10th March 2010
The sunshine this morning looked great on Buachaille Etive Mor as Elved and I tried to work out what Crowberry Gully was like. It looked full of snow so we headed up that way. The lower chockstones are not well filled in but there is good ice to get around them. Higher up there is lots of snow but it is all soft and there is little ice. We had to go around one pitch on thin ice to get to The Junction but the Junction Pitch itself is fine. The Cave Pitch was quite thin as well. So, as ever, Crowberry Gully is a great adventure and perfectly climbable but not for those of a nervous disposition! Max, Paul and Dani climbed Tower Ridge and Andy and Andrew went along the Aonach Eagach, all in brilliant condition. As well as the routes that were climbed yesterday on Ben Nevis there was a team on Smith's Route today. A wee thaw tomorrow and refreeze on Friday will set things up again for the weekend however it looks like we'll have more mixed weather next week and possibly some more thaw freeze cycles.
9th March 2010
What a wonderful day on Ben Nevis and everywhere else in The Outdoor capital of the UK. Elved and I climbed Tower Ridge in the best conditions I've seen on the ridge. Loads of hard but not icy snow filling in the rocks and the odd bit of dry rock where you need it. Many teams were enjoying the classic ice climbs including Kenny and Guy who climbed Minus One Gully, descended NE Buttress quickly then climbed Minus Two Gully for good measure! Astral Highway, Orion Direct, Slav Route, Hadrian's Wall Direct, Point Five Gully all saw ascents as well. Observatory Buttress also has a trail going up it from the last few days and Smith's Route looks well iced although I couldn't comment on the quality of the ice. Far less action in Coire na Ciste but Vanishing Gully and Glover's Chimney were both climbed to day. Donald and Malcolm followed our example of yesterday on Number Six Gully and Deep Cut Chimney and Dave, Paul and Dani climbed NC Gully. Another nice day tomorrow before a slightly wet and warmer day on Thursday followed by a refreeze on Friday.
8th March 2010
Blue sky and sunshine again today and hard snow everywhere apart from where it softened in the sunshine! Elved and I went to Coire nam Beith to climb the classic combination of Number Six Gully and Deep Cut Chimney. This is a great way to spend a day on grade IV ice in very impressive suroundings. There is lots of ice on Aonach Dubh West Face although less this afternoon since Elliot's Downfall fell off during the day! Deep Cut Chimney is thin but great fun up to the snow bay where we exited right into NW Gully. The debris from the avalanche last Sunday that swept over the west face on Aonach Dubh is very impressive. The crown wall runs from above Number Four Gully to Broad Gully on Stob Coire nan Lochan, about 800m. At its deepest it is about 2m and the debris has filled the gorge leading up to Coire nam Beith, it cut a trail 2m deep under Number Six Gully and swept over the two waterfalls. Very impressive indeed. After the thaw and refreeze of this weekend though all the snow is very stable now.
7th March 2010
After a very long day yesterday, Gareth, Pat and Jonny wanted a shorter day for which Curved Ridge was perfect. One team had made it round in the deep snow so there was a bit of a trail and once on the ridge the going was very good. The exit snow slopes are fine and the descent into Coire na Tullach was good today as well. Disapointingly it was cloudy today but the coming week should be back to sunny weather with blue skies and morning frosts. Back to the usual then! As a result of the thaw over the last few days and a return to colder temperatures the avalanche hazard has reduced markedly.
6th March 2010
A cloudy start gave way to a sunny afternoon today with very little wind. Gareth, Patrick and Jonny went to climb Minus Three Gully but changed to Slingsby's Chimney and NE Buttress on Ben Nevis when they saw the number of people in the Minus Gullies. NE Buttress also had lots of folk on it and the going was a little slow so the sunset was enjoyed from near the top of Ben Nevis! I had my first visit to the E Face of Aonach Mor today when I skied Easy Gully and carried on down great snow to the lochain. The skiing is superb at Nevis Range with no queues and a great cover of snow. There was just a couple of centimetres of fresh snow on the old stuff which was soft at the very top and getting wet at the bottom of the slopes.
5th March 2010
It was cloudy and damp this morning so Donald and I took Alistair, Simon and Paul to Ben Udlaidh. It was warmer today as well so the ice was wet and dripping a bit however as it is cascade ice here the ice was less brittle and the climbing was very good. Alistair and I climbed The Smirk, a steep but well featured route on the right of the crags. You can hook your way nearly all the way to the top making the climbing relatively friendly for such a steep line. Simon, Paul and Donald climbed the right hand side of The Organ Pipes which was good as well. There is plenty of ice here which will easily last this wee thaw. The left side of the crags has a large cornice hanging over the routes especially Quartz Vein Scoop. In the warmer conditions these are likely to sag and may fall off possibly triggering avalanches in the slope underneath. Gareth was also here with Patrick and Jonny who all climbed Doctors Choice saying it was great too.
4th March 2010
Yet another great day on Ben Nevis. Donald, Aidan and Alastair climbed Point Five Gully while I climbed Minus Two Gully with Alistair and Simon. Both are very nice but could do with a little more snow and some freeze thaw to build on the ice. Orion Direct, Zero Gully and Minus Three Gully were all climbed today as well. Some cloud came over in the afternoon and the temperature at the CIC Hut was 2.5 celcius on the way down so it is warming up as forecast.
3rd March 2010
Another calm day on Ben Nevis with hazy sunshine all day. Simon, Alistair, Bob and I found the steepest and fattest ice on Ben Nevis to climb. The left hand cascade under Carn Dearg Buttress feels like VI,6 if taken straight up the right hand side and the cascade section of Compression Cracks is as steep as ever but metres thick with blue ice! The Castle Coire is mostly scoured or eroded but there are still weak layers under some slabs and the Castle Gullies are full of soft snow. Castle Ridge had a couple of teams on it as did Orion Direct and Minus One Gully. Donald, Alastair and Aidan climbed Sgurr Finnisg-aig Cascade finishing at the top gondola station at Nevis Range. This had lots and lots of ice on it and lots and lots of people climbing it! The air temperature rose today and it is forecast to carry on doing so over the weekend. This could cause these weak layers in the snow to collapse and trigger avalanches so take care.
2nd March 2010
Raised footprints can be very helpful. After following the deep trail in the snow into Ben Nevis Alistair, Bob and I saw raised footprints on the slope under the Minus and Orion Faces. There are several of them and they could only be raised footprints from a week ago indicating that the slope had been scoured by the wind. Sure enough, the approach slopes to these faces and to Point Five Gully are not threatened by avalanche at all although there is an area of windslab under Hadrian's Wall. We climbed Orion Direct which is in the best conditions I've climbed it. Although I've only been up three times previously there is far more ice on the crux traverse from the second slab rib and the whole route is very good fun. Another team climbed Point Five Gully saying the chimney is a bit hacked out, Donald, Alastair and Aidan climbed the Little Brenva Fave on a variety of routes at grade IV,5 and Max took Christian to Buachaille Etive Mor. Unfortunately they did not make it round to Curved Ridge due to the depth of the snow on the approach as you can see in the picture taken at Lagangarbh. They made a hasty retreat to Steall Falls. So not only is the weather fantastic but we have brilliant ice climbing from the lowest (Steall Falls) to the highest (Orion Direct) all in condition!
1st March 2010
Some big avalanches have gone off over the last few days and there are deep accumulations of windslab on a weak layer in many places. To find some good climbing away from this avalanche hazard Donald and I took our teams to the East Face of Sgorr Dearg above Ballachulish. Donald did the first ascent of a some ice lines here a couple of years ago and called one of them Hide and Seek. Alistair, Bob and I climbed the steep entry pitch of ice to access the main gully where there was one patch of soft snow. Above, the right hand ice line leads to a bay where the ice runs out. We went up and traversed right to find a left facing corner (crux) all on quite loose rock. Then a horizontal traverse left took us back to the ridge and easy ground. We went back down for the left hand ice line which was on really nice ice and was probably IV,5. Needless to say, nobody else was around and we had brilliant views all day. Nigel took his team to Aonach Mor where the east coires are reasonably well scoured of soft snow to look at mountaineering ropework, snow anchors and belaying. High pressure is building and we'll have great weather for another few days.
27th February 2010
The storm cleared away last night and left a blustery but dry day with some sunshine. Massive amounts of snow fell on Thursday and Friday with a very strong wind from the NE blowing it around. Mike didn't make it up the forest track in my 4x4 this morning because of the deep snow so Jon, Paul and Martyn had to walk a bit further to get to the Carn Dearg Buttress cascades. They spent the day climbing the cascades and learning all about ice climbing as well as about avalanches. As you can see in the picture above some areas have been scoured by the wind but in between deep, hard windslab has formed on a weak layer of buried surface hoar crystals. Stronger winds create harder windslab because the snow crystals are broken down to smaller fragments which form a more dense slab. The picture below clearly shows lines running up and down the west flank of Carn Mor Dearg where the wind has gone across the face and made deep pillows and almost cornices on the small gullies and bulges. These are very clear signs of snow being deposited by the wind and should be avoided. These deposits of snow can be seen as low as 300m above sea level on Cow Hill above Fort William!
25th February 2010
Lots and lots of snow fell last night and more fell all through today. There is 30cm in Nevis range car park and the drifts at the top of Glen Coe are metres deep. Clearly anything in the hills will be very difficult for a wee while! The big ridges are your best bet and even then it will be hard work! Craig, Bill and I sacked any idea of climbing up high today and went under Ballachulish Bridge instead. The dry tooling here is great fun and very good training for when we can get back onto the crags. We also looked at some rescue techniques such as escaping the system, pully systems and abseils. More snowfall tomorrow and stronger winds but calmer and drier at the weekend by the looks of it.
24th February 2010
It's never a good sign when people are walkng out when you are walking in! Snowfall and strong winds at daybreak this morning made everyone change plans quite rapidly as it was very clear that snow was being deposited on many slopes and creating a high avalanche risk. We heard of a couple of slabs triggered on Ben Nevis even before we got to the CIC Hut. This isn't surprising because the hoar frost that was on the surface of the snow yesterday was being buried under deep areas of windslab creating a very weak layer for the slab to slide on. As a result the Carn Dearg Cascades were a popular choice! Bill, Craig and I climbed the grade IV first right of the main fall before going for the main cascade. This is very steep but very well featured and as a result is quite reasonable to climb and very dramatic. Nigel and Dai went up The Zig Zags on Gear Aonach before going up to Stob Coire nan Lochan. The top of Broad Gully was scoured in the NE wind so they descended this into the coire. The slope underneath Dorsal Arete had avalanched but they hugged the base of Summit Buttress and made a safe descent. The difficult conditions will stay with us for a few days with strong winds and cold temperatures. Expect many areas of poorly bonded windslab and stick to the ridges and buttresses.
23rd February 2010
Another great day with just a light easterly breeze on the summit. Craig and I climbed Point Five Gully which was really fun. It's not too chopped out yet and the climbing is very steady. Alan and Mike climbed Tower Ridge in fine and speedy style, Gareth, Dave and Hannah climbed SC Gully on Stob Coire nan Lochan on great neve. There are many classic big ice routes in condition on Ben Nevis including the Minus Gullies, Orion Direct, Zero Gully, Hadrians Wall Direct, Sickle, Point Five Gully and others. If you are after thin face climbing Rubicon Wall looks really good and the quality of the snow at that level is brilliant.
Meanwhile, the skiing in the Cairngorms has been brilliant. Roger Wild made a great tour over The Eight Tops a couple of days ago.
22nd February 2010
Today I climbed the best quality snow ice I've ever found on Ben Nevis in fifteen years of climbing here! The first pitches of Hadrian's Wall Direct are incredible! The open slopes above the chimney are solid as well but the last pitch has a bit of cruddy rime over harder ice. The weather was perfect and we had the route to ourselves! Meanwhile Gareth, Dave and Hannah climbed Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor which is in equally good condition with lots of good snow.
21st February 2010 Stunning weather and great climbing again this weekend with the promise of more to come!
19th February 2010 Ben Nevis looked resplendent in the sunshine today, buried in soft snow just about down to sea level and clear blue skies above. It was cold again with just a little warmth in the sunshine. Donald and Chiz did some ice climbing coaching on the Carn Darg Cascades which are still very well iced. They finished with the steepest cascaade on the left which is now featured with gargoyles and hooks all the way up so, despite being very steep, it is quite reasonable to climb. More sunshine and soft snow over the weekend and the avalanche hazard will slowly reduce as the snow settles.
18th February 2010 Soft powder snow is covering all aspects of Ben Nevis with a little drifting and deposition of windslab. As a result, the great ridges were popular today with many teams on Tower Ridge and Ledge Route. The Carn Mor Dearg Arete saw a steady procession of happy mountaineers as well enjoying the stunning views. David and I went for NE Buttress which is brilliant, huge and intimidating! The snow on the traverse to the First Platform was suspect but mostly consisted of loose powder and we picked a line very carefully. Once on the route the snow was great, nice firm snow all the way. The Man Trap felt OK today and the 40 Foot Corner was fine as well if a little difficult to protect. We descended by Coire Leis and Number Four Gully has been used in descent as well despite th soft snow. Up high there is still little ice so Smith's Route, Indicator Wall, Psychadelic Wall and even Good Friday Climb are all very thin or not iced at all. Lower down Vanishing Gully, Italian Climb, The Carn Dearg Cascades, Waterfall Gully and Compression Cracks are all fully formed. The Curtain has been climbed but just by a very small and talented French guide! A bit of thaw freeze just now would be good to consolidate the snow and form new ice but this is not forecast for a while yet. In the meantime it might be worth getting the skis out to enjoy all this powder snow! Ron made what will have been a brilliant descent of Ben Nevis today on skis.
17th February 2010 Despite the forecast for relatively dry weather we woke to 20cm of fresh snow down to sea level this morning. All plans were rapidly changed and Mike and I went to climb Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor. The light powder snow made the ridge feel fantastic but didn't help the climbing at all! There is harder snow underneath though and this is quite helpful. We avoided the bowl at the top and went behind Crowberry Tower to reach the summit. On the summit plateau there was some soft windslab and we triggered a very small slide. Despite this clear warning sign the descent down Coire na Tullach was quite reasonable as the snow there was not at all wind affected, instead it was just loose powder. If in doubt though avoid open areas of the fresh snow which is on all apsects.
16th February 2010 Cold and snowy weather overnight gave way to a dry morning with loads of sunshine but further snow showers in the afternoon. David and I climbed SC Gully which is in great shape. The fresh snow was just powder and not windslab resulting in just a little spindrift. We made good time and went down Broad Gully to climb Twisting Gully Right Hand which was brilliant. Good ice and very interesting moves!
15th February 2010 After a wet start it turned out very nice today. Donald and I both took our teams up Shelf Route on the right side of Crowberry Tower. This is a great mixed route with difficult but short lived steps in a fantastic position. Finishing on Crowberry Tower was a real treat!
14th February 2010 Minus Two Gully is a real favourite of mine, possibly my favourite gully on Ben Nevis! Radek and I climbed it today in great conditions and calm but misty weather. Andy and Rintje climbed Minus Three Gully saying the icicle isn't really there but you can still climb it on ice. Donald went for Scabbard Chimney on Stob Coire nan Lochan which Was a bit lean and a bit tricky as a result.
13th February 2010 Good weather today for Radek and I to climb Raeburns Buttress Intermediary Gully. This is a route I've been wanting to climb for years and it was worth the wait. Absorbing climbing in an atmospheric cleft and little chance of seeing anyone else!
12th February 2010 Yet another fantastic day in what has been a brilliant spell of weather and climbing conditions. Rintje and I climbed Tower Ridge before visiting the summit of Ben Nevis and descending Ledge Route. We had both routes to ourselves and both were excellent. There were teams on Minus Three and Minus Two Gullies, several in Point Five Gully and few in Coire na Ciste. Click on the Orion Face image for a bigger version.
9th February 2010 Another great day, a bit colder and a bit breezy to start but calming down during the day. Bryn and I went for Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis which was great fun. The crunchy snow low down turned to soft snow at about 900m and the ridge is quite well covered. Underneath the snow there is some good ice. Several teams climbed Point Five Gully saying it is in really good shape and Andy and dave climbed Observatory Buttress (very thin) and Smith's Route (thin and brittle). Central Gully on Creag Coire na Ciste and Green Gully were also climbed today.
8th February 2010 The sun was shining this morning in Glen Coe as Bryn and I walked in to Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor. The ridge is well covered in snow and ice and with a little sunshine today it was great fun. The snow low down is quite firm as it thawed out well before it refroze, however the snow is still soft higher up. The upper buttresses are very well coated in rime and snow. Slime Wall looked amazing, I've never seen it so white! Despite the soft snow, Coire na Tullach was safe enough to descend and the gorge low down is full of hard snow making it a quick descent back to the car. Dave and Andy climbed Minus Three Gully today on Ben Nevis. Keep up to date with the Marshall Smith Project here.
7th February 2010 Out with Andy of Hebridean Pursuits again today we went to the east of Creag Meagaidh to look at mountaineering skills with a rope. Snow anchors, body belays, rock anchors and abseiling off snow bollards were all looked at. The snow was still soggy and the layer of cloud is not helping it go hard. The humidity under the cloud is higher so it takes lower temperatures to freeze the snow properly. Andy and Dave climbed Piggot's Route on Ben Nevis, the second of the seven climbs they will try and do this week. Read more on Dave MacLeod's blog.
6th February 2010 The Cairngorms were a bit drizzly this morning. It did brighten up a bit in the afternoon although the snow was soggy all day. There is still plenty of now, not surprisingly, and we didn't have to go far to find areas we could practice core skills. Working for Andy of Hebridean Pursuits with a group from Manchester University we went to Coire na Ciste and set foot onto the snow in the car park! We looked at movement skills, how to use big winter boots and ice axes, self arrest with an ice axe and emergency shelters. My new Arc'Teryx Gamma softshell was just the job in the drizzle. Over on Ben Nevis, Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner climbed The Great Chimney, the first of the Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith climbs of 50 years ago. A team climbed Orion Direct as well although there is some suspect snow around and you need to be careful on the approach slopes and exit gullies of many climbs.
4th February 2010
More fresh snow last night has given way to a dry morning today. The temperature has gone up markedly and the freezing level was hovering around the tops at 9am. This gentle thaw will stay with us for tomorrow before a cool down again on Saturday. Indicator Wall, Comb and Green Gullies were climbed over the last couple of days as well as the major ridges. Everything is covered in soft snow but after the refreeze at the weekend it should be a bit easier going. The Jimmy Marshall Project is about to start and it looks like conditions will be reasonable for Dave MacLeod and Andy Tuner to climb all the routes first climbed 50 years ago.
2nd February 2010 It was a stunning day in the Outdoor Capital of the UK today. Fresh snow last night covered the hills and unbroken blue skies were overhead for much of the day. There was a bit of a breeze which was creating some spindrift on NorthButtress of Buachaille Etive Mor which, combined with icy rocks under the fresh snow, made it awkward going for Donald and Chris. It's a great climb though in any conditions and if you ask me, it is at its best when it is absolutely buried in snow because just about where ever you look under the snow there will be a good hook or spike!
1st February 2010 A little light snow fell last night but really not very much. This morning was very nice again and Donald and Chris climbed SC Gully on Stob Coire nan Lochan saying it was in really nice condition. Most of the routes on the crag are looking good really. The gullies have nice ice and neve in them, the easier buttress routes are well frozen and have good snow and the rocks are better well rimed on the steeper routes than a couple of days ago. It started to snow again early in the afternoon and has been snowing above just a couple hundred metres this evening. By tomorrow there might be a reasonable depth of fresh snow on the tops.
Stunning weather and great climbing again this weekend with the promise of more to come!
