Coire an t-Sneachda In The Wind

Matt walking into Coire an t-Sneachda, with lots of people passing us the other way, on their way out.

Matt in Coire an t-Sneachda today (New Year's Eve) from Max Hunter on Vimeo.

Matt drove up from Oxford yesterday for 2 days of climbing, so the pressure was on to get out and get it! The forecast looked like a better day was to be had over east, although it would be windy, wet and wild everywhere. We took a gamble and headed east, driving past a very hidden and wet Ben Nevis. The windscreen wipers were on fast by 7am, and were were driving through flooded roads where other cars were turning back. The further east we got the less it rained. When we got into the coire, the rock was running with water, so we opted for The Haston Line (IV,4) which had good neve and good ice. Even the crux had good ice. As I started on pitch 2, there was a shift in the wind direction, and suddenly the wet ropes and gear froze solid. The turf on pitch 2 was frozen solid, and the neve the best I've seen it this winter. We got to where the route crosses Yukon Jack (IV,5) and finished up that. Matt led it well, and managed to find a good sheltered belay at the top. A great day, and only a little suffering - ace.

We saw 2 other teams on the Mess of Pottage, and I think they climbed Jacob's Edge.

Matt starts up Haston Line (IV,4)

Matt waving a wet, cold hand

Matt running up pitch 2

Matt enjoying the new DMM Apex axes

Matt disappearing up the top section of Yukon Jack

Raeburn's Route In SCNL

Lena approaching Raeburn's Route (IV,4***) - we can see that there are 2 teams already on it.

The forecast was a little poor today but Lena and I wanted to finish the weekend off with a climb, so we headed back to Stob Coire nan Lochan to take a look. At the carpark, we could see headtorches just disappearing from sight up the valley - good news for us - we could follow their track in through the deep snow. We got to the Coire and could see that there were 2 teams on Raeburn's Route (IV,4***) - which was our plan too. The snow up to the route was still hard work to wade through - up to our knees and waist. We eventually got to the route, and decided to go round the corner and up NC Gully, to skip ahead of the 2 teams on the initial pitch. This did get us ahead of the crowd, but I was rewarded by a big job of working my way through the deep snow on the crux pitch which made it incredibly awkward, both to find the gear and to find rock to pull on! The turf was frozen on the upper section of the climb, but apparently not completely so, on the lower section. The snow was more consolidated than the other day - people were happily climbing NC Gully today. I felt pretty lucky to get a route done today - the weather felt against us, and the snow was deep and hard work. The leader of the next team to the top after us had come from Edinburgh for the day, and his partner and the other team were from Leeds - driving back tonight!

Lena belayed at the 'Tower'

Lena climbing through the poor visibility

Lena leading to the top

Occasionally there were stunnig views

On my way to the top

The top of Raeburn's Route on 9th Dec 2012 from Max Hunter on Vimeo.

Spectre In SCNL

Ken setting off, up Spectre V,6**

Yesterday I had a great day of climbing with Ken Applegate. We didn't want to slog in somewhere breaking trail in the deep deep new snow, so Ken suggested Stob Coire nan Lochan, where there are a few options, and he had some info that there may be a track to follow through the snow. All my winter days this season so far seem to have been walking/swimming through deep snow, but I guess this is much more preferable to no snow (aka last year). We hit the coire and decided to go for a short route, that would also not need topping out. Getting in, breaking trail took a little longer than normal. Also, the routes looked like they would be time consuming with a bit of clearing.

Ken chose Spectre, racked up and set off. The pitch took a lot of clearing, but making sense of the guide book, Ken made the belay.

Ken on the 'awkward step'

Ken building the belay

Making my way up to the first belay

The first pitch was awkward in several places, with thin moves and sparse but good gear. 

I'm searching for hooks. Eventually I had to give up expecting to find sinker hooks

Ken asked if I wanted the second pitch. I only led for a couple of metres when I got to the first 'interesting section' with poor hooks and thin feet. I got a bomber hex and pushed on. The pitch was protected, but it did feel bold and run out most of the time.

Above the first awkward section

Spot me trying to keep calm on my first V 6

I made the belay and could chill after my first V,6 lead - brilliant. We abseiled down Scabbard Chinmey, which immediately rose to the top of my new wish list - looking more positive and well protected than Spectre.

Ken finishing pitch 2

Ken ab'ing down Scabbard Chimney

The snow was so deep that there were only a few tracks in/out of the coire. There were a couple of other climbing teams out on Twisting Gully, and Twisting Grooves.

The colours start to change as the sun heads for the horizon

The Ben in the distance

SCNL

Last Sunday - The Rack And Rope Go For A Walk

The moon, just to the right of Castle Ridge

Last Sunday the weather was forecast to be excellent so we made tracks for Ben Nevis, hoping to find a suitable frozen mixed climb for Lena and myself. The Ben was more breathtaking than normal as the moon passed behind Castle Ridge and the sun rose behind the Ben.

Sunrise behind NE Buttress

Right-Hand Chimney (IV,4**) on Moonlight Gully Buttress

Plan A was to check out Right-Hand Chimney on Moonlight Gully Buttress. It did look a little choked with snow, so that would mean a lot of clearing, but we were up for it. Lena racked up and set off. She soon discovered that the turf was pulling and was a long way from frozen. The loose rocks in the chimney, that  I guess would be helpful if frozen in place, were still loose. So our desire to get up the route was thwarted by the lack of freeze - again. We'd used a lot of time here so we needed a quick plan B, to still enjoy the day, so we decided to swim (climb) up Moonlight Gully.

Lena starting to wrestle with the unfrozen turf and the loose snow

Moonlight gully was filled with 'swimming snow', so at least it gave us a good full body workout. The normal little steps in the gully, that make it grade II, were pretty awkward - as close to empathising to a salmon swimming up a waterfall as I've ever got! One step up and 3 feet down. At the top of the Gully, as it breaks into Number 5, we decided to avoid doing battle with the No.5 gully loose snow fields - and we ab'ed out of Moonlight, to fight again another day. It did feel like we took the rack and ropes out for a walk, but that's the way it is sometimes.

Lena in Moonlight Gully

Ben with snow

Ben this morning

All systems go for the winter 2011/2012 season...

Schmoolz fun

Dave Buckett using the Schmoolz tools at the Ice Factor.

Dave Buckett and I decided to go indoors again to the Ice Factor, but this time Isi Oakley (Ice Factor Assistant Centre Manager) lent us her 2 Schmoolz tools. So we bottom roped and led up everything we could until our forearms exploded... Awesome fun - Happy days.

I think I'll be buying some for myself... Schmoolz.com

A Little Wet and Warm In Glen Nevis

Ben Nevis - from Nevis Range on Monday morning

On a dry Monday morning, under a great sky of high clouds, and good visibilty, I was at work at the College at the Nevis Range with the H.O.L. students on their Mountain Biking assessment. It was mostly a completely dry day, with a little drizzle later in the morning. The clouds stayed high, and we were treated to another colourful sunset at the end of the afternoon. Well done to all the students on their assessment, there were only a couple of nav deferrals.

Fort William on Monday afternoon

Today, the weather was very different, and there was no morning heavy frost, the temperatures were warmer, with the freezing level above the summits. It rained on and off all day. But even though the rock was wet, the groups from Outward Bound had great fun climbing and scrambling up Scimitar Ridge in Glen Nevis.

Lena climbing wet Glen Nevis rock on Tuesday

Ice Today

Robinwood (Robinwood Activity Centres) staff have their last day in Scotland today, and they had to make the most of it because they had to travel home after lunch. As usual the staff split off into different teams, some shopping, walking  to Steall, scrambling on the Buachaille and a team off to the Ice Factor with Tony Halliwell and myself. So as I drove to work this morning, with the rain outside and axes to hand it did feel like winter again! So unfortunately after the fun on the ice they had to depart for England again, tired but happy, thinking about where their trip will be next year...

Lean back and trust the ice

Point 5 Gully

We got to the CIC a bit late, we could see teams on Orion Direct, Minus 3, Minus 1 and Zero

Many teams had already gone up Point 5, and teams on Observatory Buttress - Ordinary Route

Several teams were on Hadrians

A bit late in the morning - I'm on pitch 1 on Point 5 (the queues had gone and there was nobody behind us). The climb is fairly well banked out, so pitch 1 was shorter than it has been in the past. The climb is incredibly hooked and stepped at the moment. The ice is thick - so this climb will be here for a while :)

Pitch 2, fun, fun, fun

Lena sets off on the Rogue pitch as spindrift comes down

Lena cruising up the steep pitch

Lena on one of the upper pitches

Lena topping out onto the summit plateau

A quiet summit - of course we had to climb ontop on the shelter as well to complete our route :)