Final day of the season on Curved Ridge

The crux corner on Curved Ridge

Climbing through the cloud with the steep Rannoch Wall behind

Minimal snow left on the Buachaille

Aoncah Eagach

A grey & soggy day on the ridge

BMC Club Rope Skills

Steve well dug in in a bucket seat

For the second day of the BMC Club Training Program we headed into Glencoe and the stomp up to Coire nan Lochan. Today was ropework day and we worked through bucket seats, buried axe belays, stompers, direct belays and abseiling off snow bollards plus a quick emergency snow shelter. The remaining snow was well saturated and stable and we saw a couple of large rockfalls.

Papped in Glencoe!

Belayed on the Aonach Eagach Pinnacles

Ptarmigan on the Aonach Eagach

Enjoying the exposure on the Aonach Eagach.

A cloudy Glencoe from the Pap

No gloves needed on Curved Ridge!

A moody looking Buchaille this morning

Stunning light on the walk in

Patricia enjoying the crux groove

Approaching Crowberry Gap on the only snow of the route!

Sneaking around the snow pack at the top of Coire Tullich

Friday night film - BMC International Meet

BMC INTERNATIONAL MEET 2012 from ReelTime Adventure on Vimeo.

'Winter' Navigation!

Stunning spring like weather!

Today I've been working for Jagged Globe on an Introductory Winter Mountaineering course. The team had had a big day out on Ben Nevis yesterday and there were a few tired legs so we opted for a couple of hours in the classroom revisiting many of the navigation techniques they'd employed yesterday. The early morning rain soon cleared and we drove up through Glencoe to the edge of Rannoch Mor and the West Highland Way path to Kinlochleven. These lower hills gave us some challenging navigation as well as some pockets of snow for a bit of step cutting.
Looking across to the southern slopes of the Mamores the mild weather had stripped much of the snow but there's still plenty to be done in the usual north facing corries (Ben Nevis, Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Aonach Mor etc). Back on the path we descended to Kinlochleven and a mug of coffee in the Ice Factor.

The basic slash for cutting steps in descent

More advanced descending but pretty unstable in windy conditions

Squalls and sunshine descending into Kinlochleven

Boomerang Gully

Harder variations on mixed ground in Boomerang Gully (II)

Today I'm working for Jagged Globe on a winter mountaineering course. The guys had been out on Monday on Aonach Mor looking at the huge variety of skills required to operate in the winter environment so today was all about putting it in context. With a windy but dry forecast and very stable snow we headed up to Stob Coire Nan Lochan to have an adventure in a gully. We opted for Boomerang Gully which gives a great grade II experience right to the summit with plenty of variation for getting on to harder mixed ground on the ribs either side. The wind died totally on the summit for a great lunch spot before we descended via an abseil into Broad Gully.

Enjoying mixed ground

An exposed spot for a break but lacking a view today

Another Jagged Globe team belayed in the depths of Boomerang Gully

A soggy Aonach Eagach

The final Munro on the Aonach Eagach traverse

Sron Na Larig

The Sron Na Larig ridge

Eyeing up the start of the difficulties

Summiting Glencoe's version of the Great Tower

Glen Etive

Descending in the sunshine

Descending back in to Glen Eilde

North Buttress on the Buachaille

Late climbing course availability...

Smith's Route (V 5) on Ben Nevis

Due to a late cancellation I now have one space on a Scottish winter climbing course for all or part of 28th Jan - 1st Feb. An opportunity to follow climbs up to grade V or to improve your own leading at grades III - V. We hope to follow the conditions so could be climbing on the Ben, Creag Meagaidh or in the Cairngorms.

I also have space on a weeks guided climbing, (Gr III-V) on the 5th - 9th March based on the West Coast. Please get in touch if you'd like more details - info@mountain-zac.co.uk

A Snowy Start to 2012...

Descending from NC Gully

My 2012 Scottish winter season started with a snow filled day in Glencoe. Reaching Coire Nan Lochain required negotiating waist deep drifts of new snow being blown around on strong south westerlies. I’m working with Max & Brian and students from the University of Limerick giving them an introduction to the delights of Scottish winter mountaineering.

It was raining as we left the car park but this soon changed to heavy snow which continued to fall throughout the day with an obvious cold front blowing through around 12 oclock. Conditions weren't ideal for introducing the use of crampons and ice axe but we perservered finding a steep wind scoured slope to practice good footwork and ice axe arrest. After a quick bite to eat we headed around the back of the corrie and soloed up the steeper left hand start of NC gully which provided an 'interesting' adventure, at times chest deep in snow while being battered by a continuous stream of spindrift from above! Crossing the shoulder we descended by the right hand start in knee deep snow.

One team retreated from the first pitch of Central Ordinary Route (IV 4) reporting unfrozen turf and spookily loose boulders. I expect the teams on Dorsal Arete found similar conditions on this notoriously unstable route but they all topped out without mishap.

In the shelter of the corrie there was surprisingly little windslab around with the snow pack being light and unconsolidated but folk on the ridges reported some big unstable looking cornices. There was no sign of any avalanche debris but the snow was still falling and being swept across the crags as we headed down . With a forecasted rise in temperature to above the summits in the early hours of tomorrow there should be plenty of avalanche activity to observe on the students second and final day with us.

Max's group below Central Buttress

The team in NC Gully

Traversing below the crags with SC Gully (III) prominent on the left

Scottish Winter Courses

With the first significant snowfalls reported in Scotland we're gearing up for the winter season. I'll be out and about from the 2nd January to the end of March for winter skills, mountaineering, winter climbing and expedition training. Please have a look at www.mountain-zac.co.uk if you are interested in any instruction or guiding this winter. I'll also be keeping my usual blog updated with reports of conditions and recent ascents. Please enjoy the images from the last couple of incredible seasons and I'll see you on the hill.