Time for a new blog...

Winter sunset over Fort William after a big day on the Ben

I started this blog on the 21st December 2009 to share my adventures as a mountain instructor and expedition guide. Nearly 600 posts later and with almost 100,000 views I've managed to upload 1GB worth of photos and writing which has taken me up to my Blogspot limit. So it's now time for a new blog.....

www.mountainzblog.blogspot.co.uk

I'll still keep this blog online as I hope it's a useful resource but please update your browser if you would like to continue to follow me.

MountainZ Photography

Topping out on Green Gable (BMC Summit magazine)

I've been working hard at my photography over the last few years, often in some pretty amazing environments and the results have been slowly improving. In the last year my images have been used by the Discovery Channel, the British Mountaineering Council, local press and Adventure Peaks. There's plenty more of my work on Flickr.

Geordie Stewart reaching Camp 2 on Everest (Discovery Channel marketing)

Above the Second Step on the North Ridge of Everest (Adventure Peaks & cover photo for The Guards Magazine - Winter 2011)

 

 Summit of Mount Everest (Westmoreland Gazette & Andover Advertiser)

  Descending from Camp 1 on Mt Vinson, Antarctica (Adventure Peaks)

The last few meters to the summit of Mt Vinson (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Summit of Mt Vinson, Antarctica (Adventure Peaks)

 

Walking in to Aconcagua (Adventure Peaks)

Summit of Cho Oyu 8201m (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Team photo on the summit of Cho Oyu (Adventure Peaks)

Descending from the summit of Stok Kangri (Adventure Peaks)

Fitting crampons on a winter skills course (BMC Summit magazine)

Practicing ice axe arrest (BMC Summit magazine)

Abseiling off Kern Knotts (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Innominate Crack, Kern Knotts (Adventure Peaks)

Bucket seat belay in Scotland (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Smith's Route, Ben Nevis (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Glacier training below Khan Tengri, Kyrgyzstan (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Pk Chapeyev, Kyrgyzstan (Adventure Peaks)

Summit of Pk Chapeyev with Khan Tengri in the background (Adventure Peaks)

Friday night film - Will Gadd

Tower Scoop & Gardyloo Gully

Thin ice on Tower Scoop (III)

Entering the tunnel under the chockstone in Gardyloo Gully (II)

The current exit from the Gardyloo Gully tunnel

Rime forming down as low as the exit to No 4 Gully

Good Friday Climb

Tower Ridge rising out of the cloud

A very similar forecast to yesterday meant there was only one option for today - back up the Ben looking for ice. We joined a long crocodile of folk heading up in to Observatory Gully including a large group on their MIC assessment, all looking for grade III ground. There was far less rock and ice fall today and as the teams headed for various options we found ourselves behind one other group at the foot of Good Friday Climb (III). We'd seen a team make an ascent yesterday from our viewpoint on Tower Ridge and today we found thin but good conditions on a great little climb that brings you out directly on the summit. Other climbers were on Gardyloo gully (II), Smith's Route (V), Tower Gully (I), Upper Tower Cascades (III), Tower Scoop (III) and Tower Ridge (IV) and amongst the walkers on the summit there were the usual jeans and trainers!

This week I'm working for Adventure Peaks on a guided winter climbing course

Simon enjoying good ice on Good Friday Climb (III)

Final few meters of Good Friday Climb and a group topping out on Tower Ridge

The top! - just a few meters from the trig point

Cloud inversion over Loch Linnhe

Smiths Route

Smiths Route (V 5) in better conditions

For the final day of their Adventure Peaks course Patricia & Sheila were out with Paddy Cave and after a good overnight freeze were able to make a return to winter climbing with an impressive ascent of Smiths Route (V 5). In a week in which winter disappeared before our eyes they ticked an impressive haul of classic routes including No 3 Gully Buttress, Curved Ridge, the North Buttress of Stob Ban, the Aonach Eagach, Castle Ridge and Smiths Route.
On the Ben the high level ice of Tower Scoop (III) and Good Friday Climb (III) were also in good condition with new snow down to 900m

Cairngorm tans!

Good ice in Aladdin's Couloir (I)

This weekend I'm working for Glenmore Lodge on an Introduction to Winter Climbing course. The weather forecast was particularly spectacular with snow, storm force winds and a risk of lightning to contend with. We headed into Coire An t-Sneachda where the crags were briefly illuminated in front of us by a burst of sunshine. However as we approached Aladdin's Couloir (I) the wind increased and the cloud dropped giving everyone a full taste of winter. The ice in the narrows is in great shape offering approximately 30' of grade II. We were blown up the rest of the gully by a very strong updraft which had stripped the snow back to the old neve. Topping out on to the plateau the wind was gusting around 70mph which made reaching the top of the Goat Track a good challenge. The descent in to the updraft coming from the corrie was completed blind due to iced goggles but things had eased significantly by the time we reached the MRT stretcher box for a spot of lunch. The walk out was almost pleasant as the wind died away and as we dropped out of the cloud we were greeted by a winter wonderland with a covering of snow down to Aviemore.
The new snow has been driven in on strong north westerlies and there's plenty of pockets of soft slab around with some cross loading on the Goat Track area. Drifts were knee deep on the walk out and there's a good couple of inches at the Lodge but any exposed areas are still scoured back to the old refrozen snow. Plenty of Cairngorm tans in the Lodge bar tonight!

The view as we dropped out of the cloud!

Friday night film - BMC International Meet

BMC INTERNATIONAL MEET 2012 from ReelTime Adventure on Vimeo.

Number 3 Gully Buttress

A stunning day to be walking into the Ben

Alpine conditions on the traverse into Coire Na Ciste

2nd pitch of No 3 Gully Buttress

Jude on the exposed upper ramp

Reaching the sunlight at the top of No 3 Gully Buttress (III)

The final tricky moves to the plateau

A full moon rising with a climber on the great tower of Tower Ridge

The top of Number 4 gully with a good slot on the cornice

Stunning sunset over Loch Linne

Great day in Comb Gully