New Cairngorms guide published

Just a wee note to say that the new Cicerone guide to Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms that I myself and my dad have been working on for the past year or so has recently been published. 

Some more information about it can be found at http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/622/title/winter-climbs-in-the-cairngorms.      It can be bought direct from Cicerone, and should soon be appearing in the shops.

Storm Damage

Thursday the 8th of December was one of the wildest days I have every experienced. It was the first day of the avalanche forecasting season, and I decided to go up to the CIC hut.  I relisead that it would be pretty windy, but have been out on plenty of wild days before so was not too concerned. In fact things weren't too bad until I got maybe 500 metres away from the hut at which point wind speeds seemed to jump up a notch or two. The wind was generally blowing up the path, and so was at my back. Sometime a sudden gust would just flatten me, other times it would increase gradually pushing me into a run, before sending me sprawling forwards.  When on the ground I would huddle or lie there with my hands on the back of my head to protect it from the hail, ice and small pebbles which were picked up and hurled along, until the wind had dropped enough to allow me to stagger on.  Luckily the cloud level was high, and there was not too much precipitation so I could easily see where I was going. The temperature had gone up and there was a fair bit of damp sticky snow about. I took a route, trying to stay on the snow as much as possible, figuring that made for the least chance of injury when hurled over.

 This van didn't do too well either. This happened about 2 hours before a friend had planned to buy it. Photo by Hannah Barnes friend.

I finally crawled up the final snow slope to the hut and got inside. Things didn't seem quite to bad in there, and I met Greg Boswell and friends playing cards. After warming up I nipped out quickly and took the measurements that I required, and then back to the hut to prepare for the way down. The wind was just as bad, and in my face this time but I had goggles, and full face covering. It was pretty hard work, and again I was flattened a number of times, but made it down. Afterwards I had a full body ache that I only tend to get from a long Scottish winter grade VIII experience.

Sometime that afternoon an epic gust ripped the roof of the CIC hut, and sent it off towards Coire Leis somewhere.

 

The CIC hut lost part of it's roof. SMC members trying to make it waterproof again a few days later.

Spain

I have just got back from a three week sports climbing trip to the North-East of Spain. I travelled and climbed with Dave Rudkin and Calum Muskett, both from North Wales. However, lots of other teams and individuals from from various places such as Scotland, England and Switzerland joined us at times, so there was always more people than just the three of us. We spent a fair bit of time around the village of  Margalef, bit did manage a week or so up around the area of Terradettes. We went to a lot of different crags, and rather than working routes, tried to to flash or get get things second or third go. I don't think any of us had more than 3 goes at any one route.

I am not really very good at sports climbing, the odd F7c flash at best. However, I do enjoy it as even when climbing as a three you can get a lot of mileage. In general the approaches to the crags are short, there are no epic belaying sessions, no acclimatisation etc. You can just turn up and start climbing. It is perhaps not that adventurous as compared to other forms of climbing, but for me the amount of mileage to actual climbing that can be achieved for me makes up for that. Also November is usually a good time to get out of Britain .

I also find the social aspects of longer sports climbing trips quite good. Remove access to the Internet and television, and give people long evening and rest days to fill. A lot of talking, reading and playing cards went on. It felt like a very monk like existence at times. It felt like a rare opportunity when I  had an excess of time, rather than as through the previous ten months when I was working full time, and trying to fit in climbing, training, social events and other activities.

Anyway here are some pictures from the trip.

 Cards saw us through many an long evening. Photo Dave Rudkin.

Sitting below a wet crag hoping for it to dry off. John (it skinniest person I know) chomping down, Callum dreaming about hard routes, and me reading some Russian Literature. Photo Dave Rudkin.

Dave not too impressed with the rain.

 

Guy doing his best James Bond impression on the Tyrolean approach to one of the crags.

A climbing shot. Calum pulling down some tufas at on a superb F7c at Terradettes. 

Last day. Tired, weary, baked in the sun, time for some relaxing.

Autumn

My first attempt of Cockblock. I lobbed off higher up, but pulled my ropes and got it second go.

Jimmy Big Guns on Skip of Fools (8a+) , The Diamond.

Through one thing and another I don't feel like I have been getting that much climbing done recently. This has been due to a combination of the nights drawing in, so reducing after work climbing possibilities, wet autumnal weather, and taking time to prepare for my MIA assessment (which I passed last week). However, on the odd day off ,when it has been been hosing down, I have managed to get a few decent things done. Trad wise these include Cockblock, a short and hard E5 in the pass, but not without taking the lob from the last hard move due to being stupid, and  Sultans of Swing, a superb girdle of Vector Buttress. On the sports climbing front I managed Battle of the Little Big Orme, an 8a down at lpt and have had a few days down at The Diamond on the Little Orme. This is a really impressive sports crag, but unfortunately is tidal, has bird restrictions, can be quite conditions dependent, and has some interesting access issues. Despite all this it has been proving popular this year. More information can be found here http://northwaleslimestone.wetpaint.com/page/The+Diamond