Learn to Lead

At last a week of better weather but there are still very large cornices around. I was working for Glenmore Lodge this week with Charlie and Cathal.

Day 1 - Winter Mountaineering skills before climbing some short routes on the Ciste Crag.
Day 2 - Cha No - Anvil Gully IV before the guys were let loose on grade I ground around Dukes Rib.
Day 3 - Fiacaill Ridge from Sneachda col before abseiling off.
Day 4 - Local day around Glenmore covering weather, avalanche, planning, anchor set up, abseiling, escaping the system and then some dry tooling on the towers.
Day 5 - Twin Ribs in 4 pitches before abseiling off.

Great week and great company!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intro Winter Climbing

Groundhog Day, The Day After Tomorrow..... frustrating, stressful, possibly could sum up this weeks work. Continual stormy weather, high avalanche risk and the fact that nearly all of the "normal" climbing venues in the Northern Corries are buried, they dont have safe access or have massive cornices above them. I was working for Glenmore Lodge this week.

Day 1 - Fiacaill Ridge
Day 2 - Ciste Crag
Day 3 - Abandoned just below Lurchers as the next storm system arrives early and kicks in.
Day 4 - Ciste Bowl, navigation, snow anchors and avalanche awareness training.
Day 5 - Twin Ribs

Although the avalanche forecast has dropped to Considerable, great care is still required. Lurchers is probably the only "safe" feeling normal winter venue.

Sneachda today, next weather system on its way

Safe travel accessing Twin Ribs

Intro Winter Climbing

I have been working for Cairngorm Adventure Guides for the last 5 days with Sharon and Matt. The ski hill was closed for most of this time due to the weather and we also had to work around a high avalanche risk. Ciste Crag on a wild survival day, Twin Ribs on our avalanche day, Cummingston rock climbing, Fiacaill Ridge on our one and only good weather day and back to Cummingston today for more rock climbing, thats sometimes the way it goes. Pictures below of our good weather day.