26th October 2009 Colin fulfilled a thirty year old ambition today by climbing Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis. Kenny and Colin chose today as it looks like it will be the best day of the week. It turned out dry but with a little cloud right on the highest tops making the ridge a bit greasy under foot. This didn't hold them back though and they made the most of it by descending Ledge Route as well! We're back to mild weather for a while so there is plenty of great scrambling to be done on the rocky ridges unique to Lochaber.
16th October 2009 A frost this morning as we packed away our tents made the toes chilly for the last day of our ML training course. We walked over Ben Glas doing yet more navigation training in the beautiful weather before heading back to Ardroy for a debrief. Over all this was a really nice week of weather and a fantastic group of future mountain leaders.
15th October 2009 Dry today for our over night expedition to the Crianlarich hills. We walked over An Caisteal by Twistin Hill to camp at 550m next to the Allt Chuillin. We had some interesting clouds with the high level layer moving away eastwards to give us half an hour of blue skies before the next layer, below 900m this time, enveloped us. We had a beautiful evening though and the night navigation was lit by the stars.
14th October 2009 Another cloudy and damp day today for the emergencies, rescues and stream crossings part of the Summer ML sylabus. How to manage a group in the event of an accident, self rescue, and improvised carries to move a casualty a short distance to shelter. Stream crossings and water hazards including using a rope to safeguard people crossing a stream were all practiced in Glen Fyne, home of the fabulous muscles!
13th October 2009 Using the rope in an emeergency to safeguard people on steep ground was today's topic. We spent the day on Ben Donnich, a popular peak above the Rest and Be Thankfull learning how to lower groups down steep mixed ground with the rope and how to abseil. All of this is done with nothing but a rope; no harnesses, slings or karabiners. A weak warm front drifted over in the night so it was cloudy and damp all day, perfect for practicing the navigation!
12th October 2009 Another dry and sunny day for the mountain day of our Summer ML Training Course. We went to the Cobbler from Glen Croe where there is plenty of steep ground for us to practice our leadership and group management skills especially in difficult terrain. We went up by a steep burn before clambering around the boulders and tiny crags at about 700m before heading down. We looked at some confidence roping on the descent and other ways of improving the confidence of someone in your group.
11th October 2009 The first day of a Summer ML Training Course based at Ardroy OEC in Lochgoilhead got us up onto Cnoc Coinich above the village. This is a superb viewpoint above the Clyde sea lochs where you can the long fingers of the lochs reaching far inland. We did an introduction to navigation today covering the core skills such as defining features on the map, reading contours and using techniques such as aiming off, overshoot features, attack points and handrailing. It was a dry day with quite a strong westerly wind but with fantastic views in all directions.
7th October 2009 A couple of showers this morning gave way to a very nice afternoon with good periods of sunshine. There is still snow on the highest tops above 1100m and a cool breeze over the summits. The colours on the hills are changing by the day as Autumn approaches. I walked over Beinn na Gucaig with nine youngsters from the local high schools on an access course at Lochaber College. Completion of this course will help them get onto other outdoor courses run by the colege.
4th October 2009
And their off! The first of the winter climbers were out today in the Cairngorms where sub-zero temperatures have been on the summits for a couple of days. A dusting of snow last night was all that was required to bring a couple of snowed up rock routes into winter condition and there were people ready on their starting blocks to get the first winter climbing of the coming season. Pygmy Ridge in Coire an t'Sneachda was the route, a very good choice as there is no turf on it and no need for ice or neve. The snow won't last long though and the hills are a long way from being properly frozen but it's a good little reminder to get the tools out just now in readiness!
27th September 2009 Creag Dubh was holding dry when we arrived this morning but the drizzle came on soon after. Nick and I climbed the first pitch of Tree Hee (S) before abseiling off and Donald, Paul and Alistair climbed Phelatio (HVS). We headed back to Glenmore Lodge and did some dry tooling on the towers in their grounds this afternoon. It stayed dry at the lodge but everywhere north and west was very wet by the end of the day.
26th September 2009 With the weather slightly better than forecast for today, Donald and I took Al, Nick and Paul to Ardverikie Wall. The classic route itself is six pitches of perfect rock in a beautiful setting with great protection and belays. It is graded HS but there is quite a lot of it so you'll need to be going well if HS is your top grade. There are many other great climbs here as well and Nick and I went up Kubla Khan for our second route, another grade HS and an obvious combination with Ardverikie Wall. There were one or two wet streaks on the crag but many of the climbs were not affected. Donald and Al went for the obvious slab under the path under the main bastion to give a completely unprotected 45m pitch of 5a climbing. There is no mention of this route in the guide book and not much sign of people having climbed ... if anyone knows if it has been climbed before please let me know. Meanwhile Doug and Andy climbed Fingers Ridge followed by Final Selection on Stag Rocks, all under brilliant sunshine and blue skies! A front will work its way south over night bringing rain to the north but how far south it will come is uncertain.
25th September 2009 While it's still wet in the west, Donald and I met up with Simon Alistair, Paul and Nick to climb in the Cairngorms. We went to Hells Lum and climbed Hellfire Corner (still a bit wet) and The Clean Sweep (dry) between us. Blue skies and warm sunshine more than made up for the gusty breeze blowing around. If you've never been to the Loch Avon Basin you really should go there. It's a jaw dropping sight the first time you see it. On the way back Donald, Al and Paul made a very rapid ascent of The Magic Crack, abseiling back down from the in-situ slings. These big mountain rock climbs on perfect granite are brilliant and are very easy to get to from the ski area car park. The weather will be much the same tomorrow, dry in the east and wet in the west.
23rd September 2009
With wet weather for the last few days Donald headed east with Chris to climb in the Cairngorms. They climbed Fingers Ridge and came back down the Fiacal Ridge just before the bad weather arrived. Yesterday it was a bit better on the west coast so Donald and Chris went to climb Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor. It was wet in the hill fog and a steady 70mph wind over the summit, a real taste of the winter winds to come. So with the rock wet and further showers coming all day Donald and I decided to try something different. The result was a fantastic descent of the lower Allt a'Mhuillin, from the top of the forest to the golf course. The Alcan dam takes away all of the water coming from Ben Nevis and leaves brilliant slides into pools, abseils and a couple of wee jumps, all with a sense of comitment. Great fun but make sure you know what you are doing and have some canyoning experience before you give it a try!
17th September 2009
We've been enjoying a sustained dry spell with cold mornings and warm sunshine during the day, much like the rest of the country. Donald event got heat stroke yesterday! However he was back on form today for some bouldering at Kentallen Bay. Donald spent much time clearing the heather off the top of the crag, after gaining permission from the landowner, to clean it up and dry it out. What he's created is a fine little crag composed of very hard limestone that feels more like gritstone to climb on. The base of the crag is seriously overhanging and the bouldering here is superb. Dave MacLeod visited earlier in the summer and completed the full traverse of the crag under the overhang creating Durorband at F8b+. We satisfied ourselves with some great wee problems and a brilliant view over Loch Linnhe.
13th September 2009 A weak warm front managed to push its way far enough west to give us some cloud and a breeze on the tops today. It stayed dry though and it was another nice day below the cloud. Chris and I traversed Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor from Steall to Nevis Range gondola. This is a fascinating trip despite the lack of views because of the rocks you walk over. The recumbant folds in the layers of sedimentary rock in the Mamores are clear to see on Sgurr a'Mhaim and on the Aonachs you go over quartzite, schist and granite. It was busy at Nevis Range with it being the last day for mountain biking using the gondola and streams of people were descending the two downhill tracks. The crags at Poldubh in Glen Nevis were busy as well and its been a top weekend for everyone enjoying the Outdoor Capital of the UK.
12th September 2009 A perfect day with wonderful weather. The mist in the valley burnt away this morning to leave a few clouds out to the west but Chris and I had unbroken warm sunshine with a pleasant cooling breeze all day. We climbed Ledge Route on Ben Nevis before going around the Carn Mor Dearg Arete. This has to be one of the best days out in Scotland for rugged hillwalkers who like to use their hands on the rock every now and then. Carn Dearg Buttress was surprisingly dry and there were teams on Torro and Centurian (take note Alastair and Simon). Tower Ridge and NE Buttress also had a few teams on, in fact it felt quite busy everywhere with a steady stream of people on the CMD Arete all enjoying the great conditions.
11th September 2009 Another dry day but quite humid and with a little light cloud just hanging onto the tops around Glen Shiel. Chris and I went up the Forcan Ridge and saw only three other people out in the hills all day. After The Saddle we continued to Sgurr na Sgine, the second Munro of the say and descended over Faochag. This last top is the very pointy looking hill that is very obvious from the road when you drive down the glen and provides a fantastic view up and down the glen as you come down. Yesterday Donald climbed NE Buttress with David and Andy. When Mike and I were on dry and grippy rock in the glen, they were on super slippy rock in the cloud on the top of Ben Nevis. Have a look on Andy's blog for some pictures - www.scotlandoutside.blogspot.com.
10th September 2009 Back home in sunny Scotland! August has been continuously wet with the annual monsoon living up to its reputation. However it looks there might be a respite for ten days or so now with a mini Indian summer. Good timing for me to come home then! Mike and I enjoyed a day on the Poldubh crags today on a grade Severe safari. We climbed Pinnacle Ridge, Pinnacle Ridge Upper Buttress, Three Pines on Repton Buttress, Pandora and Flying Dutchman on Pandoras Buttress. Pandora still has trees the base of the crag so it was wet and slimy but all the others dried out before the road was dry. I've said I before but these crags are so much better now the trees are being removed from their bases. Well done to the Poldubh Club for their work! So with nine pitches of grade Severe rock climbing before one thirty I think we can say Mike is definitely going well on the rock!
8th September 2009 It was a very good summer in the Alps with five weeks of just about unbroken sunshine right through August. There was lots of snow on the glaciers and faces at the start which made for some brilliant ice climbing conditions but the warm, sunny weather with virtually no snowfall steadily melted the snowline back up the mountains. It ended up quite dry with big areas of ice where there should be snow but with big rock climbs being in perfect shape. Read what we got up to here.
29th July 2009 Heavy rain over night soon cleared today in Glencoe but the water was cascading down Weeping Wall. Mike and I climbed the steepest Diff in Scotland, Quiver Rib, which has positive climbing in a brilliant position above The Bow. We then headed left to climb the vast area of rock some where near Bowstring, another Diff. The sun was out in the afternoon drying the rock quickly but it will take a while for the weeps to stop running.
7th June 2009 With the sun already risen by 5am we had a good breakfast and set off again. Straight into the scrambling and short pitches of grade Difficult climbing on Sgurr a Mhadaidh we made great progress again and got to Am Basteir before anyone had walked up from the glen. Naismith's Route was perfectly dry and sensationally exposed. The west ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean is always a great finish to the full traverse and we enjoyed some warm sunshine on the last summit before heading down to the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle. Another excellent traverse, the fourth for me this spring and the last for a while. We have free slots over the summer so do get in touch if you'd like to have a go at Britain's greatest mountaineering challenge!
6th June 2009 Mercifully it was far cooler on the Cuillin Ridge than during the week. The cold airstream from Siberia took hold and produced quite a cold wind but it stayed dry this far out to the west. Angus, Mark and I made excellent progress in the good conditions and made it to An Dorus via the TD Gap, Kings Chimney and Inaccessible Pinnacle with no hold-ups and needing only 2ltrs of water each. There was a little drizzle at the bivi site and it was quite a cold night but there certainly weren't any midges!
4th June 2009 The temperature has dropped a little but it is still very warm in the sun and completely dry on the west coast. Alasdair, Stuart and I had a warm down day on the Aonach Eagach after our adventures on Skye. It was interesting doing this straight after the Cuillin Ridge so we could gauge one against the other. We decided the Aonach Eagach is just as exposed as most of the Cuillin ridge but is certainly a step down in difficulty. We raced along in five hours from car to car and descended straight towards the road junction from the last Munro. This route is now cairned at the top and is very worn so it is very easy to find and follow. It is probably the best way down if you are heading back up Glencoe to get your car but carrying on towards the Pap of Glencoe is better if you are going to the Clachaig to finish!
3rd June 2009 Yet another hot and sunny day on Skye with a slightly cooler breeze taking the worst of the heat away. After two big days on a full traverse Alasdair, Stuart and I relaxed with a trip up the Cioch in Coire Laggan. This fantastic piece of rock sculpture is climbed by a circuitous route up Collie's Route on the edge of the Cioch Slab. A dyke is then descended back down to the narrow neck which joins the Cioch to the rest of the mountain. Some serious a cheval techniques then get you onto the best picnic spot in Scotland!
2nd June 2009 We made an early (6am) start to make the most of the cooler conditions and got along to Bruach na Frithe very quickly. The stunning views over clouds rolling around in the glens beneath us spurred us on. In fact we were on Sgurr nan Gillean just after 1pm and had descended to the Sligachan by 4pm, a very quick time indeed!
1st June 2009 The hot and sunny theme was certainly with us for a traverse of the Cuillin Ridge with Alasdair and Stuart. It was hard work in the heat and staying sufficiently hydrated was the key to managing it at all. We went from south to north and avoided the TD Gap by traversing around to the bad step on Sgurr Alasdair after taking more water from Coire an Grunda. My regular water source from the W side of Sgurr an Greadaidh from our camp at the col to its south was full of water (if you know where to look) and we had a very warm and still night with the midges!
30th May 2009 The outdoor capital was at its best today with unbroken hot sunshine all day. Many people headed for the beautiful white sand beaches near Arisaig which are very easy to get to now with the opening of the two lane road. Looking out to the islands of Rum (in the picture), Eigg and Skye, these beaches offer just one more way to experience the outdoors. There is great walking and scrambling on Rum which can be accessed by ferry from Arisaig or Mallaig. It's also great rock climbing weather just now with a breeze to keep the midges off. There are one or two snow patches on top of Ben Nevis but only on easier angles if you are on the Mountain Track or going around the Carn Mor Dearg Arete. Under the North Face there are still large areas of snow and getting to some of the buttresses and ridges will require an ice axe still. I'm off to Skye again next week and we're promised sunny weather to start and really not bad but much cooler from Wednesday onwards.
27th May 2009 What a great way to bag a couple more Munros! John-Paul and I climbed Agag's Groove on Buachaille Etive Mor before walking out to the far munro, Stob na Broige. It was a bit wet and windy to start but being sheltered from a westerly, Rannoch Wall is a good place to be. Also the rock there is very clean and positive with excellent edges and ledges. John-Paul and I both climbed Agag's Groove in big boots and got on fine despite the damp conditions because of the excellent rock which also has very good protection. Work is being done on the paths on top of Buachaille Etive Mor and through the Lairig Eilde. Thanks should go to National Trust for Scotland for their great work in Glencoe.
22nd May 2009 This morning stayed mostly dry and the clouds cleared as the day went on with more and more sunshine coming through. It was a great end to the ML Training Course with a walk over Garbh Bheinn from our camp not far below it. We met one other walker who said we were the first people she had met in a whole week of hill walking! Garbh Bheinn is a fantastic hill to walk on - the ground is very rough and craggy with continuous little rocky steps to play on. The views down to the islands in Loch Linnhe are great and there is barely a path anywhere!
21st May 2009 A very nice morning gave way to a wet afternoon and evening for the first day of our expedition on the ML Training Course. We went to Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour which always feels like an adventure with the ferry ride to start. We walked over Sgorr Mhic Eacharna and Beinn Bheag before setting up or wild camp near Loch na Dearcag. After a few hours rest for dinner we set off again for two hours of navigation in the dark and the rain!
20th May 2009 More showery weather today but with long bright spells in between. On the ML Training Course at Lochaber College we looked at managing accidents and incidents, mountain rescue, route planning, water hazards and stream crossings. There is a reasonable amount of water in the burns at the moment and the ground is quite wet. The mountain crags will be quite wet from the usual weeps due to the regular showersbut there are many climbs on the valley crags that dry out very quickly. Even on showery days you can get a good day of climbing at Polldubh because some the climbs dry out in ten minutes after the rain has stopped.
19th May 2009 Another couple of showers this morning gave way to a bright and sunny afternoon. On the ML Training Course we covered emergency ropework including lowering people down steep mixed ground and abseiling. We went to Glenachulish and the superb granite beneath Sgurr Dhonuill. The showery theme will be with us for another couple of days as the depression to the NW tries to make up its mind which way to go next.
18th May 2009 The showers did arrive as forecast today but we had a relatively dry morning for the second day of the ML Training Course. Leadership and group management were the focus especially in steep and difficult terrain. We went to the SW Rib of Meall an t'Suidhe which has some lovely scrambling on granite in a fantastic setting. We went over the top and down another gully back to Achintee to finish. This is an excellent option for a short day as the walk in is only half an hour and it is a very quick descent straight back to the car.
17th May 2009 Despite the forecast, it stayed dry for the first day of the Summer ML Training course I am running at Lochaber College. The showers and rain this afternoon didn't appear, instead we had a dry day with a blustery E wind for our introduction to navigation on Beinn na Gucaig above Lundavra Farm. You get fantastic views from here onto the south side of Ben Nevis and down Loch Linnhe to Mull in the opposite direction. Spike and Grace were on Ben Nevis enjoying the view as well. There are still considerable snow patches on the Mountain Track at the top of the zig zags and on the summit which will freeze hard on frosty mornings. Looks like the showery theme is due to stay with us this week.
15th May 2009
Our nice high pressure system has slipped away to the north and cloudy, showery weather has returned. It was more dry then wet today but might be the other way around over the weekend with snow falling on the tops.
13th May 2009 The wind was a bit blustery over night but at sunrise it was a steady, cool breeze. The sun was up before anyone got away and Bill, Kenny and I were straight into the climbing again with the four tops of Sgurr a'Mhadaidh. We made excellent progress again and climbed Naismith's Route on Am Basteir before finishing with Sgurr nan Gillean. We descended via Bheallach na Lice to the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle, a handy way down if you need to get your car back from the camp site. Even with a celebratory ice cream at Sligachan we were back home in Fort William by 5pm! Bill and Kenny are exceptional scramblers and very fit so this was always going to be a quick traverse. If you are not used to the Cuillins you should count on two twelve hour days for the complete traverse. But when the weather is this good you wouldn't want to rush anyway!
12th May 2009 Sunshine and a cool easterly breeze made for perfect conditions for a traverse of the Cuillin Ridge. With the advantage of being local, Bill, Kenny and I waited for the best weather for our attempt. We left Fort William at 5am this morning and started the walk from Glen Brittle camp site at 7.30am. By 5.30pm we were at An Dorus having a cup of tea in the warm sunshine having visited the southern seven munros and climbed the TD Gap. There were a few teams out on the ridge enjoying the great conditions including a couple of single day traverses. We were more than happy to spend the night out as it was such a nice evening and guaranteed dry. The midges have reappeared for the summer but even they couldn't spoil the sunset!
10th May 2009 At long last, after nine days of strong winds and snow on the hills, the sun has come out. It won't take long to burn away the fresh snow even though there was quite a lot of it. The sun is very warm but summit temperatures still won't be too high with strong easterly winds over the next few days. In the shade the snow could linger for a while. Down in the valleys though it will be full-on shorts and t-shirt rock climbing weather for the start of next week!
8th May 2009
The wild and windy weather has persisted all week with the snow line slowly coming down the hillside. This morning the fresh snow was down to 600m and gale force, blustery winds were blasting in from the west. The sun is trying to push through this afternoon and when it does there is some warmth in it to dry out the rocks quickly. We should see an improvement in the weather over the weekend and into next week. So far we've had weather more like we get in December so next week will be a welcome return to warm and dry May weather.
4th May 2009
Unfortunately the gale force winds and persistent rain returned and we decided not to go back onto the ridge!
3rd May 2009 Rain for several hours on Saturday night fell as snow don to 800m with sub-zero conditions on the tops confirmed our decision not to camp out on the ridge. Anthony and I made it up to Sgurr Dearg and climbed the Inaccessible Pinacle in almost winter conditions! The day warmed up though and the snow melted away as we carried on over Sgurr banachdicht, Sgurr a Greadaidh and Sgurr a Mhadaidh. We descended buy An Dorus in very pleasant weather hopeful for another reasonable day to complete the last three munros on the main ridge tomorrow.
2nd May 2009 The lambing storms arrived perfectly in time for the bank holiday weekend! Snow was dusting the tops of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor as I left Fort William for Skye on Friday afternoon and fierce winds and heavy rain were only just clearing. Saturday started out quite nice though so Anthony, Philip and I started out to Coire na Grunda. We'd already decided not to try the full traverse of the Cuillin Ridge but we did manage to go over Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor, Sgurr Alasdair and Sgur Mhicoinich. The last two were in wet and windy weather that made everything a bit harder with the rock being slick and greasy. We made it to the An Stac Screes in reasonable time though and descended Coire Laggan.
