Tunnel Vision

Working for Adventure Peaks, this is the second and last day of the course. Alan and Jelly signed on for an Improvers Snow and Rock course - today with a poor forecast we'll look for some ice..

We head for Aonach Mor East Face. Jel really likes abseiling, so loved the snow bollard ab over the large cornice into Easy Gully. We head round and settle for Tunnel Vision (III*). Pitch 2 gets them onto the ice they've been waiting for. The first photo shows Jelly already at the second belay with Alan still enjoying the ice. The second photo shows them both leaving the second belay on the way to the top.

The snow is just firm enough, and the ice is very good, and the turf is frozen. The axes and crampons feel very secure in the almost plastic ice, and there is still enough depth of ice for 22cm screws in many places. There was no shattering in this 'warm' ice, just a secure plastic toffee.

Above Tunnel Vision there was no cornice trouble, but there were very large overhanging cornices over many routes, forcing people to abseil retreat.

The second photo shows a team finishing Forgotten Twin. Luckily they managed to find a pre-cut notch in the large overhanging cornice to enable their escape. Top advice for all climbers at Aonach Mor East Face is to check your exit before commiting to the climb and carry a shovel.

Nobody climbed Right Twin, due to the cornice, but teams were climbing Left Twin - including Kenny working for Adventure Peaks.

Thank you Alan and Jel for a terrfic weekend - have a safe journey through the night back to Ireland...