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Nottingham Uni MPS out on Cairngorm

2012-01-28T18:18:00.000Z

Sunshine, blue skies and sundogs on Cairngorm for the Nottingham University Munro Pineapple group today. Look at the wikipedia link here for an explanation of what sundogs are. Certainly they are something that I have never seen before and thanks to Reuben for pointing them out to us.
The weather was perfect as Claire, Rosie, Ellen, Reuben, Sinead and I walked up Coire Chais ridge and up to the summit. The emphasis was on the differences between summer and winter navigation today but with the visibility so good, a lot of imagination had to be used! We had a brief look at the snowholes in Ciste Mhiread, jumped on some snow drifts and abseiled over cornices.

As an extra note, there are quite a few decent sized snowholes in Ciste Mhiread but one or two have rather large, unpleasant amounts of yellow snow in them. Surely people can walk away from the snowhole area? Beware of where you dig.

Nottingham University MPS winter skills

2012-01-27T20:28:00.001Z

I was out today with the Talisman Activities Nottingham University Munro Pineapple Society winter skills group - Ellen, Claire, Sinead, Rosie and Reuben.
We walked into Coire an t-Sneachda where we got some views into the corrie before the low cloud hid everything away. There was some good snow to use for practising step kicking and cutting before we walked over to the moraine ridge. I was surprised that there wasn't more snow but the snow that was that gave us a lot to look at and talk about with all the different layers that we could see. We found a good spot to try out the crampons then walked back to Coire Cas for some ice axe braking. The fresh snow meant it wasn't really that slippy until the folk sliding got a bit of help from Reuben as he towed them down the slope.

Back to Aviemore

2012-01-21T21:30:00.000Z

A lot of snow fell overnight in La Grave so we had to dig out the car this morning before we could drive to Grenoble airport for the flight back to Edinburgh.
So back home now and looking forward to finding out what's happening here!

Les Deux Alpes

2012-01-20T14:43:00.001Z

We all enjoyed a relaxing day skiing on the Vallee Blanche side of Les Deux Alpes and the weather was much better than we expected with some sun and only a light breeze.

Snow forecast for here for Friday so packing and clearing up the apartment then back home on Saturday.

Super Misere, Alpe d'Huez

2012-01-18T14:40:00.000Z

Back to Alpe d'Huez for our last climb of the trip to climb Super Misere which looked like a Scottish icy gully on Ben Nevis!
The first pitch had some steep icy bulges and the ice was rock solid as it wasn't in the sun. The second pitch looked less steep but with some thin ice in places, a couple of the ice screws actually bottomed out on the rock. It was steeper than it looked and even where it looked like the angle eased, it was still steep! Finally into the sun at the top of the second pitch with the ice becoming a bit more amenable.

Supercramp, Alpe d'Huez

2012-01-17T15:17:00.000Z

Alpe d'Huez with its sunshine was just too appealing compared to the bitter cold of the La Grave valley!
This time we climbed Supercramp taking the ramp that forms the start of Supercramp direct but continuing on and across to the belay at the top of Supercramp's first pitch. The ice above was steep especially the last few metres but the sun had softened the ice making it easy to whack in the axes and the crampon points just stuck in the ice.

The water was dripping off the icicles above as I climbed the first pitch but I soon dried out in the sun on the belay. On the top pitch it was a bit wet just below the final steep section where bridging out to the left seemed the best way to get over the bulge and the icicles to bridge against were surprisingly solid. They didn't look it!

Symphone d'Automne, Alpe d'Huez

2012-01-16T15:09:00.000Z

Another day at Alpe d'Huez this time to climb Symphonie d'Automne.
The ice on the first pitch was much harder and more brittle than we expected. The route gets the sun late in the day which meant that as it softens, the water runs down and fills in all the axe and crampon placements from the day before making the climbing hard work first thing in the morning.
We climbed up the first long pitch then on towards the curtain of icicles that form over the route before abseiling back down for a picnic in the sun.
There was a group of climbers on Ice Bille but other than them, we saw no others and we were surprised by how quiet the climbs were.
Ian enjoyed the skiing though some of the runs higher up were shut due to high winds at altitude.

Stalactus, Alpe d'Huez

2012-01-14T14:08:00.000Z

The overnight temperature at La Grave has been around -12c and the ice is hard and brittle. The high pressure that has settled over the Alps has given milder temperatures higher up so we decided to go to Alpe d'Huez to get the benefit of this. The ice routes are accessed by a half hour walk along a pisted trail from the first level of the lift that ultimately ends up at Pic Blanc.

As it was the weekend we expected the routes to be busy however there was one large guided group on Ice Bille, some more folk on Symphonie d'Automne and Supercramp so we picked out an icy line to the right of Ice Bille, had a quick look at the guide book at the wrong description and set off thinking we were on something totally different. We were actually on Stalactus (II, 4) which had a steep ice wall for the first pitch then an icy groove with a steep bulge at the top for the second pitch. Lovely climbing!
The route came into the sun quite quickly softening the ice and making us over heat in all our warm clothes!

Le Pylone

2012-01-13T13:53:00.000Z

Ron and I went to try out our new ice axes on Le Pylone and for me, to try climbing steep ice without leashes. The ice was hard and fragile in places and the axes took a bit of getting used to but with nobody above us, we could enjoy the climbing.

Le Pylone is probably the most popular route and one of the most accessible. Last Sunday we counted at least nineteen climbers at or on the route so a place best avoided at weekends.

La Meije

2012-01-11T13:47:00.000Z

We didn't have to go far to find fantastic skiing on La Meije, just two minutes from our apartment. We skied one run from 3200m down and across to the second lift station at 2400m to pick up the gondola back to the the top. Another run took us down the Vallons de la Meije and through the forest to the lower lift station at 1800m then back up again for a final run all the way down to La Grave.

Alpe d'Huez

2012-01-10T20:06:00.000Z

Another lovely day so we drove to Alpe d'Huez for some more skiing. We went straight up to Pic Blanc at 3330m to enjoy the long run down the Glacier de Sarenne and then down into the Gorge de Sarenne. There was a new lift on the Auris en Oisans side so we had to go up that to explore an area that was new to us. The snow cover was great everywhere that we skied!

On our drive down the La Grave valley, we stopped to have a little look at Caturgeas which had a huge amount of old avalanche debris at it's foot!

Les Deux Alpes

2012-01-09T19:25:00.000Z

We drove down the valley for a fun day skiing in the sun at Les Deux Alpes on the Vallee Blanche side. This got our ski legs working again!
The weather was perfect where we were but the glacier skiing was closed due to high winds at altitude.

La Grave - climbing and skiing trip

2012-01-08T18:11:00.000Z

Ron, Ian and I arrived in La Grave to find perfect weather - blue skies and sunshine and cold with the added bonus of a recent heavy fall of snow. A quick look up and down the valley showed that the ice routes were quite thin but rapidly growing in the cold temperatures. The skiing looked fantastic!

A windy day on Cairngorm

2012-01-06T17:01:00.001Z

Day five of the Talisman Mountaineering course and another windy one!
We walked and navigated our up the Fiacaill a' Choire Chais to Point 1141 with the wind blasting across the ridge and with visibility that was just too good! From there, we walked up to the summit of Cairngorm then across to Ciste Mhiread for a sheltered lunch break.

A few skiers and snowboarders were doing some exciting looking jumps off the snow ramps they had built. We climbed up and down the steep snow slopes then dug some shelters and cut lots of snow blocks before turning back in to the wind and heading back down. By this time, the temperature must have gone up as the ice that was on the plateau was turning a bit slushy and the rime ice was blowing off the fences.

Talisman winter mountaineering course - day one

2012-01-02T17:57:00.002Z

The Talisman New Year winter mountaineering course began today with Charlie, Antonia, Eugene and Johanne enjoying the wintry weather on Cairngorm. We were nicely sheltered from the strong south westerly winds in Coire na Ciste which had some great old snow patches which were ideal for practising step kicking, step cutting and ice axe braking. Also lots of chat about the different types of crampons and axes and winter kit in general.

The snow showers continued off and on all day and the roads on the drive back into Aviemore were slushy and slippery!

Snowholing and weird weather

2011-12-30T22:43:00.000Z

I didn't expect to be updating my blog tonight!

Donna, Simon and I spent today digging out two comfortable snowholes in which to spend the night. The paths had been very icy on our walk up Cairngorm but with enough fresh snow around that we could walk without crampons. Fresh snow was falling throughout the afternoon as we burrowed our way into the snow.

By five o'clock the snow had turned sleety and by six, it was raining! A text from Ron confirmed what we were already seeing - that the freezing level was going way above the summits over night and by seven o'clock, we had decided to leave our slowly, slumping snowholes. Sleeping bags were stowed away and bags packed and we were soon splashing our way over the plateau on very damp snow, slushy ice and with a strong, very mild, wind blowing.

Before the rise in temperature - enjoying supper!

Leaving the snowholes.

Saturday morning update and Cairngorm Mountain are saying "Saturday 31st Dec, (Hogmanay) Currently 2C at top station, wind speed 35 gusting 50 from the South West. Good visibility with clear sky. Plus 4C at car park . Wind permitting we will open Ciste, Ptarmigan and Cas tows, with the Funicular Railway doing Mid station stops. Runs currently being assessed due to overnight temperature rise and some snow loss. The Snow has softened over night."

Softened, it certainly did!

More from Ron on his blog here.

Wintry skills in Coire na Ciste

2011-12-29T19:48:00.000Z

Today I went in to Coire na Ciste with Stuart Johnston's Tiso Inverness winter skills group. We were lucky to be sheltered from the wind though we could see the spindrift blowing around us in between the snow showers.

We practised skills using our boots, axes and crampons and had lots of chat about the weather, snow and so much more.

To finish off the day, we walked up on to the ridge to have a look over to Coire Cas and to experience how windy it was outwith the shelter of the corrie then down to have a look at some old emergency shelters on the way back to the car park.

Finger's Ridge, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-12-20T17:26:00.001Z

Ron and I walked back into Coire an t-Sneachda today to climb Finger's Ridge. The climb was in great condition with good snow and we soon caught up on the group in front. By this time the winds which had been forecast to drop started to blow us about us to the point where it felt good to be attached to the belays! We by-passed the team in front, who were on the fingers, by traversing off to the left for a quick finish.
More about conditions and more photos on Ron's blog here.

Red Gully & Goat Track Gully, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-12-18T13:21:00.000Z

Sunday wasn't planned as a climbing day as Ron was supposed to be working but the University group didn't turn up.
Ron and I walked in to the corrie late on in the morning to see climbers on a variety of routes. We climbed up Red Gully which was straightforward though with thinner ice in places than it looked from below then romped down the Goat Track to climb Goat Track Gully which gave more interesting climbing.
Photos from Ron here on his blog.

Grooved Rib, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-12-15T18:19:00.006Z

Great weather again at Cairngorm, more snow and less wind today.

Ron and I walked in to Coire an t-Sneachda to climb Grooved Rib. We had climbed this before taking the right-hand groove so this time we followed the left groove for our third pitch above the snowy ramp.

There was a lot of snow around especially in the groove where we also found some rather unhelpful ice and not many opportunities for protection. At the top of the groove however we found a fun chokestone to climb over and it also gave Ron a very reliable thread runner and a chance to relax and enjoy the rest of the pitch!

The last little pitch had me thinking about climbing on icing sugar....maybe I'm thinking about my Christmas cake!

Central Gully, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-12-12T20:21:00.006Z

The purpose of today was for Carron and I to get ourselves back into winter mode! We walked into Coire an t-Sneachda with nothing more definite planned than to enjoy the day and to be back downbefore the strong winds came in which were forecast for later in the day.

We watched the spindrift flying off the Fiacaill Ridge which looked very picturesque, just a pity I forgot my camera. We wandered up to the Trident area then continued our wandering up Central Gully. The snow was good if deep in places and there were lots of icy steps to enjoy.

Back down in Aviemore before the wind picked up and enjoying mince pies and tea when we found out that Ron had tried to join us but his car slid off the road so he had to "ditch" his day. (I know, very bad joke!) The car is now out of the undergrowth, back on the road and appears to be none the worse for its 360 degree spin.

Thanks to Carron for emailing the photos.

Storms, flying buckets and bunkers

2011-12-08T14:33:00.005Z

Windy and wet in Aviemore with gusts that were strong enough to rip my garden bunker to bits. An old climbing rope seemed the best way of tying it together to keep it on the ground until it can be fixed properly.

I knew I kept that rope for something!

The Runnel, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-12-06T10:26:00.001Z

Into the corrie for a look and a quick romp up The Runnel so we could keep moving and keep warm. We obviously need to re-adjust to the Scottish weather after the sun in Spain!

Lots of photos from Ron here

Espolon Central Direct

2011-11-24T19:31:00.008Z

Ron, Ian and I went to Puig Campana today for some climbing and walking. The weather was great and very much appreciated after the heavy rain of the past two days.

Ron and I climbed Espolon Central Direct then abseiled back down to where Ian was enjoying the sun, views and our picnic. After lunch we walked around Puig Campana to pick up the summit track to walk back to Font de Moli and found some caves to play in on the way.

Marin - a return trip

2011-11-22T19:50:00.002Z

Back to Marin for some more cragging. Lots of photos on Ron's blog here.

Cuevas de Canalobre

2011-11-21T19:46:00.000Z

Heavy rain forecast so we went to visit the cavern at the Cabezon d'Oro, fantastic limestone stalgmites, stalactites, walls, shapes...all sorts!of weird features dating back hundreds of thousands of years. Warm and dry too which was not what could be said about the weather outside!

Photos were not allowed in the cave.

Barbeque at the villa

2011-11-20T19:42:00.001Z

Ian doing the cooking!

Cragging at Marin - pockets, puddles and red dots

2011-11-19T16:13:00.002Z

Ron and I had to drive to Alicante to pick Ian up from the airport in the evening so we took the opportunity to visit Marin sort of on the way! We found the rock on the lower grade multi-pitch routes a bit polished and certainly the rock on the harder routes seemed much better. Whilst the rock was dry, many of the pockets were filled with water and Ron even discovered a small pond at one of the belays.

At the bottom of the crag I found a moving, little red dot which, on closer examination, turned out to be some kind of bug. After a bit of googling it appears to be a predatory running mite!

Rain and thunder

2011-11-18T16:12:00.001Z

Heavy rain, thunder and strange clouds over Puig Campana.

Cragging at Echo 1.5

2011-11-17T16:12:00.002Z

A damp day but we still managed to get a bit of cragging at Echo 1.5 before the rain began.

Via Julia, Puig Campana

2011-11-16T16:11:00.004Z

Another great day at Puig Campana climbing Via Julia and ending up with a bit of climbing on Espolon Central to reach the abseil point for the descent.

Cragging at Echo Playa, Echo Valley

2011-11-14T16:06:00.002Z

Some cragging locally with rain not far away. Photos on Ron's blog here.

Cragging at Castellets

2011-11-13T20:07:00.006Z

A pleasant day cragging at Castellets, a new area for us. We had the crag to ourselves and climbed some of the sport routes in the Flakes area.

Echo Valley - Mistaken Identity and the villa

2011-11-11T17:04:00.009Z

Back to Echo Valley again today. It's great to have such a good climbing area right on the doorstep!

Ron and I climbed Mistaken Identity on Echo One, The Bay and encountered some large and prickly bushes on our way to the first belay. Above was some lovely slab climbing with a fun little overlap to pull through.

Back at the villa, Ron obviously had not had enough of prickly bushes as he went exploring amongst the orange trees in the garden!

More pictures from Ron on his blog, click here.

Echo Valley - Gecho at Echo and Diedro Edwards

2011-11-10T19:19:00.007Z

Another day of sunshine and blue sky so Ron and I went climbing in Echo Valley on Diedro Edwards, one of the classic multi-pitch routes of the area.

Puig Campana

2011-11-09T18:54:00.004Z

Just a few photos from today - a beautiful sunny day on Puig Campana.

Sunny Spain

2011-11-08T19:30:00.006Z

After arriving in Spain on Saturday to find the weather was actually better back home, it was great to get a lovely sunny day today to get out climbing in Echo Valley on the trad route, Diamond Solitaire. Surprisingly this route doesn't get any stars in the guidebook but it gives some fun climbing up slabs and steep corners, especially the second pitch.

We did get some cragging on Monday on the sport routes at Echo 1.5 before the rain began!

For more photos from Ron click here.

Lots of trips to Moy

2011-11-03T19:47:00.002Z

I think this must be the lazy way to update my blog with all our recent trips to Moy! Here are the links to Ron's Blog where he has uploaded lots of pictures. Click on the date to see these.

Monday 24th October - 7b clip up

Friday 28th October - cragging and chatting

Sunday 30th October - almost november

Tuesday 1st November - 1st november in the highlands

Thursday 3rd November - dry rock and plus 16 celsius

Coire na Ciste

2011-10-13T17:50:00.003+01:00

More scrambling and sunny weather at Cairngorm and today Marj and I were in Coire na Ciste. Lots of scrambling about over the boulders and the rock up to the ridge for a second lunch and views.

Fiacaill Ridge

2011-10-12T17:03:00.004+01:00

It was a lovely day to be out on Cairngorm so Marj and I went scrambling up Fiacaill Ridge enjoying the views, the sun and the rock. More good weather tomorrow hopefully.

Climbing at Moy

2011-09-29T21:33:00.002+01:00

Ron and I went to climb at Moy for the first time today. The crag has a lovely sunny aspect and was very sheltered from the blustery winds that were blowing around Aviemore. But what weird rock! It was described to us as being a bit like a vertical beach and that's probably the best description for it. It gives some fascinating climbing that kept us thinking and more bolted routes are being regularly added.

I think Ron has photos. I forgot my camera...oops!

From Chamonix to Schiehallion

2011-09-16T17:23:00.005+01:00

2011-07-25T15:59:00.001+01:00

Le Tour, Col de Balme and Vallorcine

2011-07-22T15:58:00.001+01:00

Contamine Mazeaud, Triangle du Tacul

2011-07-15T15:57:00.006+01:00

Climbing the Contamine Mazeaud route on the Triangle du Tacul

Friday, 15th July

An early start to get the first cable car but with the long queues already formed, we narrowly missed the second but did get the third car up towards the Aiguille du Midi and the sun.

Once down the arete from the cable car and across the Col du Midi, we moved together for the first 125metres with one ice screw runner just above the bergschrund then runners on the rock to our right till we crossed over to belay on the left below the steepening slopes.

2011-06-14T15:45:00.004+01:00

Rainy and drizzly on Monday then brighter again on Tuesday so back to Les Cheserys as it was just such an easy place to get to from our base at the Le Tour car park.

This time we climbed one of the newer routes, Un pere noel pour lucy, 5a, 5c, 5b, 6a, 6a - enjoyable climbing all the way up.

More bouquetin again, there seem to be a lot around this year and so many little ones too.

Les Cheserys - voie de l'emhm

2011-06-12T15:42:00.006+01:00

We arrived in the Chamonix valley on Wednesday 8th June after a pleasant journey on the ferry from Newcastle to Ijmuiden then a long drive through Holland, Germany and Switerland to reach France. The German autobahns were quite an experience with the fast cars and no speed limit. The van plods along quite happily at 60ish mph so we were definitely a slow vehicle!

Our favourite campsite, Les Arolles, had not opened so we parked up at Le Tour for a few nights retreating every now and then for a night on the campsite at Le Buet when the need for showers became rather important.

The nights were cold, clear and starry and Sunday was a beautiful day so we walked from Le Tour to the slabs at Les Cheserys which are always good for a day's climbing with fantastic views over to Mont Blanc and some entertaining young bouquetins too.

We climbed Voie de l'EMHM, four pitches, 6a, 5a, 3,5c.

Hedgehog in the garden

2011-05-23T11:35:00.004+01:00

Last May, it was a blackbird nest in my front garden, this year it's a hedhegog in the back garden and I think it's living under my shed! It seems to snuffle about at the dandelions whilst looking for worms and grubs to eat.

Alps summer trip

2011-05-20T18:03:00.005+01:00

This year's trip to the Alps is only a couple of weeks away so a little look back at some of the pictures from last year.

The Genie and Damnation, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-05-04T22:47:00.012+01:00

Back in to Coire an t-Sneachda this time to climb The Genie and Damnation, both routes neither of us had climbed before! Again we went in late on in the day to get sun warmed rock and the breeze had a bit less of a chilly bite than on Monday.

The climbing on both routes was perfect and the rock was totally dry which apparently is unusual for the top corner of The Genie. There is still a little bit of snow to cross to reach the bottom of the routes so Ron improvised with a piece of rock to cut steps!

On our way out of the corrie we were a bit surprised to see a group of twelve mountain bikers cycling along the moraine ridge and down the Coire an t-Sneachda path. Otherwise, we only encountered the reindeer and a couple of ptarmigan in their summer plumage.

More from Ron here and more photos once he gets his electicity supply back again.

Salvation, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-05-03T19:52:00.004+01:00

On Monday, Ron and I went in to Coire an t-Sneachda late on to enjoy the afternoon sun on Aladdin's Buttress. Folk were also climbing Magic Crack, Damnation and The Genie. Lovely climbing on the sunny rock but a cold wind seemed to blow out of any cracks and it was a wee bit chilly in the shade!
See Ron's blog for more, click here

Aviemore to Loch Einich

2011-04-28T16:04:00.002+01:00

Out on my mountain bike today for a cycle around the Rothiemurchus forest trails and on to Loch Einich. No photos as I forgot my camera but the weather was pleasant and the tracks dry.

Cummingston

2011-04-26T22:48:00.004+01:00

My rock boots got their first summer airing today at Cummingston. Ron and I had fun on the routes around the sea stack then we went on to play on the Prophet Walls climbing the centre, right and then left routes. All good fun and great for getting back into outdoor mode!
Still a bit chilly around Cairngom with a hard frost this morning in Aviemore and more of the same forecast.

Ben Macdui and Derry Cairngorm

2011-04-18T21:44:00.010+01:00

It was a lovely day for hillwalking - just warm enough with a light breeze and views across the whole of the Cairngorms.

Maggie and I went out to collect a couple of the Cairngorms Munros so we started off from the ski area car park and walked up the ridge alongside Coire an Lochain and on to Ben MacDui enjoying the views over to Braeriach and Cairn Toul. From Ben MacDui, we dropped towards Loch Etchachan but cut across to Derry Cairngorm to "bag" that summit too.

It was a lovely walk back around the lochain and down to Loch Avon then a bit of a slog back up to Coire Domhain but soon we were back up on the plateau for a pleasant walk back over the plateau.

A Cairngorm journey

2011-04-10T17:21:00.010+01:00

Another lovely sunny day and even warmer than yesterday!

I walked up the Fiacaill Ridge for a wee bit of a scramble then down Half a Gully rather than walk across the plateau. Aladdin's Couloir looked fun as a way back up and then I was off to the summit of Cairngorm as it was just the kind of day for being on a summit to enjoy the views. As a change to walking down from Point 1141, I walked back over to the top of Jacob's Ladder and climbed down there.

There weren't as many folk around as I expected but it was a very sociable day and nice to chat to the two skiers at the top of Half A Gully, the two climbers who were having a picnic on Aladdins Seat who I later bumped into again as they climbed out of Jacob's Ladder as I was about to go down and Ron who had been on a navigation course with me a while back who was out today with his friend Raymond.

Ron was out with his client Stephen on the summit of Cairngorm collecting the views.

Central Gully, Pygmy Ridge and Jacob's Ladder

2011-04-09T20:21:00.005+01:00

A warm day on Cairngorm though we found the snow in the gullies surprisingly firm underfoot. With warm, dry rock on Pygmy Ridge, it all felt very Alpine. We bumped into Su on our way down Jacob's Ladder as she was climbing up Jacob's Right Edge with Rob.

More form Ron here

Winchester College CCF Easter Camp Cairngorm

2011-04-09T20:12:00.002+01:00

From last Friday till Tuesday I was working with Winchester Collge Combined Cadet Force on their Easter camp. We began with a day of winter skills for one group with myself, Basher and Gavin whilst the other group were out mountain biking with Richard and Chris then we changed the groups around for day two so more winter skills for me. Our first day was very windy so we found shelter in Coire na Ciste then on Saturday, we went back though we had a much less windy day. The snow was great for practicing skills and doing a little bit of navigation. On Sunday, I went with Gavin, John and Ian up to Ciste Mhiread for our snowholing expedition and the cadets dug furiously creating two comfortable snowholes. Whilst we were returning on Monday, the wind was gaining strength and we almost flew back down to the car park. Luckily the heavy rucksacks kept our feet on the ground! Basher and Richard decided that with the strong winds, they would go for a navigation journey from the Coire na Ciste car park culminating in an overnight stay at Ryvoan Bothy. On Tuesday morning part of their group finished off by climbing Meall a Buchaille.

The Runnel, Spiral Gully and Fiacaill Couloir

2011-03-27T20:56:00.015+01:00

Ron and I went into Coire an t-Sneachda today to climb some gullies. We didn't quite get the dry day with light winds that we were expecting but it was a good day to be out all the same. There were a few flurries of snow as we started up towards the Runnel where Ron decided to climb the left hand chimney at the top. There was a little rocky step then good ice followed by a snowy arete to the plateau. So then we headed down the Goat Track to Spiral Gully which by this time was clear of other climbers. Some more nice ice in the lower and upper sections and all too soon, we were back up on the plateau! The wind was beginning to pick up a bit more so we quickly went back down the Goat Track and off to Fiacaill Couloir which Ron thought would be sheltered from the wind! Soft snow on the approach and more great ice in the couloir itself and back to the plateau and down the Goat Track yet again. As it was getting late we set off for the car park getting back just as it started to rain. Ron had the helmet camera with him so video from him to come and photos too here in a little while.We watched folk abseiling down from Red Gully and Goat Track Track Gully....! We also saw the loose rocks being dislodged in that area! There is good climbing to be enjoyed on the right routes!!!

I picked up a wire that was lying on the snow in Spiral Gully. I would like to return it to its owner so if they could email me with a description and provide a stamped addressed envelope, I'll be happy to return it.

Aladdin's Mirror Direct

2011-03-23T18:27:00.013Z

Carron and I had such a good day out in Coire an t-Sneachda yesterday, we went back for more fun and games today. We walked into the corrie in low cloud, drizzle and gusty winds but with the weather forecast saying that the weather was to improve as the day went on, we kept optimistic and climbed up towards Aladdin's Mirror Direct.

The ice was very amenable and positive for both the crampons and the axes and it was a pleasure to climb on, The top of the icefall came all too quickly! We abseiled off as we were after a short day and enjoyed a bit of a cold shower, which was blowing upwards, as we abseiled down.

Also, caught on camera on the SAIS blog, see here http://saisncairngorms.blogspot.com/2011/03/mild-with-soggy-snow.html

There were a few folk in the corrie today on The Runnel (Ken Applegate), the Mirror and some of the other gullies.

Ron was out with Erica and Kris for their last day of the mountaineering course digging snow shelters and some photos from Ron here.

Jacob's Ladder, Aladdin's Couloir and the Runnel

2011-03-22T19:29:00.011Z

Carron and I walked into Coire an t-Sneachda with Ron, Erika and Kris today. They were going to climb Jacob's Ladder and we were going to have a look at Hidden Chimney but as the ice at the start looked a bit thinner than I would have liked, Carron and I soloed up Jacob's Ladder then walked across the plateau to climb down Aladdin's Couloir.

Back down in the corrie, we went for a wander and as The Runnel looked good, we went up that. The snow on all the routes was soft, not surprisingly goving the mild temperature and we got the bonus of a nice, icy pitch on The Runnel.

More info and pictures from Ron here

I try to add pictures in order but having just received Carron's pictures, I wanted to add this one of me at the top of the Runnel, silly grin, great day!

Twin Ribs

2011-03-20T18:14:00.009Z

Ron took Erica and Kris up Twin Ribs today and I wandered along enjoying some great views into Coire an t-Sneachda. The winds were forecast to be quite strong but we were sheltered until we reached the ridge when it became a bit more blustery but nothing more than normal for Cairngorm!

Ron picked an interesting route up through the snow and rocks then we stopped on the way down to look at snow belays.

On the way in, the track had been good giving easy walking but on the way out, I was wishing I had my snowshoes as my feet kept sinking into the soft, deep snow.

Cairngorm skiing - Thursday

2011-03-20T18:06:00.002Z

Not quite as good a weather day as Wednesday but fun all the same. We tried out the ski mountaineer's ski pass which gives use of two tows to reach the top of the ski area but as we found out after trying to use the Day Lodge Poma and the West Wall tow, its use is actually limited to the Fiacaill Poma and the M1 tow.
The snow was a bit heavier and the light a bit flat as we skied down from Cairngorm summit then skinned back up into Ciste Mhearad for a final run back down to the car park.
No pictures as they wouldn't have shown much!

Cairngorm skiing

2011-03-16T20:51:00.003Z

A lovely sunny day today so Ron and I went up to Cairngorm for an afternoon skiing. The snow on the runs was good and varied giving some powdery skiing, some fresh drifts and one or two scoured bits later on in the day after the wind picked up. We also skied down to Ciste Mhearaid then put the skins on the skis to get back up to the summit of Cairngorm. We skiied down Coronation Wall to get a few more runs before the end of the day.

Slochd forest trails

2011-03-16T20:47:00.002Z

With all the fresh snow down to low levels, the forest tracks around Slochd have been great fun. Ron and I skied round the upper track on Sunday on a good trail then on Monday we created a trail on the lower track. What an effort it was but well worth it when we skied the same track on Tuesday.
For photos and videos from Ron click here and here.

Chute Route, Coire an Lochain

2011-03-06T18:29:00.008Z

A sunny day again at Cairngorm so Ron and I went out to climb in Coire an Lochain. We had thought about Sidewinder but the buttresses looked a bit black over that side of the corrie so we looked again and went to Chute Route. As it is so seldom in condition, it seemed a shame not to climb it!

The first pitch gave a tricky start over a bit of a rocky step which Ron bridged up then above that was some lovely steep ice that just swallowed up the picks of the axes as we hit the ice. That gave some fun pulling the picks out again without losing balance! The ice above was a bit more brittle but still good.

Above that I climbed up on good neve up to and over the cornice and then back into the sun on the plateau.

After chatting to Al and Charlotte completing their third route of the day we wandered back and down the Goat Track chatting to Smiler on the way.

More to come from Ron here and I'm sure he'll have pinched some of my pictures!

Meall nan Tarmachan

2011-03-06T07:20:00.004Z

It's not often I'm pleased to see low cloud and mist but for the Edinburgh Tiso Climbmts Navigation Course, the poor visibility was perfect. We navigated our way up to the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan taking a line that avoided the obvious path yet gave plenty of lumps, bumps and kinks in contour lines to find on the way.

Aladdin's Mirror Direct and an alternative finish!

2011-03-02T18:52:00.010Z

The weather forecast was looking rather windy for this morning but up at the ski area, the wind felt less blustery than down in Aviemore so off we went into Coire an t-Sneachda. Chris wanted to climb Aladdin's Mirror Direct so that was our goal for the day. There were a couple of parties in front but soon it was our turn and Ron headed up. Chris followed enjoying the steep ice and then I followed up after taking some video clips of Chris. The ice was good and steep and the odd blasts of spindrift coming down added to the experience!

We climbed up a couple of pitches of Aladdin's Mirror on neve that had softened just the right amount. Instead of climbing up to the Aladdin's Mirror / Couloir exit, Ron decided to take the snowy ramp that went off to the right though some "interesting" terrain then found an icy chimney which gave some lovely climbing to the scrambly ridge that took us up to the plateau and gave us a great finish to the day.

More from Ron to come on his blog, click here.

Twin Ribs

2011-03-01T18:59:00.005Z

Becca and Jo picked an interesting route up Twin Ribs today enjoying the views and the excellent snow whilst I wandered about being photographer! A great day out and so much better than we expected as it was blue skies again all day.

Patey's Route, Coire an t-Sneachda

2011-02-28T19:32:00.004Z

It was a beautiful day with heaps of sunshine and blue sky so I went out climbing with Ron and Chris on Patey's Route. The ice was fun but a bit thin over the first tricky bit then the harder tricky bit near the top of our second pitch was exactly that - tricky and hard! We romped up to the plateau on some lovely neve with odd pockets of graupel here and there.

For more information from Ron click here.

More from Aberfeldy

2011-02-26T20:10:00.005Z

I was down at Aberfeldy on Friday working with Stuart Johnston and a Climbmts course then more on Friday evening and Saturday for Stuart's Edinburgh Tiso Winter Skills course.

On Friday we were over at Schiehallion and whilst it started off as a fair weather day, we all ended up rather wet! The temperature had been around +11c when I left Aviemore early in the morning and it actually got a bit colder as I headed south. The snow was soggy still but useful for looking at steep ground techniques.

So a quick trip down to Edinburgh and an even briefer visit to my Mum then I was back up to the Ben Lawers area this morning where it was quite a contrast to have colder temperatures and sunshine over on Meall Corainnich as we practiced movement skills, snow and weather, how to use the axe and a brief look at cramponning, the snow was just too soft but we found some great patches of ice to play on! A few snowy showers blew over us as the day went on.

Aberfeldy

2011-02-20T21:36:00.008Z

I was out over the weekend working for Stuart Johnston's Climbmts with Dave and Tommy who had returned to experience some more of the Scottish winter.

On Saturday we had someearly snow which made driving about a bit tricky so we found an easy to get to area to look at winter navigation, some snow bollards to abseil from over little cornices and lots more basic ropework skills. Sunday was a bit better weather-wise so we could go a bit higher again to some great drifts to dig snow anchors. The fresh snow and drifts gave us lots to discuss when thinking about planning routes.

A windy skills day

2011-02-16T18:22:00.008Z

It was a bit windy this morning so KC and I spent some time indoors discussing navigation techniques and practising some knots. Once the wind dropped a little we went to a great big snow drift close to the car to dig in the snow some more - as if we hadn't done enough digging on our snowhole trip! We created some snow belays, did a some basic emergency ropework and abseiling and climbed up through some little but steep cornices using the feet, axe and even the helmet!