24-03-13, Sgurr Finnisg-aig, West Highlands - Winter Climbing

Andy, Smashing it in on Finnisg-aig.

The weather has been very stormy and especially windy lately. I am working on the west on a mountaineering course. Yesterday wasn't really a mountain day to get something done! We waked up into Stob Coire Nan Lochan to poke our noses into the storm force winds... it was windy! Today we climbed some low level ice on Sgurr Finnisg-aig on the side of Aonach Mor. This climb is in good condition right now. Several different lines can be climbed, about grade III for most of it maybe the top pitch is a bit harder? We climbed it in 6 short pitches but you could do it in 3 long ones. After topping out it is a short 10 minute walk to the top Gondola station then down the bike track.

Top Pitch.

Second Pitch, grade II.

Sgurr Finnisg-aig.

17-02-12, Aonach Mor, Ben Nevis - Winter Climbing

Ben Nevis above the cloud from Aonach Mor

This week I have been climbing and working on the West on Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis for Adventure Peaks. Liam and Martin were on a Improvers Snow and Ice climbing course. The idea being to climb Ice and mixed routes between grade III and V, learn about technique, runners, belays, stances and how to survive winter climbing, with a aim to become independent and be leading easy winter winter routes on their own. The start of the week had glorious weather, freezing level below the summits with lots of icy routes in good condition high up 900-1000m altitude, as the week progressed, mild weather and rain and wind became the norm. On Sunday I was out climbing for myself with a friend on Aonach Mor, the ice routes were in great condition, we climbed Aquafresh, Roaring Forties and Siamese Twin all grade IV. Monday with work, the team had already have crampon and some winter climbing experience we headed back to Aonach Mor and climbed Tunnel Vision III. Tuesday and Wednesday to Ben Nevis and climbed the first 3 pitches of Nasturtium IV (which was in poor condition - relatively low and probably very hard now with the recent thaw), and Wendigo IV (a great ice and mixed route on Coire na Ciste Crag). Thursday was very mild and raining heavily in the morning so we had a rest day and worked on dry tooling technique (on Onich Slab) and some rope work at Polldubh crags and climbed a 2 pitch route The Gutter, Diff in the sunshine! Yesterday, Friday myself and Liam climbed Faulty Towers, III right of the Douglas boulder which gave 3 good mixed pitches, on snow ice and turf.

Looks like the weather may have ended the winter season yesterday, however it is a blizzard of snow in Grantown on Spey at the moment, so the freezing level has dropped and the snow is returning to lower levels! I will be in the NW Highlands this week, hopefully, the routes are looking white and frozen.



Siamese Twin, IV,4 with rescue helicopter helping an injured team near by.




Siamese Twin IV,4 - excellent steeper variation to Left Twin on Aonch Mor.




Tamsin, guiding a pair up the classic Left Twin, III.



Nasturtium, IV, 4

Faulty Towers, III

07-02-11, Aonach Mor, West Highlands - Winter Climbing

PK, Dan and myself headed over to the west face of Aonach Mor today. We had hoped to get a view and feel for the summit ribs, as non of us had ever been, however the clag was firmly set in. A lot of fresh snow has fallen last night so much of the rocks were buried. We climbed up a rib/ridge line to the summit at grade II. Windy on the summits and complete whiteout. The cornices on the East face are massive, as to be expected with SW/W winds and lots of snow! Gaz and Chris abseiled in and climbed Morwind and Roaring Forties, they said they were in easy climbable condition but poor for protection. Also that the slopes were very loaded and best to stay away from Easy gully and the slopes at the base of the crag.

Photos - above and right - Dan and PK climbing Golden Oldie? and below snow covered tops.

23-01-11, Aonach Mor, Glen Coe - Winter Skills

Black buttresses in Stob Coire Nan Lochan.

This weekend I have been working on a 2 day winter skills course in the West Highlands for Adventure Peaks. The snow line is slightly higher on the West than in the Cairngorms. On Saturday we made use of the gondola on Aonach Mor, which got us high quickly. Plenty of snow, a lot was soft, but some ice also, practice walking up and down slopes, with and without crampons, chopping steps and ice axe arresting. Sunday we headed to Glen Coe and traversed Stob Coire Nan Lochan. The freezing level has risen to the summit - 1100m, all the buttresses were black and most snow quite soggy, some rime on the boulders at the top. Photo - right, looking down the east ridge towards Gear Aonach.

05-03-10, Aonach Mor - Winter Skills

Today I was working for Jagged Globe on the West. It was the last day of an Introduction to Mountaineering Course. We headed to Aonach Mor to do some navigation and have a journey to the summit. It was back to normal Scottish winter, with horizontal slushy snow and strong winds. We managed to navigate over to the Nid ridge and walked up to the top Station. Because we were in a whiteout and with strong westerly winds we decided not to go to the summit in order to safely avoid the cornices. Hopefully the temperature will get colder again and freeze up the slush!