Great Ridge of Castleton

Jack and I had hoped to have drive to the Lakes last night to do some scrambling in the Langdales. As the forecast for the Lakes was pants, we changed the plan and headed for the Peak where the weather was supposed to be a bit better.

We stayed at Edale YHA last night and drove around to Castleton this morning for a start just after 9am. We walked up past the Treak Cliff and Blue John caverns before making the final ascent to the summit of Mam Tor. Along the ridge over Back Tor to Lose Hill we encountered what seemed like dozens of different D of E groups on practice expeditions, all of whom were from Stockport Grammar School. Good effort on the part of the teachers. Must have been a logistical nightmare.

Anyway, the rain stayed off for the entire walk with the exception on a few spots here and there. Jack and I were back at the car in just over three hours ready to head back to watch the footie and the Grand Prix on the tele.

Grindslow Knoll to Ringing Roger

Had a quick morning in Edale with Jack yesterday. Great weather, if a little hazy, we spent a bit of time looking at contour lines, map orientation and a few other basic navigational skills. We were back down to the car in just over three hours.

The first photo is from the summit of Grindslow Knoll. The second is looking back towards Edale from the path along the edge of the Kinder plateau.

I’m aware that I’ve not posted in absolutely ages. I’ll try to be more conscientious in future.

Number 6 Gully – 23/03/2013

I’ve not climbed with Carl Miller since the winter of 2010 so was really looking forward to this weekend. As it happens though, we almost didn’t get here due to heavy snow. We finally made it to our accommodation at Inchree at 2am in the morning so treated ourselves to a bit of a lie-in until 9am.

The weather was forecast to be wild with a considerable avalanche risk but we decided to have a walk up to Aonach Dubh in Glencoe to see if Number 6 Gully (IV, 4) would be viable. An hour’s walk-in brought us the base of the crag where we were surprised and pleased to find a fairly easy approach to the start of the climb. Avoidable pockets of localised slab were present but these didn’t cause too much concern. The main hazard was the wind, which was gusting up the gully and making the use of snow goggles an absolute necessity for me. Carl is made of stronger stuff than me though, and managed to get through the whole day without using his!

We soloed up the first 150m of the route which was helped to speed things along as this is a long route and we’d had a late start. This was really enjoyable climbing on excellent sections of grade II/III ice interspersed with easier sections of snow. Carl led the first roped pitch, a steeply iced corner before finding a good belay below the crux section of the route. This is a long grade IV icefall, steep in places, which I led in two pitches on fantastic ice. Heavy spindrift avalanches added to the excitement during this lead and I would say that we can definitely claim to have climbed the route in full Scottish conditions! Carl completed the route via a nice, rightwards trending exit groove to bring us onto easier ground.

Due to the severity of the weather, we decided against continuing on to the summit of Aonach Dubh. Even so, the descent required care due to several areas of windslab which needed to be navigated around before we hit the main descent path. We arrived back at the car at around 5.30pm, thoroughly pleased with our day and ready to eat a proverbial horse.

Beinn Udlaidh – 22/02/2013

All good things must come to an end so, alas, this was the last day of the trip for Jeremy and I. We were looking for a quick-ish day so decided to have a look at Beinn Udlaidh which is accessed from Glen Orchy. This crag has a reputation for holding ice at a comparatively low elevation, and has the advantage of a 45 minute walk-in. Additionally, I had never been there before and was keen to check the place out.

After negotiating a field inhabited by two friendly pigs, we commenced the short but steep approach to the coire. We found ice to be present all around the coire, albeit thin in places. The place could really have done with a bit more snow but we were confident we’d be able to get something done.

We had initially thought Quartzvein Scoop might be a suitable objective but, as another party had just started it, we decided on West Gully (III) which looked largely complete. We soloed up the first section and then set up a belay in the cave below the steep section midway up the route. As I’d lucked out on the best pitch the day before, Jeremy led this section. It was a terrific lead too, as there wasn’t much ice on the steep moves – probably a technical grade of 5 would be about right. I seconded this section and led the last couple of easy pitches to the top of the climb. A quick stomp back down and that was the end of our adventure. A top quality week enjoyed by all.

Comb Gully – 21/02/2013

Jeremy and I got up a bit earlier as we had planned for a day of climbing on Ben Nevis. We set out from the North Face car park at around 6am and reached the CIC hut in just about guidebook time (90 minutes). It’s been three years since I’ve been on the Ben and I must say that the improvements made to the path between the top car park and the hut are superb. We were the first party to arrive at the hut and, consequently, would have first pick of the routes providing we could maintain a reasonable speed up to the base of our chosen route.

We opted for Comb Gully (IV, 4) as this is a route both of us had wanted to do for several years. A bit of gearing up followed by another hour of ascent saw us first at the base of the route. We soloed the initial easier section before finding a belay from where Jeremy led quickly up the first short steep section. I led the next pitch (crux) which is a fairly long section of steep ice. This was in such good condition that first time axe placements were the order of the day for most of the moves. A fantastic pitch of steep ice although I can imagine it would have been much more difficult in less favourable conditions. At several points I looked back down to Jeremy who had, by this point, been joined by two other parties. I don’t have an issue with that of course, other than the fact that belays had been set up in some rather strange positions meaning that all of the ropes were now like spaghetti junction! Clearly, the two parties had been climbing simultaneously on the first pitch, which I find staggering considering the potential for being hit by falling ice from above. Will Gadd talks about this very issue in his latest blog http://willgadd.com/ice-breaks-dont-be-in-the-way-of-it-as-it-falls/. It’s interesting how he singles out British climbers in particular for this practice. One more pitch led by Jeremy brought us onto a beautiful, sunny summit plateau.

We descended via Number 4 Gully but were keen to do another quick route before going all the way down. After a quick look at the guidebook we decided to solo North Gully. This is a nice little Grade II route with a good steep section at the base of the climb before easier slopes leading back onto the plateau. Completed in about 10 minutes and a great way to round off a great day of climbing before commencing the descent back to the CIC Hut and then down to the car park.

Coire na Ciste, Ben Nevis from the CIC Hut.

Jeremy at the first belay on Comb Gully (IV, 4).

 

 

Leading the steep pitch on Comb Gully (IV, 4).

 

 

View showing me soloing the lower section of North Gully (II).

 

View looking across the plateau towards the Ben Nevis summit.

Ice Factor – 20/02/2013

Jeremy and I planned for an easy day today so opted for Aonach Mor but were appalled to find the chairlift wasn’t in operation due to high winds. So, like the hardened mountaineers we are, we skulked off to the Ice Factor. In fact, this was probably good use of time and energy because we got some really good quality steep ice technique practice in, and saved ourselves for a big day on the Ben tomorrow.

Stob Coire nan Lochan – 19/02/2013

Jeremy and I wanted to have a day in Glen Coe so elected to have a walk to Stob Coire nan Lochan. We left the car park just before 8am and commenced the 90 minute walk-in. Although it’s not excessively long, this approach always seemed to feel a bit steep and brutal whenever I’ve done it in the past. Today was no different but we must have been removing reasonably well, as we passed about four other parties and were the first into the corie. As with yesterday, the weather and conditions was sensational, with beautiful sunshine and rock hard nevé underfoot.

Twisting Gully (III,4) was to be our objective, but first we had to negotiate a minor crisis with Jeremy’s crampons before heading up. A couple of quick adjustments and we were on our way, although we were now in a bit of a race with another party who had reached the corie after us. We didn’t know their intentions but we were keen to get to the start of the route as quickly as possible to stake our claim. This was achieved, albeit with the shedding of a little extra sweat.

I led the first pitch which consisted of straightforward snow which was stepped out nicely to save my calf muscles. Jeremy led the crux second pitch which has a great left traverse followed by  an icy groove. Whilst seconding it, I thought it was well worth it’s technical grade of 4 but Jeremy led it really smoothly to a good stance. The ice was excellent, with first time axe placements and was thick enough to take a couple of ice screws. The third pitch had one short but reasonably steep ice step which I led before Jeremy finished the route up the easy but exposed headwall. Lunch was taken at the top of the route where the views were extensive in the super clear visibility. We descended down Broad Gully (I) then back into the corie before heading back to the car. Another ace day.

Lunch at the top of Twisting Gully with extensive views of the winter Highlands.

Climber approaching the top of SC Gully (III).

 

Beinn an Dothaidh – 18/02/2013

I met Jeremy Hart through the UK Climbing forums and this was our first of five days in the West Highlands. Jeremy is a school teacher who lives and works in York and was on half-term holiday for the week. We had driven up the previous night in my car after meeting up at Manchester Piccadilly train station.

We decided to have a look at some of the climbs on Beinn an Dothaidh which is located east of Bridge of Orchy as neither of us had been there before. The weather forecast was great and the steady ninety minute walk-in to the northeast corrie commenced sometime after 8am. The gradient on the approach is easy for the first hour but becomes significantly steeper at the final approach to the corrie. We geared up and elected to have a look at Taxus, a classic three star grade III gully which looked to be in good condition. The avalanche forecast had been favourable and this was born out by the climb up the approach slope to the start of the route. Old avalanche debris was evident on the slope but the snow was now very well consolidated having undergone several freeze-thaw cycles.

At the base of the route, Jeremy found a belay and I led off up the first ice step which also happened to be the crux of the climb. A couple of handy ice thread runners followed by some rock anchors in the side wall were used to protect the first pitch up to a good belay stance. Jeremy led the second pitch which had a shorter, but still interesting, ice step mid-way. The remainder of the climb was on fairly straightforward snow and we were sorely tempted to finish with a direct grade IV ice pitch. We decided against this as, unfortunately, we had only brought two ice screws. The gully finishes on an arête which has a slightly alpine feel. Here, we shortened the rope and moved together over straightforward scrambling terrain before reaching the summit plateau where we had a spot of lunch. I made a quick diversion to the main summit about half a kilometre away so that I could tick off the munro (sad anorak that I am!).

We made it back down to the car in pretty good time having had a thoroughly entertaining day with excellent weather and snow conditions This was capped off by some sensational views from an area I’d not explored before. Not a bad start to the week. Later that evening I was treated to a truly stunning sunset during a quick drive to the petrol station after tea (see image below).

View showing the main buttresses of the northeast corrie.

View showing Jeremy on the 2nd pitch of Taxus

View from the summit looking north towards Glen Coe and Lochaber.

Looking north towards Fort William at sunset.

Liathach Ridge – 12/02/2013

Greetings,

I’m a bit late with this post which details an east to west traverse of the Liathach Ridge in Torridon on 12 February 2013. I teamed up with Gareth Thomas for this route who I met through the UK Climbing forums. Both of us had been on the route before but neither had done it in full winter conditions. I previously did it with Carl and Rich Miller and James Rimmer in February 2004 when the ridge was largely snow free. We had a brilliant day on that occasion but I had always wanted to do it again in proper winter nick (Scottish grade II).

The weather forecast for the day was superb and we took the short but steep approach from the south of the ridge. We intended to have a go at one of the easy gullies on the way up but, when we took a closer look, they weren’t in particularly good condition. We ended up having a very enjoyable adventure by picking a line up between the buttresses and rock steps until we finally crested the ridge and were rewarded with an awesome view of the northern highlands. Snow conditions were generally very good with the exception of some easily avoidable pockets of localised windslab.

We emerged at the col between a subsidiary summit and the first munro. A party of six were making their way down towards the col at this point and it was clear that a couple of members weren’t happy or confident using their ice axes and crampons. A route with the kind of exposure found on this ridge is quite a place to rediscover your fear of heights! Anyway, Gareth and myself continued over the munro and on to the pinnacles which are the most technical part of the route. This was terrific fun and, as we were soloing, we managed to overtake a roped party who were ahead of us. The ridge then becomes slightly broader and we walked the final kilometre to the second munro. A seemingly long descent back down to the road followed, where we congratulated ourselves on having used the old two cars ploy to eliminate the need for road yomping. A quick drive back to the bunkhouse and the rest of the evening was spent eating truly unbelievable amounts of food.

The original plan was to stay up in Torridon for another couple of days but, as the weather forecast was absolutely shocking for the rest of the week, I packed up and went home. On the one hand, it was a bloody long drive from Manchester for one day on the hill. On the other hand, I’d do it again in a heartbeat as this was one of the best winter days I’ve ever had.

View showing buttresses on the south side of the Liathach ridge.

View facing north from the crest of the ridge.

View showing me approaching the pinnacles.

Roped party nearing the end of the pinnacles section on the Liathach traverse.

Gareth Thomas in a particularly manly pose!

Kinder Winter Wonderland

I had a walk around Kinder again today. This was mainly to keep my hand in with regards to fitness before I go back up to Scotland next week. I carried a fairly heavy pack (20kg) and the going was quite slow due to a lot of drifted snow on the paths. This was quite hard work in places as there was a lot of knee deep snow with a breakable crust. This circuit usually takes me about three hours but today took almost four. It was a lovely day though and, with the exception of a couple of fell runners and a passing helicopter, I had the route to myself. The downfall which I photographed last week is starting to freeze up again. Whether the conditions will remain cold enough for long enough to bring it back into climbing nick remains to be seen. I’m probably being a bit optimistic but you never know. I’ve attached a couple of photos below to show what the plateau looks like at the moment.

I’ve been to the climbing wall a couple of times this week. On Saturday I did some bouldering whilst Jack was at the junior climbing club. I felt pretty good and did twelve V1’s and four V2 problems. I’m still gradually stepping up the volume and intensity following the pulley injury I sustained in September. It’s amazing how far an injury like that can put you back but at least I feel like I’m on the right side of it now, fingers crossed. I suppose the one thing about getting an injury like that you have to work on other areas. Consequently, my pull-ups have never been better. I did a set in between each two or three boulder problems and accumulated a total of 70 strict pull-ups.

On Tuesday, I did some routes at the wall with my brother Sean. I managed to cleanly lead two 6a routes and a few other bits and pieces. Plenty of room for improvement there then! It was good to watch our Sean climbing again. He’s had a lot of non-climbing related back and shoulder problems over the last couple of years but has a natural athleticism that enables him to move really smoothly. He also has good power endurance and his clips are always really slick. I just hope he can stay injury free as he used to lead 7a really well, and with a bit of focussed training he’d go much harder.