ML Exped In The Sun

Future mountain leaders - Ab, Nadine, Lachie, Norm, Colin and Logan - heading towards Carn Dearg 945m

The Glenmore Lodge ML training team set out on exped on Friday to the Monadhliath Mountains. We weren't worried about rain, but we did have to plaster on layers of suncream, and stop at every stream to drink it dry, to avoid drying out in the soaring heat.

Ab working hard in the heat

Ab and Lachie happy in the snow

Camping at 860m

We arrived at camp and had lots of time to eat, re-hydrate and even sleep, waiting for darkness. We started our night nav at about 10.15pm still with good light, and even when we finished at midnight, there was still some light from the cresent moon.

About 10.30pm - We had to wait a long time to get anything like darkness last night

It was bright daylight again just after 4am - and already the temp was rising. The suncream and shades went on before 9am!

Colin and Logan getting their nav spot on

Nadine watching the massive herd of deer

We were in for a treat on our way down the hill - we saw a massive hear of deer move over the hill - up to 400 deer perhaps!!

A great course for everybody - hopefully everybody will successfully move on to their assessment without waiting too long.

Finding Dry Rock Between The Showers

The next shower started half way up Resurrection

Lena and I had a very late start in the Glen today, but unfortunately that meant that we missed most of the good weather. Lena managed to get Pine Wall finished in the dry, but then as we settled down for a sandwich, so did the first rain. This did however clear most of the crowds. After half an hour of rain - it stopped :) . After waiting another half hour for the rock to dry a little we got onto Resurrection - there were a few spits and spots, but our luck was holding. Our luck held until I pulled over the overhang of Damnation and then the rain was full on again. This led to a bit of stressed wet slab climbing - always fun :( . Basically another great day in the Glen.

No rain for the first half of Damnation

Pulling onto the slab - and this is when the rain started - great - a bit of wet slab climbing followed

Lena finding a line on Pine Wall

Last pitch of Pine Wall

Lena walking up Resurrection

Lena still smiling on the wet slabs of Damnation

By now we admitted defeat to the rain and this was the end of our day...

North Wales - In Search Of Dry Rock

Lena finding the moves on The Hyll Drem Girdle (HVS). Carreg Hyll-Drem - An awesome crag which is fantastic for wet weather. Lots of the rock stays dry - but it depends on the wind direction a little.
Exciting climbing. A little 3D. 4 pitches of fun, looking out at the rain a few feet away - protected by the massive overhangs above.

This climb is excellent.

We tried to climb the Classic of the crag 'Hardd' E2 5c - but it proved to live up to it's name - funny that !! . Here Lena is on the 5c moves that lead up to the start of the traverse (spot the need for a waterproof jacket!). The guide says that this is the perfect climb option for a wet day, but ironically, the slab traverse moves were wet and so we made a retreat (I wonder if that great DMM offset No.8 has been claimed by somebody yet) - A return match will be made on a DRY day when there's no scary wet 5c slab!!

Las Encantadas and Poema de Roca

Poema de Roca 7a - Massively steep and juggy.
Wild 3D Climbing

Note the extenders hanging down (or were they swinging about like I ended up swinging about on a rope!) - it felt as steep as it looked!! An awesome climb, but don't expect the bolts to be close together!
Lena leading 7a at Las Encantadas. A 200m walk in - that's better than several hours in Scotland. This is thin, reachy, technical and slightly blind climbing.

Las Encantadas 7a - looking for a jug - there must be one!

For this climb a good reach is pretty much essential! So what's best - Sport or Trad - Hmmm, well as long as it's not in the rain - it's all good. Let's find somewhere dry in North Wales now... Not Easy..

Climb Up As Rain Comes Down

It's the time of year when all climbers are searching for dry rock, and trying to avoid the wind, storms and midges - so - off to The Olive Branch again just as the rain starts in Fort William. It seems like everybody else I know has been there this year already.. It's time for Sport climbing!!

Lena at full stretch on this crux, making thin moves between semi-jugs.

I'm still not happy to fall off (need to sort thet out!) - so doing all I can to hold on.
Lena sorts out these 6c moves with good footwork and crimps on tiny holds.

I end up doing the same 6c crux in a completely different way - using a layback on the R to a semi jug.

Some of the flowstone is like the limestone sport in North Wales (A55). Here I ended up doing a body weight finger move on a tiny stalagtite - didn't snap even with my weight!

Lena on the same climb - different solutions - less thug, more core!

Busy Rannoch Wall

Lena on pitch 1 of January Jigsaw

Well, we had a great plan of climbing Agag's Groove and then quick down to climb January Jigsaw - but when does a great plan ever come off? We hadn't accounted for how many climbers the Bank Holiday good weather would bring up to Glencoe. Initially the car park was full, and there was a steady stream of climbers walking up to Buachaille Etive Mor, so we thought, well let's see... We got to Agag's Groove to see several teams queueing, but the adjacent Jan Jigsaw was free - so decision made. We actually had the climb all to ourselves (I didn't see anybody else on it all day!). We scrambled down Curved Ridge only to discover several more teams on Agag's again... Oh well, we didn't fancy queueing today so we went home happy - a brilliant day of weather on Rannoch Wall (I didn't even have to queue in Morrisons!). January Jigsaw is a terrific climb - make sure it's on your list.

Pitch 2

Pitch 2

The brilliant traverse of pitch 3

Pitch 4 was excellent

Walking up Crowberry Ridge

Chilling at the top of Curved Ridge

Still Climbing Without Midges

The weather for this Bank Holiday has turned out to be something special, so after work on Friday, Lena and I went to the Glen for a sunny evening of t-shirt climbing. We did Pinnacle Ridge, Three Pines and Flying Dutchman Direct, which seems to be a popular combo at the moment! I saw a couple of midges, but no bites :). What I did see which made my evening was a Pine Martin - I've never seen one in the Glen before.