in hope! Back out on Helvellyn today giving Richard some experience beyond the handful of grade 1 & 2 gullies he has done so far.

Walking in in blue skies we seemed to be ahead of all but a few climbers. Being keen to get Richard on some ice we made for the icy slabs of V Corner (III – just?)whilst it was free, being colder than yesterday afternoon the ice was a touch brittle in places but this was just an opportunity for Richard to deal with the vagaries of Ice as a climbing medium.

Richard High on V Corner, a frozen Red Tarn far below.

A seized/frozen gate on a screw gate krab gave Richard, and later me more trouble than the pitch. Even got a good length ice screw in some decent ice! 4 pitches all in great condition got us to the top. Richard got to have a good look at Horizontal buried axe belay with a bucket seat and we also looked at other snow belay options before heading over to the shelter wall hungry for lunch. Then down Swirral Edge and over to the foot of Gully 1 looking for a quick ascent. No one was on Blade Runner (IV 4 in the book, top end III or maybe just grade 4!), whatever the grade it was good climbing on a variety of mediums with some steep moves. Richard had described V Corner as awesome and was using that phrase again as he arrived at the belay with a big grin – definitely a move up on what he had done before. Awesome views from the top of a setting sun out west, a great day enjoyed by many folk.

Big grins at the top of the main pitch of Blade Runner

Red Tarn face , Helvellyn looking good

After a week of good weather working with a Primary School group at Derwent Hill Centre I was itching to investigate the snow on the Lakeland Hills, After some jobs in town this morning I had a late start from Glenridding and Headed up to Helvellyn. The east facing corries on this range are holding good quantities of snow, much more than anywhere else. Cresting the moraines by Red Tarn brought a very encouraging view, al the gullies and grooves full of snow and ice and a pretty big cornice in fact very big for the Lakes. It was also apparent it was likely to be a good time to ski the headwall, but I hadn’t thought of that option this morning.

Kerrie heading down Swirral Edge

As I was behind the normal start V Corner was well iced and free so I cruised up enjoying the good ice and perfect neve, a quick bit of food on the top and back round to Wall & Ramp climb with was now free. Again good ice and snow led upwards but this time to the largest part of the cornice but a rising traverse right led to a ‘no heroics’ exit. Just as I was taking some photos at the top of Swirral edge long time friends Kerrie and James came by. They had a day free of parenting duties and had hit a bit of a jackpot. So it was a social-able descent of Swirral Edge and walk back to the valley. Didn’t get back in time for the start of the England vs Ireland match but had set the TV recorder. good game and good result from my perspective.

East Ridge of N Buttress of Stob Ban

A little while ago now but some photos from a week working for Mountain Magic, www.mountaimmagic.org.uk.

On the Saturday (13th Feb) Paul, who runs Mountain Magic and I had a day out together for some climbing and a chance to get our heads together for the week ahead working together. Paul needed a mellow day to test but not overstretch his recovering knee and given the avalanche conditions I suggested that the East Ridge of the North Buttress of Stob Ban was a good option and might be a useful route in the coming week. Paul hadn’t climbed in the area so that was where we headed. Nice climbing of borderline II/III depending on line taken with a relatively low level start and then on a ridge up to the North ridge of Stob Ban. A number of others made the same decision to avoid the Ben after Fridays easy releases.

Billy & Gavin on the Upper Arete

Monday was another sunny day and after meeting Gavin on the overnight London sleeper it was a day on Aonach Mor as Billy had never worn crampons before. Tuesday was mild and wild so in the absence of the Ice factor it was dry tooling and coaching of movement skills with indoor sessions on route planning, avalanche awareness and winter kit. Overnight it had snowed quite a lot and it was windy – so Wednesday morning saw both teams setting out for the East Ridge of the North Buttress of Stob Ban – wish the route name was shorter! First winter climb for Billy an lots to learn for someone who had only sport climbed before, so 1st trad & 1st multi pitch too! Next day we headed up to Stob Coire Nan Lochan in Glencoe where there was heaps of new snow. Rejecting Raeburn’s Original route and Boomerang Arete as being too hard with too much digging in the conditions I opted for Dorsal Arete which also turned out to need a lot of digging even with a team only a short way ahead! Gavin & Billy enjoyed the Dorsal Fin whilst a Alan & Mo slipped passed below with their clients and dug the cornice for us – not often a cornice at the top of Dorsal Arete but there was one that day.

Deep snow on Dorsal Arete

Friday was back to mild & wild so we headed a little further into Glen Nevis and made a big boot ascent of ‘The Gutter’ a diff on Polldudh crags. Lots of water down the Gutter, no surprise there, and time spent getting to grips with Trad gear, building belays, stance management and escaping with a ‘Stacked’ Abseil.  A week of full on Scottish experience except for climbing on ice.

Billy & Gavin ‘enjoying’ another exposed Arete, the ‘Dorsal Fin’

The next day I was working for West Coast Mountain Guides, www.westcoast-mountaingiuides.co.uk with Allan who was keen to build on previous ascents of Ledge Route and Dorsal Arete. Very high up Fridays rain had been snow and this was coming down heavily to lower levels as we walked in. Again the E ridge of N Buttress of Stob Ban looked to fit the bill nicely, it didn’t disappoint and by now I knew exactly where to dig for certain belay anchors. Another ‘proper’ Scottish winter day – rain, snow, wind, blowing snow and even a view at times!

Allan amongst the spindrift on Saturday, E ridge, N Buttress, Stob Ban again

Sunday didn’t dawn a good visibility day for some Piste Sking so I headed home early for some work in the Lake District, 4 hours to Penrith then another 4 hours for the 28 miles to Kendal. Traffic from a serious RTA at Junction 37 had backed up to nearly Penrith but I didn’t know so missed the opportunity to escape at Junction 40. Sadly there was a fatality and a serious injury to 2 Highways Patrol staff who were hit by a car whilst assisting with and earlier incident. Mountaineering Instructors are not the only ones doing jobs with inherent risk but at least we have control over exposure to those risks.

Joe on Waterfall Gully, approached without crossing the widespread building windslab in most other locations.

I was back out on Ben Nevis with Joe on Friday. He had not yet climbed Green Gully so that was Plan A but the amount of snow transport we could see on the walk in did concern me. Shooting cracks in a small bank of snow not far from the CIC hut added further concern. Before we got to the Ciste Lochan Green Gully was off my plan and then we met others who had set off small slides in a number of locations in the corrie, which confirmed my plan to turn around and see if we could get to Waterfall Gully, which we were able to do completely safely. Joe led this and entertained me as copious quantities of sprindrift poured over him.

However not free from significant spindrift off the buttress above

The ice was good to climb, not much good for Ice Screws and apart from the snow down your neck, fun to climb.

On Saturday I was teaming up with Paul of Mountain Magic prior to working with him next week. We met up at Nevis Range but were both a bit concerned that pockets of instability would still be remaining in the snow pack despite strong E & SE winds blowing snow out of the East face climbing area.

East Ridge of N buttress of Stob Ban, Mamores

We decided to go for what I knew would work and headed round to Glen Nevis. Paul had never climbed the East Ridge of the North Buttress of Stob Ban so I suggested it was well worth a trip up this very useful climb when you want to avoid weather or snow pack nastiness in higher locations. It is also a very pleasant climb of grade 2/3 in its own right with great views over the Devil’s Ridge, Ben Nevis and yesterday well into the Northern Highlands. Even with our leisurely start (Bacon Butties!) I was surprised to see anyone else there but at least 3 teams were already on the ridge as we crossed the base of the corrie. Later 2 MIC trainees out on an assessment preparation workshop with Al Halewood came up behind us, confirming my assessment of the snow on the other ridge & buttress lines in the corrie – unconsolidated and unhelpful, confirmed by their very close up inspections. Our route was perfect – combination of scouring (plenty of that in the gusty E wind), traffic compacting snow and having plenty of rock & frozen turf moves. Very enjoyable in its own right, sunshine & of course ‘time in reconnaissance is never wasted’ according to my old history teacher at school.

The narrow arête near the top of the East Ridge

Also we avoided the inevitable weekend shenanigans on the Ben as keen folks arrived to find all was not as they had hoped for. Fortunately those avalanched were all okay & walked away as far as I am aware. It appears One team were the third party to approach Green Gully which goes to practically demonstrate the point about just because it held for others ahead doesn’t mean it is necessarily safe! Take care and be prudent, as always!

Joe just above the crux, Central Right Hand, Ben Nevis

Out on the Ben today with Joe. Friends had climbed Italian Right Hand yesterday so that was plan A but looking across the corrie it seemed to have quite a bit of fresh snow on it, it mat have been an illusion of eyesight but we carried on up the Corrie. Teams were out on Green & Comb gullies and friends climb Cascade, apparently quite steep at the moment. Others were about but the cloud have set in by then so we couldn’t see where they were. We headed on up to Central Right Hand on Creag Coire na Ciste which was quite different to when I climbed it 3 weeks ago, a lot fatter and easier, maybe soft touch IV now rather than hard IV or even V then. Dave with his Plas Y Brenin clients headed up the left hand variation and also found good snow ice. We made use of the hard work someone has done putting a big slot into the cornice in Number 4 gully descending as light snow flurries fell.

A day of benigh weather and more settled weather for the next few days, lovely!

There is ice building on higher routes, even Mega Route X is getting there maybe? However there is quite a bit of fresh snow in places and it is burying some of the ice which may not be as good quality underneath or perhaps as thick as you would want. Being selective in route choice is probably  wise.

Drove up through a sunny Glencoe today, plenty of snow high up. Really Inspiring. Out climbing tomorrow. Report with photos tomorrow if my blog will let me up load photos which it hasn’t been for a while. Hence the lack of posts from climbing in the Sunny Costa Blanca and kayaking in a wet Cumbria.

Friends found good ice on Italian climb Right Hand today, parties were also in Green Gully. Ken Applegate went caving on the Clanger, sounds like he found the squeeze through the hole to be tight – note to self to skip that one as he is much thinner than me!

After a Christmas & New Year of Kayaking, cycling and helping friends clearing up after the floods at home in Kendal I had a few days up in Scotland this week.

On Tuesday I was out on the Ben with Dave & Stu who ably guided me up Central Right Hand on Creag Coire na Ciste whilst I fed in a few hints & tips to help them prepare for their MIC assessments later this winter. Conditions were leanish but what was there was good snow & ice to climb. Only a little cloud and no wind but earlier wind had scoured the exit of fresh snow. There were not many parties on the hill and most of these folk seemed to be aspirant MIC’s making use of current MIC’s they knew for a bit of extra training!

Kenny drove over from Inverness to join me on Wednesday and we climbed Thompson’s route finishing up the Direct finish to Number 3 Gully Buttress. The crux slot on pitch 1 was rather entertaining as the snow at the bottom was not built up and the ice did not come down far from the top so it was ‘thrutch and teeter’ for some way. Friends John & John had a good day on Central RH. Other teams were out in the area, those on Green Gully reported soft ice hidden under fresh snow.

On Thursday the two John’s and myself headed across to the Cairngorms for a shorter day before driving back South. A quick solo up the Fiacaill a Coire an t Sneachda ridge was enjoyable if somewhat cold in a biting NW wind. The descent down the Cas ridge was entirely on Snow with not a rock to be seen, unusual for January. The Ski Touring looks to be superb and probably the better choice than climbing currently. So why am I off abroad? Hopefully it will be even better when I get back.

I guess I would describe myself as mainly a climber and mountaineer (still a bit of a road cyclist but not so much of a racer these days) but I have always been a White Water Kayaker too – just a seasonal one. That season being the time between the end of rock climbing before the snows arrive – so it is definitely paddling season now!

Testing the new boat, Jill’s Folly, R Duddon

A new Kayak has also been an incentive to get out, swapping an agile but low volume boat for a bigger volume river runner/creek boat – the Phyrana Burn 3. First trip was down Cumbria’s River Duddon just over a week ago. Fairly high water levels but not anywhere near spate so a good test for me and the boat, I knew the boat would be fine but with it was 11 months ago when I last paddled any significant white water so would I be sharp enough? No capsizes, hit every line & breakout and some enjoyable playing in various play spots so it was all good – can’t say for sure though that it was me who was sharp or a more forgiving boat!

Rachel approaching Duddon Hall Falls Gr IV, R Duddon

I was out again on Friday, this time on the River Crake where we hoped Coniston water would slow any rapid rises in level from the forecasted rain. This was the case but it was still high with some quick water pushing through the two main rapid sections. The footbridge on the Bobbin Mill rapid required a low duck under. Pete got through fine, but I scraped a bit of paint off my brand new, very comfortable and expensive Sweet Rocker Helmet. The intermittent wave that builds and falls under the bridge properly got Sten, He was pushed up hard into the bridge cracking his Sweet Rocker helmet but it did its job and protect the metal plate in Sten’s skull he acquired after surgery just 2 years ago. So Sten’s day ended with a trip to A&E just to get checked over, fortunately the only damage was to his helmet and wallet.

Sten at the end of the 1st Grade III rapid, R Crake

Saturday was a much wetter day but the worst of storm Abigail did not hit South Cumbria until dark arrived by which time I was just finishing off the outdoor part of the day with a group of Scout Leaders attending UK Scouting’s first CPD conference weekend for Assessors of the Activity Permits Scheme. This was held at UK Scouting’s Great Tower Camp & Activity Centre on the East shore of Lake Windermere. The Scouts had been in touch with the Association of Mountaineering Instructor’s to help them with their Rock Climbing & Hillwalking. So Paul Platt & I were asked to run sessions to update them on current Best Practice with Single pitch climbing & Security on Steep Ground for Mountain walking. An interesting and busy day’s work which judging from the feedback was well received. Other sessions going on at the conference included Canoe sport, Gyhll Scrambling and Lyon ran session on group Kit stores, logging kit etc and of course brought along their Kit testing/destruction rig which for some strange reason, to me at least, climbers always find fascinating. For me the last thing I want in my head when climbing is images of failing karabiners!

On Sunday Kendal did not flood despite what National News reports were predicting, I have seen the River Kent much higher several times before, however it was close enough that I was glad we had moved up the hill away from the river. I used to live just 200m from a good surf wave on the river but days like Sunday remind me that the half mile walk up the hill with my kayak is not such a bad thing compared to worrying if we were going to be Kayaking in the house. After a few photos of the weir we headed for a day in the climbing wall, it was all a bit too much water to be a sensible Kayaking day.

Pete on a fast moving R Crake