15th April 2014 - Sunny climbing in Ardnamurchan

Today Craig, Dave, Allen and I headed out west to the fabled Ardnamurchan peninsula to try and get some good climbing done. We were not dissapointed. The drive and walk in were stunning, the weather nice and sunny (bit chilly in the wind though) and the rock was clean, insanely grippy and really good fun. Dave and Allen headed off to get some routes in, and Craig and I paired up and knocked off a few great multi-pitches up to VS 4c. We had a really good laugh, and it was a great break in day after the rubbish winter we have had.

Managed to see a snake (maybe an adder, maybe not, need to look into that actually...) and a sea eagle, which was my first. So overall a fantastic day. Sun burnt, wind chapped, hand ripped to bits but very happy with the day none the less :)

Stunning clean rock. Craig and I climbed a lovely 2 pitch climb on this crag, and dropped the guide book!

Hooded crag and beyond. Some lovely routes completed here by both teams

Craig leading up pitch one of Vulcan. Tricky start, but lovely climbing

Do belay stances get any more stunning than this?

Mr McKay himself. Sun cap and forty layers of clothing....

Bit blurry, but topping out of pitch 2 on the 4 pitch climb we did.

Craig on the first lead of the day, interesting start!

16th March 2013 - Comb Gully

Nevis Base Camp

Looking up towards Comb Buttress and Green Gully, Number 3 Gully Buttress and Number 3 Gully

Some Graupel in the snow pack

Craig leading off on Pitch 2

Smug git tops out

Robbed blind of a good ice lead....

Today Craig and I were on a mission to nail Green Gully (again), but after a long walk in to the CIC, and then on up towards the base of the route we were soon thwarted by a number of teams already queing up to get on it. Knowing that things were set to deteriorate in the afternoon, we were keen just to get on something and hope for the best, so after a short discussion we headed towards Comb Gully (IV, 4) which sits around the buttress from Green Gully.

Snow conditions were not great today, with several large patches of fresh windslab and plenty of snow being blown around. To top this off there was a very definate weak layer of Graupel in amongst the snow pack (see picture) so alarm bells ringing kept me alert as we traversed round to the initial gully slopes. The gully was pretty loose for the first pitch which we soloed. Craig got up first and fired in a few screws, and we agreed to split the interesting ice pitch in half so that we both had a go on the interesting stuff.

Craig led off, and it seemed to take an incredible amount of time while the rope slowly slinked through the belay device, but in fact it was relatively quick. Being cold and stationary has a dramatic effect on your moral and sense of time, and even more worryingly, Craig was almost out of rope which could mean only one thing: He had led the entire ice pitch!!

As I climbed I could see why Craig had taken his time, it was steep and quite sustained but very short. I felt the hot aches kick in just as I topped out over the final bulge and saw Craigs smiling face. My smile, however, was short lived, as I spied my 'pitch' - 40 metres of gearless snow slope topping out into the wild spindrift that seemed to have really picked up in the last 30 minutes. I didn't see most of this pitch as I had my eyes closed, but soon the angle eased off and I was able to build a reinforced axe belay and bring the smug git up!!!

On top we were both pretty elated: it was cold, windy and visibility was poor but we had had another cracking day, another classic climb under our belts and we would beat the worst of the weather. Seeing countless people traversing the summit plateaux wearing jeans, trainers and carrying plastic bags....

We made a swift exit down number 4 Gully, sliding most of the way down on our backsides. Craig had a particularly good slide which must have lasted 300 metres. The heavier you are the further you slide it would appear....

No sooner had I got home, and about to tip my toe in the shower that there was a call out for two crag fast climbers on the North Face....typical!! All ended safe and sound :) 

Another cracking day on the Ben - heres to plenty more!

1st March 2013 - Number 3 Gully Buttress

A happy Craig at the third belay

The interesting step after Craig's lead

Davie Scott, Dave Anderson, Craig McKay and Me

Descending Number 4 Gully - Looking to Number 3 Gully Buttress (centre)

Craig after topping out. Smiles all round

Today Craig and I were keen to get on Green Gully on the Ben which comes in at a cozy IV, 4 (but gives easy for the grade by all accounts). So after travelling up with Davie and Dave, who were aiming for harder times, we marched in to the CIC hut in good spirits. This winter everything has been in excellent condition so we were confident that the ice would be fat and very receptive to some screws!

After gearing up partially at the CIC, we started to make our way into the coire, which was looking pretty busy already. Our target of Green Gully soon went out of the window due to a number of teams queing at the base of the climb, so after a short while humming and hawing over what we should do we decided on having a bash up Number 3 Gully Buttress, which is the classic Grade 3 on the Ben and an oft forgotten gem.

After a tough trudge on bullet hard neve up to the base of the climb, we rigged up an ice screw anchor and got ourselves (rather awkwardly) sorted out to climb. After some classic Craig & Craig faffage we were good to go, and Mr McKay took on the first lead, climbing up good neve and ice to the first belay. From there I led on, and not knowing the route very well, annoyingly stopped short of an interesting but straightforward rocky step. Craig took over to lead a short pitch up and round the corner on an interesting snow shelf which provided little gear. I led on from here, covering some interesting rocky steps and a nice little traverse onto a solid ledge with two different ways to proceed. Having felt robbed of the rocky step previously, Craig let me have a bash at the super thin and crumbling traverse step to the right hand side, which involved a tentative down climb and a bold move to cross. However, after several attemps this way proved beyond me, and after a forage up to the left we realised this might be a better approach. By this time, though, my enthusiasm was sapped so we quickly swapped over and Craig made short work of the final snow ramp onto the summit.

From here we met Dave and Davie on their way down, and after a quick skoot down Number 4 Gully we were soon on the CIC track back to the car.

We had a cracking day, and it was just what I needed to get me back in the zone after recent events in the mountains. The banter was non stop, even between belays our laughter rang out across the mountain side and it was good climbing with someone with very similar values and goals.

Sron na Lairig - 1st December 2012

So today I was out with Anna, Davie, Kev, Dave and Dave's mate Dessie and our objective was Sron na Lairig, a classic little ridge which protrudes from the eastern flank of Stob Coire Sgreamhach in Glen Coe. Craig, Suzie and John had the same objective and to all intents and purposes we were there together. Meeting at the wee Buachaille car park at half 7, we set off around 8am along the pleasant but very icy Lairig Eilde path in full view of our target, only stopping to adjust layers occasionally, or to take many, many pictures.

We reached the foot of the Sron in good time, and got ourselves kitted up with harnesses and helmets, adjusted our layering again, and cracked on. It was Annas first winter day this season, and as it sits at Grade II I opted to stay at the back and make sure she felt confident on the more awkward steps. She aced the lot of it, without even a second thought. We soloed the entire route comfortably, and enjoyed the short but very narrow and exposed sections. Snow underfoot was slightly better than it had been on Tower Ridge, and the turf was pretty much frozen throughout, providing support when needed.

We topped out before midday, and sat down for some lunch and to take in the stunning views down Glen Etive, across Glen Coe and out towards the Black Mount. The sky was blue and visibility exceptional. We packed up and headed to the summit of Sgreamhach through soft, varying depth of snow with ankle breaking scree beneath.

After spending some time on the summit discussing out options for descent, we backtracked beyond the Sron to a shallow bealach which dropped us down quite quickly to the Glen floor, eventually joining the Eilde path back and along to the car park, enjoying the craic and banter all the way.

We then popped into the Clachaig for a well earned lunch before heading our seperate ways home. Another cracking winter route completed in good company, this time within daylight hours!!!