23-01-13, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Walking

I am back at Glenmore lodge this week, doing some more mountaineering. It has been very stormy and plenty of snow has fallen in the Cairngorms. Went to Creag Meagaidh today for some different scenery, up the window very scored and hard neve then back over Stob Poite Coire Adair. The cliffs are plastered with neve high up, the ice routes are starting to look promising. A lot of ice at the bottom of Last Post and South Post Direct (middle pitch looked good as well). Looked like an Ice sheet forming on The Wand, but couldn't tell how thick, The Pumpkin is no where near. Plenty of slab looking snow in Easy and Raeburns Gully - as to be expected!

Coire Adair.

Last Post, South Post Direct forming nicely.

Hills looking West from the window.

Heading up the window.

28-02-11, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Climbing

Creag Meagaidh - Post Face sunrise.

Lets not get too carried away with the rock climbing, it's still February, and there is still plenty of winter climbing to be done! Today Kath, Gary and I went to Creag Meagaidh to climb some ice; any ice that is left after the recent thaw. We climbed Diadem, V,4. There is still plenty of ice left in the inner coire, Pumpkin and Wand looked good, Didem had a cruddy covering of snow, but still enjoyable, once you uncovered the good ice for screws. There is still thick ice at the bottom on Last Post, however unsure about the rest of the routes on the post face, if the snow is similar to what we found today then they could be scary and cruddy! Some fine cornices above Cinderella. Topped out into warm spring like sunshine and a stellar white plateau with views of all the highlands. The Wand and Diadem.

Top of The Wand.

More Wand.

Cornices above Cinderella.

12-02-10, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Climbing

This winter just keeps getting better and better.
Back to Meagaigh again (3 times this week - I thought my legs were starting to get tired!), this time with Garry and Kath. We headed straight up Raeburns Gully and to the base of the ultra classic - Smiths Gully V,5. This four star route does not disappoint, very steep but at the moments is an easy grade V with loads of good ice which is quite hooked from previous ascents this year. Garry climbing the third pitch of the ice chocked gully - right. We descended Easy Gully, and there were ski tracks down it also! There was a slight dusting of snow in morning but clouds lifted and by early afternoon another blue sky day. This Scottish season has been amazing so far, no where near the usual ming and suffering with only a couple of beautiful good weather days during the month! The car park wasn't that busy when we arrived however it was when we got back. A few 'old boys' climbed Eastern Corner, there were 4 teams climbing Last Post, 1 pair climbed The Wand and lots of teams on The Pumpkin. I dare say this weekend, it will be very busy.

The top of the Post Face

09-02-10, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Climbing

Back to Creag Meagaidh again today, this time with Kathryn and Dave. Another beautiful day in the highlands, dry and cold, with a glorious sunrise and blue skies all day long. We headed up Raeburn's Gully to have a look at Smiths Gully VI,5 (Cold Climbs classic), however there was already a team in it. So we headed a little higher and climbed Richie's Gully IV,4. Not to be disappointed, this was a great climb, stiff ice pitch (right) at the start followed by a couple more easier pitches in a defined gully, before being able to top out and avoid the humongous cornice looming at the top! We descended Raeburn's Gully which has got to be contended for the steepest grade I gully in Scotland! Picture below shows Dave pointing the way through the cave like blue icicle structure which is a steep grade V,5 climb at the top of the gully.

Picture above shows the corrie in its full glory, loads of snow, ice and cornices. The snow is hard neve all the way up. High pressure set to stay in the highlands for the next few days so bring it on!!

08-02-10, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Climbing

With cold temperatures and dry weather forecast. We headed to Creag Meagaidh. A fairly late start - walking in while it was already daylight, we headed towards South Pipe Direct IV,4. 250m with four good ice pitches (picture - Kath leading the fourth). The ice was thick and took screws fairly well.

Other teams were out on Smiths Gully, Last Post, South Post Direct, Centre Post, Staghorn Gully and Pumpkin.

The ice at the bottom of Missed The Post and Last Post is very thick and blue. The upper and middle parts of the Post face looks quite buried in snow. There are some sizable cornices above the Cinderella area. The Wand and Diadem are looking fairly covered in snow at the moment, maybe needs a quick thaw and refreeze to make it better?

21-01-10, Creag Meagaidh - Winter Climbing

Went to Creag Meagaidh with Kathryn today. The long walk in was well worth it. As we turned the corner and viewed the corrie, we could see the Post Face covered in snow and more importantly ice at the bottom of the routes. We climbed Staghorn Gully III, which was very good. Quite a lot of snow with a couple of ice pitches. Another team climbed The Pumpkin V,4 which looked in good condition as we descended the Window (picture below). There is a lot of ice at bottom of Last Post, South Post Direct looks climbable, if a little banked out.