29th July 2010
Back home in Scotland the weather has been very wet over the last couple of weeks. The mountain crags are soaked but the valley crags at Poldubh, Glen Coe and Ardnamurchan all dry out quickly so there is good climbing to be done. Alternatively, go for the classic mountaineering routes on Ben Nevis. That's what Mike, Ron and I did today by climbing Castle Ridge. This was only the second time I've been up Castle Ridge and it was great. For Mike and Ron, this completes all the major ridges on Ben Nevis; Castle Ridge, Ledge Route, Tower Ridge, Observatory Ridge and NE Buttress. The rock was drying out as we got to the top and the views to the Great Glen and out west were brilliant.
24th July 2010
Not all plans come together and not all forecasts are accurate! John and I walked up to the Almergeller Hut in not too bad weather and we were encouraged to see the clouds clear and the sun shine in the afternoon. It all looked hopeful until 4am when the hut was being rocked by gusts of wind, the freezing level was a few hundred metres below the hut and the clouds were still on the tops. Not weather conducive to spending many hours on a very exposed rock ridge! So we walked back to the valley where it was still cold and windy but warm enough to climb a route just south of Saas Almagel. It looked quite shabby from the bottom but after five pitches we were wishing it carried on for another five. Fantastic, delicate climbing in very steep surroundings with great exposure on every pitch followed by two very exciting abseils made up to some extent for not being able to traverse the Portengrad. Overall I think we have done well over the last two weeks though - La Nonne traverse, Grepon Mer de Glace Face, Voie Renaudie on the Dent de Requin, Arete Kufner, Rochefort traverse, Grandes Jorasses traverse and 17 pitches on two good quality rock climbs!
22nd July 2010
With a weather front moving in during the day, John and I stayed low down on a quick rock climb before the rain came on. We chose Aux l'Ile des Razmokets just above Le Buet on the far side of the Col des Montets. This is a nice 14 pitch climb, very well bolted, with pitches up to 6a. It turned out to be a popular choice with half a dozen teams all racing each other to the top. John and I made the top in time for a sandwich before abseiling down. We then drove round to Saas Grund watching the clouds build and the rain come on. The plan is to walk up to the Almergeller Hut tomorrow in the rain ready for a traverse of the Portengrad on Saturday in the sunshine ... fingers crossed!
21st July 2010
With perfect weather forecast for another two days, John and I decided to try the Rochefort Jorasses Traverse again. Two years ago we got as far as the Canzio Bivi Hut only to have to retreat from the Col des Grandes Jorasses the following day due to a thunder storm at 5am! In 2003 I retreated with Donald from the same place due to the dry conditions and lots of rock fall. This time, everything seemed to be going our way. We took the first cable car from La Palud and traversed the classic snow crest of the Aiguille de Rochefort followed by the Dome and Callotte de Rochefort to the Canzio Hut in quick time and feeling confident. New bolt anchors have been placed on the descent to the col making this abseil less serious. There are also bolts every 30m down from the col in case a retreat is required - this would have made my two previous retreats far less harrowing! Warm sunshine and plenty of company made it a very pleasant evening.
We woke to perfect weather with cloud in the valleys, a good freeze in the snow and no wind. The first, crux pitches of the Grandes Jorasses Traverse went well and finding the route round the first few points was helped by a French guide in the lead. The ridge is exceptionally narrow with difficult climbing (IV) and lots of down climbing with 1200m down the north face to the left and 1000m to the right into Italy which overhangs at the top! There is no escaping the seriousness of the position! After a few hours the ground becomes a little easier and the climb up to Point Whymper is relatively simple. A short snow crest leads to Point Walker, the summit.
There were several teams finishing the Walker Spur in the good weather and conditions and the descent trail was easy to follow even though it is awkward and requires full concentration for several more hours. After 14 hours on the go we stopped at the Bocalatte Hut which is not guardianed at the moment. We enjoyed a feast of one packet of noodles each and slept soundly. The descent for a big breakfast/lunch at La Palud this morning was easy in the knowledge that, on the third attempt for me and the second for John, we finally made it up Les Grandes Jorasses.
18th July 2010
Despite a thunder storm forecast for yesterday afternoon, John and I headed straight up to the Col de La Forche Bivi Hut. Colder temperatures were forecast for today and we wanted to make use of the frozen snow on the Arete Kuffner (Frontier Ridge). With much snow melted away over the last few weeks the approach to the hut was miserable and loose. Once at the hut we joined a french couple then another team arrived and another and another ... the hut was packed with 12 people in the end, all with the same idea. The morning turned out perfectly with solid snow and deep blue skies when the sun came up. There is now not much snow on the route but the rocks were dry and the snow was easy to climb. We made the summit of Mont Maudit in 5 hours and made our way down the Mont Blanc Trail back to the Aiguille du Midi.
16th July 2010
With temperatures still high and little hope of the snow freezing, John, Peter, James and I headed back up the Mer de Glace to the Requin Hut. This great little hut is just three and a half hourts walk from Montenvers and is in the most amazing position. Skiers who have descended the Vallee Blanche often stop in for lunch but in the summer it is another haven of huge rock climbs.
Our route this time was the Voie Renaudie on the Dent du Requin, another grade D with plenty of 4b/4c rock climbing but only 570m this time! There were a few teams on the route, not surprising as it is a classic and one of Rebuffat's top 100. Steady scrambling got us up to the top pillar which gave us some brilliant climbing in a very exposed position. Finally, the route reaches the ridge which is followed around a gendarme and up to the summit. The very last move on the route is a delicate smear on a slab with a lot of space beneath your feet! The top is a classic Chamonix Aiguille pointy summit with only just enough room for the four of us to sit down! The descent to the glacier was a little tricky with loose rock and a few abseils but we got back to the hut in good time to enjoy a beer. We spent a second night at the Requin Hut and walked down to Montenvers today, saying au revoir to the huge climbs and pointy summits of the Chamonix Aiguilles.
13th July 2010
It feels great when you know you've earned a rest day and all there is to do is eat, relax, recover and share climbing tales of adventure!
12th July 2010
Another early start and a short walk in got Peter, John, James and myself to the foot of the Mer de Glace Face of the Grepon. This Mont Blanc Range classic is 850m of rock climbing up to french 5c, first climbed almost 100 years ago. The face is very impressive in scale and the fact that it is unrelentingly steep rock all the way to the top. Route finding is tricky but we managed to find a crucial abseil followed by endless pitches of brilliant 4b/c rock straight up the summit pillar. The crux pitches are right at the top and we got there a little later than hoped but still in apparently good weather. We headed down straight away and found an abseil descent directly to the glacier which got us down reasonably quickly. We then enjoyed all the hazards the Alps can throw at you in one go - thunder and lightening, crevasses, serac fall, rock fall ... it took longer than expected to get down! So after a long day we gratefully arrived at the Plan de l'Aiguille Hut where the guardian had stayed up late to serve us a full three course meal! Brilliant service!
11th July 2010
Traversing La Nonne has been on my list for a while and it did not let me down. Some nice scrambling got us up onto the ridge which leads to the summit pinnacles. Beyond the summit the ridge turns to completely solid rock in the form of a knife edge ridge for 100m or so. This is crossed a cheval or with hands on the crest and feet on the tiny ledges, which ever feels best. It's a big drop down to the Talefre glacier on one side and a far bigger drop to the Mer de Glace on the other. All this whilst surrounded by the most dramatic peaks in the Mont Blanc range makes for a great day out. A quick coffee at the hut then we went back down the ladders, part way down the Mer de Glace before heading back up more ladders and the path to the Envers des Aiguilles Hut.
10th July 2010
Hot and sunny weather has melted away much of the snow in the Alps over the last week. The freezing level has been around the summit of Mont Blanc and the snow has not been freezing over night. So, Peter, John and I along with aspirant mountain guide James Thacker walked up to the Couvercle Hut with some rock climbing planned. This involves descending several sets of ladders onto the Mer de Glace and walking up it for a couple of kilometers before climbing very steep (use a rope) ladders to reach the path to the hut. The old hut is under the cover of a big rock and the new hut is in a stunning position overlooking The Grandes Jorasses, Mont Blanc and many other fantastic peaks.
6th July 2010
It's been a week of unsettled weather in Scotland but with some dry spells in between the showers. Strong winds have been keeping the midges away which is always a bonus! On Monday Chris and Mike enjoyed a rather wet and windy traverse of part of the Glen Shiel Ridge while Rich and Malcolm had a dry afternoon at Poldubh linking several grade severe and VS climbs as they worked their way up the hillside. Watery sunshine was the phrase for the conditions on the Grey Coires above Spean Bridge for Chris and Mike today and that was after quite a wet start. Kenny, Ruediger and Katharina enjoyed the climbs on the Terrace face of Aonach Dubh East face including Archer Ridge. Looks like it will stay windy and showery for the rest of the week so if you're quick you'll be able to enjoy good climbing between the showers, just like Dave Macleod did in Indian Face in Snowdonia! Well done Dave.
1st July 2010
Another hot and sunny day with clouds building up quickly. These made it a little cooler on the Jagihorn thankfully so Bob and I enjoyed the rock climbing even more. We climbed Alpendurst, a very well bolted fourteen pitch climb that is very sustained at 4b and 4c. The rock is super friendly and we climbed the route in two and half hours. A gentle saunter back down the path and we were in Saas Grund for a coffee by early afternoon.
30th June 2010
After a long day yesterday we took the late breakfast at the Almergeller Hut at 7am before traversing the Weissmies. This classic trip has quite simple scrambling in a fine position and a fine snow crest right before the summit of this 4000m peak. We completed the climb in quick time and made the simple descent to Hosaas and the cable car back to Sas Grund for a well needed shower!
29th June 2010
I've wanted to traverse the Portjengrad for many years and today at last I got to enjoy it with Bob and Simon. If anything it was better than I thought it would be too. Once on the rock ridge the climbing is continually spectacular and very exposed on solid rock. In fact there are many sections where your hands are on the crest and feet smearing on the side. After a few hours we reached the summit of Pizzo d'Andolla, the high point of the route with gathering clouds and the rumble of thunder far away. We didn't hang around long but the descent is not easy with further rock towers to climb around and over. The walk back to the hut was miserable in deep, wet soft snow but this did not take anything away from what was one of the best rock ridge traverses I've ever done.
28th June 2010
With hot and humid weather Simon, Bob and I went up to the Almergeller Hut above Saas Grund. This is a beautiful hut with a warm welcome and great rock ridges nearby. We spent the afternoon traversing the Dri Hornli which starts literally ten minutes walk from the hut. The traverse takes about four hours for the round trip and is spectacular. Perfect rock leads in a few pitches of III and IV to a couple of sections of horizontal ridge which is razor sharp and perfect for moving together. It makes a fantastic training route or step up from PD ridge scrambles. There is also a number of great bolted rock routes on the front face of so take your rock shoes.
26th June 2010
The Guides Crag at Les Gaillands, next to Chamonix, gets a hard time for being too busy or too boring. However, this is only if you live in Chamonix ... if you only come here a couple of times a year it is a great place. Right next to the road with a meadow at its foot and a view over Mont Blanc the setting is superb and the climbing at all grades is excellent. Peter, Sue and I did three routes, eight pitches of great climbing, in four hours with a coffee break at half time and with abseils to get back down. It's a very friendly place! Conditions in the Alps are very good just now. Snow cover on the glaciers is good and the crevasses covered over. The faces still have snow on and ice climbing is possible while the ridges are mostly clear of snow where they need to be. The weather is set good too, summer has arrived at last.
24th June 2010
Eleven hours sleep made us feel a bit more lively so Radek and I went round to the Cervinia Guides Hut near the Breithorn. We got a fantastic welcome here and the plate of ham and cheese for lunch was superb. After watching the football we turned in for another early start. The Breithorn Traverse is a great route on dry rock usually. At this time of year it is still covered in snow and rime though and the climbing is a little more tricky. It is made even more tricky when your crampon falls off when you're kicking steps on a traverse across steep icy snow! Of course, this forced a retreat and after an abseil and 150m of down climbing steep and icy snow I found my errant crampon. Too late to go back up we wandered back round to the cable cars and descended to Zermatt for a very welcome pizza. Sometimes the plan doesn't quite work out and this week has seen us complete only one day of climbing as per the plan. However, if you want to do the bigger, harder climbs there is of course more chance of being frustrated than on the easier climbs. We certainly tried our best!
22nd June 2010
Radek has had an ambition to climb the Matterhorn by its North face for quite a while now. Against the odds it looked like it would be worth a shot since the Alps has had cold and snowy weather for the last six weeks and the weather forecast was for -10 celcius at 5000m and stable good weather. The walk up to the Hornli Hut was over old snow and some fresh snow, although less than we had in Chamonix. There was another team that had the same idea as us which was quite reasuring as well. We spent the afternoon checking out the route to the face and settled down for an early night. We got up at 2am and went round to start climbing as it got light. We were well up the ice fields before the sun was up but by the time we were trying to get into the key couloir in the middle part of the climb the heat from the sun very quickly made the snow mushy and the ice drippy. Conditions changed from OK to unpleasant rapidly and we decided to descend before we got too committed. The seven 60m abseils and 100m of down climbing took another four hours and the return trip to the hut in the heat and soggy snow on the glacier was not fun. Several hours on the sun terrace were required to feel normal again!
20th June 2010
At last some better weather. Overnight snow and mist hovering about the Col du Midi raised a few questions but Radek and I went for the Chere Couloir on the right side of the North Face Triangle of Mont Blanc du Tacul. Some top navigation got us to the route and out of the cloud so we just hjad the spindrift to contend with! The ice was in great condition and we quickly rattled up the eight or so pitches to the top of the triangle. The abseil descent was exceptionally smooth as there was nobody else on the route. Back down to the valley for a burger and a drive round to Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn.
19th June 2010
It stayed cloudy but a little less wet yesterday for Radek and I to walk up to the Plan de l'Aiguille Hut under the north face of the Aiguille du Midi. With snow all over the rocks of the Frendo Spur we had our sights set on the Seigneur Spur. However, the rain kept going all night and there was no hope of climbing anything big. We took the cable car to the Midi and consoled ourselves with a traverse of the Point Lachenal in the snow before retiring to the Cosmiques Hut.
17th June 2010
While Scotland basks in settled warm dry weather, Radek and I are climbing in the rain in the Alps! We're in Chamonix and we managed a traverse of the Clocher and Clochetons above the Plan Praz cable car. It was interesting watching the Chamonix Guides climbing in the rain since it's something I'm quite used to at home but I guess the locals here don't usually get the chance as often. The mixed weather will be with us for another few days but high pressure is forecast to arrive here next week ... fingers crossed.
11th June 2010
Yet another week of basically dry weather, just a little overnight rain to keep the strawberries coming on. I was running a Summer ML Training Course with Bill Strachan for Lochaber College which is a great place to do these courses. It's possible to use your ILA and get a significant part of the cost of the course funded for you. The group of ten trainees had fun going through the whole syllabus and the expedition was a real highlight. We went over a Corbet called Fraoch Bheinn just west of Glen Finnan with amazing views to Ben Nevis on one side and Skye and Rum on the other, all in brilliant sunshine!
4th June 2010
It's been another dry week and this time very warm. I was working on an ML assessment course based at Lochaber College. Callum, Paddy, Stephen and Sarah all worked hard and passed, they are all now qualified mountain leaders! Well done to them all. Our first day was spent above Achnacarry with some navigation and some discussion of preparation of walking groups, equipment and managing incidents. The steep ground was covered by Bill in Coire nan Lochan and the expedition was out west.
Starting at Callop just before Glenfinnan we went south and camped below Sgurr Giusachan ready for a few hours of navigating in the dark. The second day we went along the ridge further south and round into the head of Cona Glen before turning back north and camping for the second night of navigating in the dark. An easy walk out this morning and a stream crossing to cool down and to finish.
26th May 2010
Cold and dry conditions are perfect for a full traverse of the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. So when Richard, Carol and I walked in to Coire a Grunda we were full of optimism. However, the snow showers became a bit more continuous and by the time we got to Sgurr Dubh Mor, the second Munro of the eleven on the ridge, the rock was wet and the going was a little slower than we would have liked. It dried up in the afternoon though, the TD Gap was dry and there was no queue, so we pushed on to the Three Teeth for our bivi at the foot of Sgurr a Greadaidh.
It was certainly a cold night. We broke the ice in our water before making breakfast! It took an hour of scrambling before we had warmed up properly but then the sun and the steady movement meant we kept warm all the way to Bruach na Frithe. The northerly wind was blowing over the final three Munros with a real bite so we completed the ridge quickly with excellent views to Ben Nevis and all over the Cuillins. Carol and Richard did a fantastic job and kept going very well, even on the long walk out to Sligachan. It was their first complete traverse of the ridge, my tenth and I'm looking forward to the next one.
22nd May 2010
It was a busy day at Poldubh and not surprisingly. Dry weather for the last few weeks has made the crags very dry. Also, the bracken is not up yet, the midges have not yet warmed up and the flowers are looking good. The Alp was a popular choice with a range of mid-grade classics. Resurection and Damnation is a fine pair of VS climbs on Styx Buttress and I took Owen (age 6) up The Gutter, an excellent Difficult.
21st May 2010
A warm and muggy day today for our traverse of the Aonach Eagach. This is one of the best mountain days out in the UK and has been an ambition of Dave and Mike for many years. For Bernie, it has been something like 25 years since he was last on the Aonach Eagach! It was a fitting end to a great week of mountaineering.
20th May 2010
The humidity and temperature have been building all week so today, with the cloud down to sea level, the rocks were a bit wet. Mike, Dave, Bernie and I did some exploratory scrambling up the side of The Dragon's Tooth above Glenachulish. In the Noel Williams scrambling guide it is called Sgurr a'Chaolish and it makes for a good day out along its narow ridge. Our route up to the start of the ridge turned out to be quite steep and vegetated and will only turn into a good route if all the moss disappears!
19th May 2010
Another dry and warm day after a wet night. Bernie, Dave, Scott and I went to the East face of Aonach Dubh to climb Quiver Rib. Facing the morning sun the rock dried very quickly and we did seven pitches of climbing up this excellent and very steep grade Difficult rock climb. Looking up at the crux pitch is quite intimidating for diff leaders because it is so steep but the holds are there and there is some (although not much) protection. We traversed the foot of Coire nan Lochan and went down Gearr Aonach and The Zig Zags to finish a good day.
18th May 2010
Despite the forecast there was little cloud and we had dry and sunny weather for our climb of Tower Ridge today. Most of the ridge is completely dry but there is a bit of snow in Douglas Gap East Gully and one or two patches below the Little Tower. We wore crampons above the Little Tower which was a good call since the snow in the fallen block chimney was hard and quite icy. Above Tower Gap it is continuous snow to the top too. The Minus and Orion Faces have lots of snow on them so the rocks are quite wet. Point Five Gully and Comb Gully are both complete still but the ice will be very cruddy. It was very warm too so there was lots of snow sliding down the gullies and ice and rock fall. However, Carn Dearg Buttress is very dry and the Trident Buttresses are dry so there is some brilliant rock climbing to go and do.
17th May 2010
The cold and dry spell has been going on for a couple of weeks now and there are many crags with dry rock and good climbing. Bernie, Dave, Mike and I went to Rannoch Wall and climbed Agag's Groove before going over Crowberry Tower to the summit of Buachaille Etive Mor. The route was completely dry as were all the other climbs we could see. There is no snow there either, just a couple of patches out of the way you don't need to cross any climbing Curved Ridge. There were two other teams out climbing and, a bit strangely, a pair of walking boots at the top of Rannoch Wall! Looks like it will warm up this week but hopefully we won't get so much rain.
13th May 2010
Here's a wee movie of the canyoning we've been up to over the last three days by Andy Spink of Hebridean Pursuits.
12th May 2010
The last few days have been dry and cold with some snow showers and hail down to sea level. With the snow cover and ice on Ben Nevis still being quite substantial there is plenty of scope for winter climbing. Ice has been forming in fact and there are plenty of mid-grade climbs still in great shape. I went down the Allt a'Mhuillin though instead of up it to put into place all the skills learned over the last couple of days on a canyoning descent of the Allt a'Mhuillin. I did this with Donald a few months back (see the video here) so it was good to go down again now knowing what to do! Later on we went to Kinlochleven to play about in deep fast moving water to get used to waves and currents. We also used ropes in the water which is never a happy combination and takes much careful consideration. So, now I'm all trained up I'm ready to take people canyoning ... any takers?
11th May 2010
Today we covered all the rope tricks used in canyoning. Ropes get caught and trapped very easily in turbulent water and getting stuck on a rope under falling water is very bad news so there are some interesting techniques. We spent the morning running through them on dry land at the Onich Slabs then went down the Inchree which is directly behind the Vertical Descents centre.
10th May 2010
I'm on a canyoning course with Vertical Descents this week, learning all the wired and wonderful rope tricks they get up to when descending steep water courses. Jumps (including some BIG jumps), slides and down climbs are mixed with abseils and lowers to descend a gorge, often with little chance of escaping should anything go wrong. Today we went down the Allt Nathrach near Kinlochleven which is a fantastic canyon. The water is very cold still and we even had some hail showers but it's been dry so the water level is low. Great fun.
7th May 2010
This week Donald has been on a tour of the sea cliffs on the far north east coast. They spent a day north of Aberdeen first at Meikle Partans with The Bridge being the pick of their climbs there. Following the driest weather they went up to Latheronwheel on Wednesday and managed a new route as well a couple of the other great climbs there.
Next up was Scarclet on Thursday and another new route called Slab and Tickle before the last day at Mid Clyth. No new routes today, just more brilliant sea cliff climbing just a few hours drive north of Fort William and easily reached from Inverness airport.
3rd May 2010
Another good, dry day. I met Mark and Jess in Torridon for a rare treat, a traverse of Liathach. Being used to the hills in the Lake District and the Peak District, Mark and Jess wanted a bit of guidance in how to tackle the bigger and more commiting hills in thenorth west. They don't get much bigger or more commiting than Liathach which has exposed scrambling for a long section between the two Munros. Fantastic!
2nd May 2010
Cooler and dry weather has returned for Tim, Lorna and I to climb Tower Ridge. With dry rock and icy snow patches higher up it was very much like an alpine ridge except better since it's here in Scotland! We climbed to the top of the Little Tower before needing the crampons which we kept on for the rest of the climb. There were other teams on North Gully of Creag Coire na Ciste, Good Friday Climb and Caledonia (although it looked the ice ran out at the top of this line). Point Five Gully is still complete as well as Comb Gully but nearly all the other ice climbs have gone. So, ice climbing in May as forecast!
