GLENCOE AND SKYE - 31st May - 5th June 2010

RB was away on a school trip to France this week so D and I used the oppurtunity and the promise of a decent forecast to go away for a few days.  Previously we had both talked about heading back to Skye, after our last trip there to do the NW Ridge of Bruach na Frithe in winter.  D had an inkling to do Pinnacle Ridge on Sgurr nan Gillean which is graded Difficult.
RB set off for France on the Sunday night, too late in the evening for D and I think about the long drive up to Skye.  A shame because the forecast looked excellent for the Monday.  Instead, we decided to drive to Skye via Glencoe, taking in the Aonach Eagach ridge on the way.

I'd done a traverse of the Aonach Eagach at the beginning of 2006 in somewhat unpleasant conditions of slushy snow and wet rock, interspersed with cold, dry rock.  Not a winter traverse, but not nice and summery either.  At that point in time I'd done no summer scrambling whatsover and didn't really have any experience of downclimbing either, especially not with a heavy sack with rope and crampons etc.  I'd been nervous of doing the ridge as I suffer from dizzyness in exposed situations and start feeling like I'm walking on a treadmill when walking along narrow paths.  I even nearly fell down backwards down a steep flight of stairs one time in a circus tent because there was no banister either side of the stairwell!  I recall the traverse being narrow and requiring concentration because of the snow and the dizzyness but all the scrambling sections seemed easy enough.

But one of the pinnacles seemed problematic to me.  In my memory there was a steep wall, not very high, and I was probably only about 10foot off the ground when I got into trouble.  I recall being unable to find a foothold and James, the guy I was with at the time, directing me rightwards to better holds.  Rather than look between my feet, or go back up to easy ground to then get onto the proper descent, I kept twisting round to try and see where I was going.  The twisting and weight of my sack, threw me off balance I believe and the next thing I knew I was falling and landing with a thwunk onto my bum on the path below.  I recall swearing several times and punching the rock in anger at myself.   I recall a lump in my throat and desperately trying not to cry, but then seeing the steep drop down the mountain to my left and realising what a really close shave I'd had.  Then James, in a very concerned voice asking if I was okay.  That was enough to release that lump in my throat and start the tears.  And the rest of the traverse was concluded with me being a shaky mess of nerves, interspersed with almost hysterical like giggles and needing to be roped up and lowered off the final slabby pinnacle.
So, that was then.  But back to  now.  As you might imagine, I was somewhat nervous of a repeat show on the Aonach Eagach and before now I'd never gone back.  The day was perfect for a rematch though, the sun beaming down enough to help warm the rock slightly and hopefully soothe the nerves.  And nervous I was!  I remember finding the descent off Am Bodach a doddle previously, but on this occasion it seemed the most tricky part of the traverse.  As we walked and scrambled along with ease, my nerves grew and grew and I was on continuous lookout for any hint of recognition of the pinnacle where I fell.  The ridge is longer than I recall it, and looked somewhat different from my memory, bar certain parts which seemed very familiar.  After downclimbing a really easy groove, I turned back and faced the point I'd just come down, realising that this was the point where I'd fallen.  I looked down left and shuddered a little at the drop down the mountain but felt faintly embarrassed that I'd struggled so much at this section, thinking what a complete and utter tit James must have thought me at the time to find it so difficult.

The next section loomed.  In my memory it involved a horribly awkward and steep slabby descent.  In reality however, the slab is easy angled enough to walk down and leads to a small chimney with massive blocky ledges and holds.  It's mental how fear can enlarge the scenery from easy ground into terrifying ground!
And that was it, after another wee scrambly section upwards, it was onto the final munro and a steep descent back to Glencoe and the a slog up the glen and back to the van.  Took 7hrs in total from van back to van which is pretty good compared to the epic day up there last time, though the slog back up the glen to the van was a bit tedious.  And that was that, a demon faced and a ghost laid to rest.

On Tuesday we awoke to lashing rain which died down later in the morning.  We took a trip into Fort William to buy another prussick loop for D, for the abseil off the 3rd pinnacle on Pinnacle Ridge.  Then we headed off to Skye.  The forecast had changed a little and Wednesday didn't look so great anymore.  Thursday's forecast looked really good however, so we decided to keep Pinnacle Ridge for Thursday and take a drive down to Glen Brittle on Wednesday and decide exactly what to do down there in the morning.
Wednesday morning dawned a bit dank and cloudy but upon parking at the Youth Hostel we decided to go for an ascent of Thuilm Ridge, followed by bagging Sgurr a Mhadaigh and then onto Sgurr a Ghreadaidh if we had time.

D had an old scrambling guide which said to follow the Alt a Choire Ghreadaidh to a slabby section and then break off left.  Well that's exactly what we did and we then came upon a path.  We both thought it odd that a path should be so well marked up to Thuilm Ridge as it's not really a touristy way up the hill.  But it seemed to be going in the direction we wanted so we just blindly followed it in the thick mist.  It was only possible to see about 50metres or so ahead and all the crags of the lower reaches of Thuilm that we were supposed to reach never materialised.  We came to another branching of the river and I was sure we should take the left branch again to reach the SW ridge of Thuilm but D reckoned the SMC munro book had mentioned that you could reach the start of Thuilm ridge from the corrie that takes you up to An Dorus.

So we carried on up the path, finally reaching the corrie.  Only problem was that it was so misty, we couldn't make out anything at all.  The cliffs above would loom out of the mist occasionaly only to be swollowed up again within seconds.  We decided under the circumstances to forget about Thuilm Ridge, no way were we going to find it and it was pretty windy and dank and damp up there in the mist anyway.  We decided to just head up An Dorus and then do an ascent of Mhadaidh and Ghreadaidh via the tourist route.  As the cliffs appeared and disappeared in and out of the mist, it was hard to discern the right way to go.  My map was off little use whatsover as it's the 1:25 map and there was simply far too much detail to be any good.  So D's grid ref wasn't off that much use either.  In the end we followed our noses up the scree and slabs avoiding the steep cliffs and finally coming to a gully of sorts which seemed the best way up.  Looming through the mist we spotted a few folk going up that way too and then came upon a path and knew we were on the right track.

An Dorus is a tiny gap between Mhadaidh and Ghreadaidh, like a small notch only big enough to fit a couple of people in.  The move up to establish yourself onto Mhadaidh's ridge is around moderate in standard and seemed quite spicy in the wet and gusting wind!  As did the rest of the scramble upwards, but it wasn't long before we were at the summit and then turning back down.  Under these conditions I was really  happy that we hadn't found the start of Thuilm as it would have been unpleasant!  Back at the gap of An Dorus and off up Ghreadaidh, but the only problem now is that I'm faced with another moderate move and I don't like this one, one little bit.  It's a massive reach up for me and is wet and slippery, don't think it's gabbro but one of the other rock types of Skye that isn't so grippy in the wet.  Going up wouldn't be so much of a problem, as although it's an off balance, reachy and comitting move I know I can do it going up.  I'm really nervous of that section coming down though and I think I'll find it difficult and unpleasant in the wind and wet.  So after up and downing a few times I decide against it.

I'd love to come back and do Thuilm ridge in better weather so I'll leave the ascent of Ghreadaidh until then.  Coming back down Choire a Ghreadaidh the mist had cleared lower down and we could see the cliffs below Thuilm and the branch of the river where you are supposed to cut off left.  It's well before the slabs though and the guidebook was very misleading!  Still, I'm glad we went out and managed to do something and the hills were made all the more spicy by the conditions.




Thurs 3rd - PINNACLE RIDGE OF SGURR NAN GILLEAN


This is what we'd come for and Thursday dawned into a magnificant day of bright sunshine and clear skies.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect on hard scramble/Diff rock climb of this nature so as well as packing a rope for the abseil we knew we'd need to do, I also packed a handful of nuts, a couple of hexes and a few slings.  The one thing I stupidly forgot and that I felt quite naked without was my helmet.

The slog up to the ridge is a bit tedious and you can't really make out the pinnacles properly until you are underneath the ridge itself as you approach it face on.  Think we made it up to the bottom of the ridge in a couple of hours and then sat and had some lunch, letting the sweat of hard labour dry off.  The heat had been intense!  The first section looked easy enough to solo so I kept the rope in my sack but we put our harness on as I was concerned about needing to rope up and trying to gear up in a precarious position.  We were following the description from Dan Bailey's Mountain Ridges book and found the description for the 1st pinnacle a bit funny.  I think in the end it would have been better taking the pinnacle direct but the guide said to go leftwards and then right along a rubbly rake.  Only problem was that there were rubbly rakes everywhere!  But it was easy enough to follow your nose and we soon got to a basalt dyke which we went up, but rather than go up the gully that is mentioned in the guide we stayed clear as it looked a bit minging.  The 2nd pinnacle went up a nice slabby section and groove and shortly took you to the foot of the 3rd pinnacle.  The guide said this should go up a groove to the right of the crest, but the groove that we went up and folk infront of us had obviously went up, was just to the very left of the crest and I didn't find the moves 'stiff' at all.  I'd been quite nervous of soloing the route because the guide description made it sound quite hard!  But it was pretty easy to just follow your nose to find the best ways upwards.

The top of the 3rd pinnacle ended abruptly at a small perch and block and we were forced to wait beside a huge pile of human excretement.  Someone must have had REALLY bad guts that day, I've never seen a dump as big and runny as that before!  Maybe the fear of the upcoming abseil was all too much!  We were behind a guide and his client and the client got lowered before the guide abseiled down after untangling his new rope.  It was then time for me to untangle our rope!

A couple of days previously I had given D a short abseiling lesson off the rafters off our garage ceiling but I think he'd forgotten just about everything I'd taught him.  So easy to do when it comes to ropes and knots and it really does take regular practise before things come second nature.  I'd gotten far too used to Andy setting up the abseils when we'd been out climbing and it had been sometime since I'd been in charge of setting one up but I did myself proud.  There was so much tat there insitu anyway that there was no difficulty involved.  The main problem was that I would have like D to have been tied into the system and ready to ab off before I headed down, with me going down first so I could sort any tangles on the way.  There didn't really seem like much room for both of us to be on the rope at the same time though so I had to let D go first, and had to get things set up for him and remind him how to do the abseil.  He did it 100% though, with no difficulties, even though it's an awkward abseil to start off, quite steep and not straightforward to get established on.  I'd made sure beforehand that the ropes were freely hanging to the ledge we were abb'ing down too and the guide ahead of us shouted back that our rope was clear, so we were good to go.  The one thing I did forget was to knot the ends of the rope which was really bad of me, but not too bad as we could both see the ledge we needed to get down to and it was a 60m rope we had so plenty of free rope and no danger of abb'ing off the end.
After I was down and had coiled up the rope we had a peer down the awkward chimney that we still had to downclimb.  It looked a bit dubious to start off with and D had a go first and declared it no problem at all, and it really was much less intimidating than it looked.
Before abb'ing down we'd been watching a party, ahead of the guide and his client, roping up for the final Knights Peak.  They were really slow and were knocking down rocks right, left and centre and I felt so conscious of not having my helmet with me!  Luckily by the time we'd faffed with the abseil they had gone past the summit of Knights Peak so we were safe from falling rocks!
The beginning of Knight's Peak took you along a short rubbly ledge and past 2 narrowings.  I had D go first and he strolled along nonchantly, and could have easily have been strolling along the street with his hands in his pocket.  I'd been nervous as 2 of the parties ahead had roped up for this pinnacle, but there was no hard bits at all, although I was hugging the edge a bit more than D was!
The guide had mentioned going right around the base of the 1st tower above Knights Peak, when in fact it was much, much better to go around left and the back of the tower.  On the 2nd tower there was a ledge that one could scramble along to get to the base of the final pyramid tower up to the summit of Sgurr nan Gillean.  D took a higher ledge and had to downclimb to the lower ledge but I took the lower ledge from the start, finding it much more preferable.
The guide also mentioned a hard step left onto the final pyramid, but the step onto the final wall was actually moving rightwards and not leftwards!  And it was hard for the grade, not Diff by any stretch of the imagination!  It felt quite Severe to me.  The holds were big, but it was a lay off and the 2nd flake was horribly rounded, the move was a huge, reachy rockover with not much for your feet and then once my feet were high, I couldn't reach the next juggy hold and had to use a tiny gabbro nubbing around the size of my finger nail to move up on.  I tried it several times but just couldn't commit to doing the  move, what with the prospect of a long fall if I messed things up!  D went first but of course he has a much longer reach than I do and could reach the big holds.  I was frustrated that even on a Diff I was having problems with being 5 foot nothing!  My other option was head down rightwards slightly and up an even blanker looking wall and I didn't like the look of that, or to avoid the summit pyramid alltogether by a traverse rightwards, but I wanted to complete the route!
I went back to the hard move, gritted my teeth and committed to it, no bother!  But a pretty serious and tough move for a Diff!  The summit pyramid was utterly joyous!  I really, really enjoyed it, never too hard but always exposed enough to keep you thinking and then up a final basalt dyke and onto the top of the West ridge and then finally the summit.  Hurrah, my first serious scramble on Skye and done without pitching any of it either, I was really chuffed with myself!

When I got to the top I was pretty knackered and a bit drained from all the concentration below, that I wasn't sure I wanted to continue down the West Ridge of Gillean as it was graded moderate and I couldn't be bothered with any more excitement.  After a breather though and a bite to eat I soon changed my mind and we set off.  You have to start by 'threading the needle' which involves clambering down through a hole between perched blocks.  I wasn't quite sure I was going to fit through at first but it's bigger than it looks when you get there.  The next section was pretty thin for your feet and it took me a while to trust using such small holds and edges with my big boots on, but amazingly they stick well.  This took us down to a big ledge where we had to wait some time on 2 guided parties being roped up the ridge.  The first guide has to be one of the most unfriendly guides I've ever met on the hills and seemed a bit up himself.  Of course he was busy concentrating on his clients but he didn't even thank us for patiently waiting on him and I muttered a quick 'twat' as he left with his group.  The 2nd guide was far more courtious thankfully and before long it was our time to set on down.  You had to go down a wee groove/chimney and onto another ledge where there was a rope around a block obviously used for groups abseiling down a gully/chimney below.  We decided against the chimney and instead stepped across onto a small pinnacle with a ledge below where you had to cross across and round the pinnacle.  I was gripping on for dear life at this point, ever conscious of the death plummet below!  You then had to take a really wide stride and step across onto the next pinnacle so you were then left with one foot and hand on one pinnacle and the other foot and hand on the other pinnacle, with nothing but air between your feet!  It was the most exposed thing I've ever done and was utterly exhilarating in a,
'holy shit!' kinda way!

We then downclimbed a chimney which was a bit awkward in places but easy enough and that was us down the West Ridge and I was really glad we'd gone for that option rather than chickening out down the East ridge.  We dumped our sacks here and scrambled up to the summit of Am Bastier which was longer and trickier than it seemed from below and the correct way to go wasn't obvious at first.  I felt quite nervous on this summit as it was much more airy than Gillean and I hate standing about for long in exposed positions.  So we quickly headed down to our sacks and then the long, long slog back down to the van.  Choire a Bastier is a really, really stunning corrie and we spent some time near the lochan just gazing up at the cliffs and back up at the amazing view of Pinnacle Ridge where we'd just come from.  This was an utterly superb day out on the hills and definitely one of my favourite mountain days so far.  I was feeling so chuffed to have gone from being terrified of scrambling and exposure to happily soloing along and up Diffs and down exposed moderate ground.  After my fall on the Aonach Eagach I'd always been scared of going to Skye thinking it would be too scary for me, but it's just amazing there, a true playground.

FRIDAY -   I'd been suffering from horrible belly cramps the night before and wasn't feeling great at all later on Friday morning and was tired from an 11hr day on the hill before.  Was sorely tempted to forget about going up the hill today but finally forced myself out the van.  We'd driven down to Torrin to go up Blaven, keeping our option open to do the Clach Glas to Blaven traverse if we felt like it.  D has already done it and even though I'd managed Pinnacle Ridge, the Clach Glas traverse seemed a more serious option and I really didn't feel up to it today.  It took all my effort to start off up Blaven and I was having continual stomach cramps on the way up and feeling really quite sick, weak, dizzy and a bit out of it as if I were a bit feverish.  We went up into Fionna Choire and by the time we were up there I was feeling so poorly that I just had to sit for a while and try to recuperate.  I realised that behind the stomach cramps I was actually feeling really hungry having have not finished my lunch earlier.  I scoffed a fair bit to eat, including some chocolate and although the queasiness continued I felt alot better.  Until we started to head up the head wall of the corrie that is!  I was sweating buckets and feeling all weak again and so many times I wanted to give up and just sit down and head back to the van.  But I refused to give up!  And I'm sure that whatever was ailing me was eventually sweated out for as we approached the South top of Blaven I started feeling much better.

The rain came on in a short downpour and this cleared the air a little and things felt a little less oppressive and clammy.  We'd thought it would be simple walk between the South top and the summit but there was a downhill scrambly section.  A group had set down before us but seemed to have picked a weird way down a system of exposed ledges.  We overtook them by heading down a really easy chimney.  I think they avoided the chimney as it did have a fair bit of loose stone in it, but the ledges were so big that it was easy not to dislodge anything.  We were up on the summit before they made it down and after having another bite to eat we spotted a herd of folk scrambling down the chimney, a big massive line of them!  We decided that now was a good time to head down before the masses arrived!
Route finding on the way down was a bit thoughtfull in places and I reckon would be quite tricky in the mist but the going is never hard and before long we were back down at the foot of Fionna Choire and heading down Coire Uaigneich and the carpark.  We then drove around the head of Loch Slapin and spent the night in the van at Camas Malag.
This is a gorgeous spot!  It looks down Loch Slappin and out to the sea at one side and then across to Blaven at another side.  D and I spent some time on the pebbly shore taking masses of photos of the sunset over Blaven before retreating to the van for the night.

We both fancied an easy day on Saturday before the long drive home so we walked the 3 miles along the coast to Suisnish.  Here lie the remains of the crofts dated from the Clearances of the 1850's.  The people refused to leave their homes and were violently and forcefully evicted into the snow that lay deep in October.  Many elderly folk died of exposure and the Geologist  Archibald Geikie was frequenting the area at the time and recounted that,

'A strange wailing sound reached my ears. I could see a long and motley procession winding along the road that led north from Suisnish. There were old men and women, too feeble to walk, who were placed in carts; the younger members of the community on foot were carrying their bundles of clothes while the children, with looks of alarm, walked alongside. A cry of grief went up to heaven, the long plaintive wail, like a funeral coronach. The sound re-echoed through the wide valley of Strath in one prolonged note of desolation.'

WASH OUT - 24th/25th May '10

Bekah had a long weekend off school and I decided to take her out climbing seen as we don't get out together very often.  The weather wasn't playing ball at all though.  The forecast had been so changeable, unable to make it's mind up as to whether it was going to be rainy or sunny.  At the start of the week it said that the forecast for Sat 22nd was going to be showery up in the NW, so finally I decided that as RB wanted a day at Ratho to practise on the comp wall that we would go then.  We were committed to going as I'd already arranged for her to spend time with her Dad afterwards, so when the forecast changed again and it looked liked Saturday was going to be a scorcher of day, it was too late to change plans.  As it was, the Sat/Sun would have been absolutely stunning for climbing but we sweated and huffed and puffed away at Ratho, RB leading a few 7's on the comp wall, a first for her as she normally only tries one hard route a day.  Sunday was a rest day, and unfortunately, by that time the weather was looking a bit crap for Monday!

We drove up to Kirstin's on Sunday night, and it was lovely to catch up with an old friend, then Monday morning we met up with Andy at Cummingston.
It was cold and it was windy and we weren't there for long at all when it started to rain.  RB managed to squeeze in a lead of a Diff beforehand and Andy a VS.  I was feeling all hormonal and hadn't slept well the night before due to back pain so wasn't feeling great at all and shook and wobbled my way up the Diff, feeling awfully exposed and shaky, not enjoying it at all!  I decided not to climb anything else and pootled about bouldering and taking photos.
Andy was slow to warm up too because of the cold and found the VS difficult.  RB said she found getting the gear out quite awkward but other than that it posed no problems for her.  After the heavy shower stopped, the rain had pretty much soaked the rock, so we headed over to the Prophet Wall area to see if the routes under the roofs were any drier, which they were.   Andy ran up and set a toprope up on the E2 5c called The Prophet.  RB had toproped this a couple of times last summer and had talked about wanting to lead it.  She toproped it again a couple of times and flew up it gracefully and stylishly, but although she can do the moves and reckons she could be in balance to place gear, she didn't want to lead it in the end.  I think she made the right decision as it's a big jump from leading a few VS's to leading an E2.   But that route is there waiting for her once she has more experience of leading and still wants to do it.
Andy then ran back around to set a toprope up on what he thought was another E2, but the rope ended up in the wrong place and on an E4 6a called Aesthetic Ape.  Andy thought he might manage to toprope the HVS to the left called Gripper, atleast up to the crux, but whilst he got his shoes on, RB decided to have a bash at the 6a.
She found it fingery as hell and it took her several goes to get up to the crux.  Once at the crux, she found it just too crimpy and was unsure where to go and what to do so came back down.  She studied the route from the bottom and we read the guidebook, realising that she'd tried to go the wrong way at the crux, no wonder it was so hard for her!  Not that 6a is easy of course!  But instead of trying to climb the rib, she'd gone too far left and was trying to get up a blank corner!  The rib looked steep and hard, but do-able as atleast it had actual holds.
Inbetween climbs, RB and I had a play on the boulder beside Left, Right and Centre.  There are some problems on this boulder but I don't know what they are called.  I only did one easy one and RB did a few.  Then Andy toproped the HVS and we decided to call it a day as we were all getting cold again.
On Tuesday, the forecast looked okay for the NW but I couldn't be bothered driving up there, and then having to drive home the same night.  The forecast also looked okay for the Aberdeen coast and RB and I were keen to try out our new bouldering mat, so we took a trip up to Portlethen.

I'd been there a few times several years ago, but this time, on my own and with nobody to show me where the problems are, I couldn't make head nor tail of the guide book!  We spent most of our time there trying to figure out where all the boulders were.  I found the Pit fine, and the Sea Pig, Pedie Prow and the Scallop.  We stopped off at the Scallop but I remember finding the 4c there hard a few years ago, so I certainly wouldn't be able to do it now, and RB was put off by all the sea beasties jumping out the cracks.  We headed over to the Sea Pig instead where I remembered an excellent and fun problem called the Ramp.  I tried it a few times, but I'm just so weak now that I couldn't barely get off the ground on it.  RB had a go after my first feelbe attempt and cruised it first go, even finding the hidden top out hold with no problem whatsoever.  Once I knew what to do with my feet, I fared a little better next time, getting to the end of the ramp, but I just didn't have the strength or oomph to push up for the top and gave up feebly.  RB then had a look at the Prow, but declared it impossible by look alone, then had a a bash at Crack of Dawn.  She found the starting holds too difficult, got one move up and then fell off.  Bouldering out is much harder than bouldering in.
I think if she watches better folk doing these problems she might be able to flash them, and if not she can certainly get them after a few goes.  We tried to figure out where the Ramp Extension went, but it mentions finishing at a jug to the right of The Groove, only problem was there was a couple of grooves and we wern't sure which was the right one!
By this point it had started raining and we slithered about trying to find the other boulders.  I was trying to find the Broccoli Garden and found where it should have been according to the guide.  But it was on about side pulls, undercuts and breaks, only problem was there were undercuts everywhere and breaks everywhere too!  So it was impossible to tell which problem went where, and the rock looked pretty lichenous.  I looked at photos of the problems later and it turned out that I couldn't have been at the right boulder at all, as the one I saw in the pics looked completely different!  Now the rain was on full force, my shoes were soaked and we were getting wet and more to the point, the rock was getting damp and rain splattered.  Getting back to our sacks was a task of slipping and slithering about where we called it a day and went to the wall in Aberdeen intstead.
I hate driving in Aberdeen!  The road signs are awful and they have you switching lanes all over the shop!  There are no signs whatsover for the climbing centre which is a damn nuisance for the first time visitor who's not sure of the area.  Getting into the wall is a hassle of masses of paper work and we were disappointed to hear that Aberdeen Wall does nothing to support the Scottish Climbing Team in their training.  We had a play about on the boulders which was fun.  The bouldering area is really quite small, but it does pack a lot in.  I managed all the V1's without difficulty and a couple of the V2', and a couple of ungraded things which looked easy.  The V3's were beyond me though.  RB onsighted a V3/4 and got up a V4/5 without too much work.
We then borrowed a rope off Ryan and RB led a few routes, a 6a and an overgraded 6b.  She tried a 7a but was all out of steam by then and didn't get very far.
After a complete and utter panic of losing my car keys, we called it a day.

SCOTTISH YOUTH CLIMBING FINALS

Today was the day of the competition between the finalists of the YCS Scottish South team and the Scottish North team, to find out the competitors ranking position in Scotland.

RB wasn't sure if she was going to make it or not as she'd had a school trip down to Alton Towers that had been arranged previous to the date of the comp being known.   She decided that even though she knew she'd be knackered, that she'd like to head down to Ratho wall anyway to take part.
On the Thursday evening, RB's bus set off from Brechin High School at midnight, to travel down to Alton Towers, where RB and her classmates spent the day before journeying back up to Brechin on Friday evening.  The bus was supposed to arrive at the school at 12.30am but due to an episode of sickness on the 2nd bus, they didn't arrive home until 2am.  By the time RB got home and off to bed, it was 2.30am, giving us 4.5 hours of sleep before we had to get up for the comp at 7am.

Bleary eyed we drove down to Edinburgh, where we made it just in time for registering and RB to have a brief warm up.  Unfortunately, RB didn't get a chance to warm up properly.  They get the kids running about and doing star jumps etc etc for around 5minutes, but it's not really enough to warm up sufficiently to try anything hard.  The 14-16 girls did all their boulder problems first.  RB doesn't like that order, much prefering to do an easy boulder problem, followed by an easy route to warm up.
When it came to them doing their 2nd boulder problem, she was just too tired and stiff and barely just caught the first crux hold before struggling to find the ooomph to push up for the next move.  She fell off on that move on all of her 3 goes, disheartened I think after falling the first time and realising just how tired she was.  4 of the girls managed to complete the problem, so that put RB 11 points behind and in 5th place.  She was gutted!  Especially after coming joint 2nd on the hardest boulder problem, finally warmed and more awake, going back to try the 2nd boulder problem and totally cruising it without any hesitation.
They were supposed to start their 1st route 10mins later, but had a wait of nearly an hour, cooling down again.  No problem, RB was awake now and the 1st route was easy and cruised by most of the girls.  RB still in 5th place.

The 2nd route was a good bit harder and only the one girl from the British Team, RB and another girl who climbed amazingly well managed to complete the route, most of RB's other competition falling off on the final hold.  RB was now 2 points to making 4th place but a large 9 points to making 3rd place.  Could she do it?
The final route was held on the new competition wall which is a hinged wall, allowing it to lean back to ridiculously overhanging!  The final route looked nails!  Only the girl from the British Team managed to complete it.  RB beat the girl who was in 2nd place but only by 2points, and she drew with the girl in 3rd place.  She managed to overtake her friend in 4th place, and gain 4th for herself, but didn't make up the points to get any further.
She was so disappointed.  She climbed those routes so well and if she hadn't been so tired first thing, she would have got 2nd place and into the super final.  The top 3 are put into isolation and have to climb an even harder route up the steep wall.  It wasn't to be though, but I think she did amazingly well under the circumstances!  Only 4.5 hrs sleep, still climbing hard on her routes and beating girls older than her.   She shouldn't have that problem during the British Finals though and has learnt what she needs to do to warm up effectively though.

ARDGOUR - 8th/9th May '10

I have always wanted to visit the Ardgour peninsula and climb on Garbh Beinn and go cragging in Ardnamurchan and this weekend the weather looked decent enough over on the West coast and D was keen to go scrambling.  I've always had an inkling to climb the Great Ridge, with Direct Start at Severe, on Garbh Beinn but that would involve ropes and gear and therefore wasn't an option for this weekend.  So we settled on doing Pinnacle Ridge which is another route that took my fancy and one that both of us would be happy to scramble up without ropes.
We set off from Dundee around 7.30 ish after RB and I had been training at the wall and drove over to Onich via Glencoe.  We slept in the van at the Coran Ferry terminal and caught the ferry the next morning, arriving at the parking spot for Ardgour around 9ish and setting off at 9.30am.
The walk into Garbh Beinn is nice and easy, flat all the way, if not a bit boggy.  But my legs wern't playing ball today at all.  They felt sluggish and weak and I still can't decide whether it's to do with the myelopathy or not.  In any case it feels akin to walking through mud, like I'm fighting resistance every step of the way.  Got there in the end though!  The first glimpses of Pinnacle Ridge you are seeing it face on and it looks steep and intimidating!
'Can that really go at Moderate?'
But as you approach and the angle changes, then the incline changes to a more favourable prospect and I'm much less intimidated.  The views over to The Great Ridge are superb!  Now that looks just as I thought it would, utterly utterly superb!  A steep tower of wonder, clean rock that just begs to be climbed.  But not today though.

The first pinnacle on the ridge is artificial.  You can either tug your way up steep grassy rakes and slopes, choosing to avoid the rock, or you can scramble your way up the rocky sections, nothing ever difficult, hopping from grass to rock as you go.  The first section reminded me of the buttress on Stuic a'Chroin in the Southern Highlands.  Once above the first pinnacle, the fun begins!  You are met with a sharp, knife edge arete, followed by a hugely sharp pinnacle.  I'm dubious about the pinnacle, it's very exposed and I'm thinking I'm more happy to clamber around it.  D thinks it looks okay though, so I give it a go and it poses no problems at all and is good fun!  You have to climb up a steep groove in the pinnacle with not much for your feet, bar jamming them into the crack that runs up the groove.  I've never done foot jamming with big boots on before and I'm a bit hesitant but my big boots wedge into the crack quite nicely and upward progress is made easy.

Above the pinnacle is a steep tower where the guidebook says to follow an arete on the right hand side.  Umm, what arete!?  We can't see an arete anywhere on the right.  On the right there is a ledged wall, which leads up to a corner and slab and this seems like the line of least resistance so we pick our way up the ledges to the bottom of the slab.  D goes a different way to me choosing to ignore the slab and come in from the right above it.  I prefer the look of the slab as it's easy angled.  Now me and slabs don't usually mix but this one, although deviod of massive holds, has plenty of knobbles and bumps and the friction is superb.  There are a couple of thin moves and I'm faced with a short chimney.  Hmmm, adrenaline is pumping a bit now!  I'm not going to kill myself if I fall off but I'm high up enough that it's gonna hurt!  There is a massive hold at the top of the chimney but short ass me can't bloomin' well reach it!  There is a small block wedged into the chimney and I have to lean off that to get my foot up high, onto a small ledge on the outside of the chimney.  I can then rock over onto that foot and grab the big hold.  Done!  Phew!  Then there is a steep corner to top out but the holds are plentiful and the moves are easy.  That's it, Pinnacle Ridge in the bag, wonderful!  I don't want the scrambling to end.  I love this sort of route, a fine line between hard scrambling and easy rock climbing, no rope and just the sheer freedom of movement with a little excitment added in!
We head up to the summit of Garbh Beinn and begin the walk back down the spur, stopping to take photos of the South Wall of the Great Ridge, home to Butterknife, a VS route that I'd love to do soon.  We stop for a doze in the sun half way down as it's baking hot and far too enjoyable to end the day so soon.  As the day cools we head back to the van and move to a different spot for a well deserved bottle of wine.

The next day we went hillwalking to bag the one Corbett in the area that D hadn't done, Beinn na h-Uamha.  Now, at 761m, this hill only just makes Corbett status but don't be deceived by it's lack of height as it's a monster of a hill!  Ardgour is very reminiscant of Knoydart, ie it's rough and hard going!   There is a good track for around 3miles, but one must leave the track and cross rivers and bogs (which were thankfully dry!) to come to the SE spur.  Glen Gour is beautiful, I love it here, so peaceful and serene and the sunshine helps.  I can hear the buzzing of crickets and have heard my 1st Cuckoo of the year.  Late this year, but finally heralding the start of spring!  There is no easy way up this hill and no path to speak of.  Just rough grass and heather and steep, grassy rakes, unrelenting!  Once above the first knobble, there is another steepening and poles have to be put away and hands put to use as it's quite rocky.  I had thought that this steeping would lead to the top of the hill but I groaned when D checked his altemeter and we were only just over half way up!  It was a steep slog all the way and I was really gritting my teeth and enduring the calf and thigh burn in my push up to the summit.
We decided on a different approach for the way down as neither of us was keen to reverse the scrambling we'd done on the lower steep section.  The map showed steep, grassy slopes on the South side of the hill and this would take us back into Glen Gour and finally back to the track.  The going was really tough and my quads were feeling the strain but we'd zoomed down 500m in around 40minutes so progress was quick!  So quick infact that we had time to stop at the river for a paddle and a bit to eat.  I stripped off for a swim, but getting thigh deep had a change of heart when I realised how icy the water still was, giving me a dose of the hot aches when the blood rushed back into my legs!
We were back in Dundee for 9pm to pick up RB who'd been doing a training session with Neil Gresham in preparation for the Scottish and British Youth Climbing finals.

YCS FINAL ROUND AND KIRRIE QUARRY - 1st/2nd May '10

Saturday the 1st of May saw the final round of the Youth Climbing Series.  Bekah and another girl have been neck and neck on points, and ranking scores, with the other girl just slightly ahead due to completing her boulder problems with less goes than RB.  So, this last round was going to be the decider as to who came in 1st and 2nd.

We arrived at AVW http://www.averticalworld.co.uk/index.htm around 9.30am to register and the kids went for a warm up around 10am, then the comp kicked off.  The boulder problems this year looked really, really hard, the 1st 2 routes not too bad and the final route looked pretty evil.  It went over the roofs on the Rocket Wall, but had massive reaches right down at the start.  I felt really bad for RB and wished that route setters would set routes that were more technical as opposed to having big reaches in them. 
The 14-16yr olds started on their boulder problems 1st.  The 1st problem was a tan one, going up the 35degree overhang.  Normally the 1st boulder problem is pretty easy, to give everybody a chance, but this time, the 1st one looked pretty hard!  It took RB her 3rd go to complete it, and RB's main competition getting it first go.  The 2nd problem went underneath the arch on crimps, with a balancy move to gain holds on the upper slab, then some overhanging heel hooking and a slap for the final hold.  RB got this one 1st go.

They did their 1st 2 routes next, with no problems.  Then it was time for the final boulder problem.  This was on the 45degree overhang and looked really difficult!  Each time RB tried it, I thought she was going to come off on the 1st move, which was a really balancy move using a big sloper.  Nobody in the age group managed to complete the problem and RB and her main competition both got to the same point. 
Still neck and neck, with Bekah's friend slightly ahead, still on less goes to complete her boulder problems, it was time for the final route.  The girls that went before RB and her friend really gave it their all and I felt really bad for them as they just couldn't make that 1st reach move.  2 boys managed the reaches and held holds over the 1st big roof, slapping for the hold under the 2nd roof.  The rest of the boys fell off at the initial reachy move.  Then it was RB's go.  I'd been so sure that the route would be too reachy for her.  I'd forgotten that she really enjoys corner routes and this route started up an overhanging corner, to reach underneath the roofs. 

Well, RB managed to match her foot onto a handhold that she was using at shoulder height!  Wow, super flexible!  She then palmed up slowly for the next handhold, moved her right foot up again, then did another high match on the left handhold.   Then it was a case of balancing to make a clip.  Grabbing the big sloping undercling underneath the big roof, clipping again, holding a tiny crimp above the roof and onto another crimp.  RB then completely cut loose with her feet and swung under the roof for a foothold out left!  She then dynoed for the crimp above the other small holds, catching it with 3 fingers to the amazement of the cheering crowds, then dynoed again for the hold underneath the 2nd roof.  Unfortunately she didn't catch that one, but she did touch it, putting her well into the lead, and equal with the older boys on that route.
That was it in the bag for RB.  She had stormed ahead into the lead and gained 1st place overall for the Scotland South region of the YCS.  I was so over the moon for her.  She loves doing these comps and the competition has been fierce over the years with many of the girls in her age group, so skillful that they've been chosen to be part of the British Team.  She'll more than likely have to compete against these girls, and girls a couple of years older than her in the British finals at Ratho, but it will be a really good experience for her.

So that's the climbing champs day out the way and as for me, I wasn't doing so well.  I'd originally thought to go to Aberdour for the day, followed by Limekilns if we had time.  But I'd not been feeling too great the past couple of days.  I'd been really hormonal and probably pretty anaemic, felt flat, lacking in energy and generally pretty unmotivated.  We decided to go to Kirrie, to play it safe as it's so familiar there and I was interested in checking out the new routes that have been put up.
Well, the new easier routes are all minging.  One of the 4's has a bolt missing, the 3+ has got to be the most dull, pointless route ever and the other 4 goes up a really dirty  and loose corner.   That routes needs ALOT more trundling and cleaning and I ended up climbing down as there was no way I was climbing it with all the big, loose blocks around.
Jonathon warmed up on one of the new 5's and didn't find it that inspiring.  It was too reachy for me and I couldn't even get off the ground on it!  I was feeling really stiff and inflexible however and simply unable to lock off on a layaway to get more reach as my wrists were feeling really painful being bent at an angle.
Jonathon then tried a new 6a, but found the roof really difficult and got annoyed at it.
We scampered off to the Mound area, to get on routes more familiar, and more clean and enjoyable!  I led the easy 4 and Jon did a 6a+ but it was so cold and showery that neither of us was enjoying it that much, so we sacked it and went home.
It's not been a great start to the rock season so far!

ANGEL'S RIDGE - 24th April '10

I'd been wondering for days what to do at the weekend, whether to go for a long, scrambly day or to head away cragging for the weekend.
I fancied a day in the mountains however, but the conditions didn't really seem great for mountain routes and I'm short on keen partners for the mountains, so I decided on going for Angel's Ridge in the Cairngorms as it's a route I'd always fancied.

I wasn't entirely sure whether it would be in winter garb or summer garb but having been told a foot of new snow had fallen on Cairngorm, it convinced me that crampons and axe might be best, thinking the route might be in Alpinesque condition.
D wasn't sure he wanted to go when he realised I only intended to go for a day trip, I forget that other folk arn't as keen as I am to travel and walk miles for an objective and to explore new areas.  D decided to come along in the end and we were up at 5am and setting off from Derry Lodge near 8.30am.  D was off in a shot on the bike and I was lagging as usual, but I managed to cycle all the way to the Lodge without stopping to push, which is an improvement on last time.  Once we were at the point where you cross the Luibeg Burn, we decided to take the quicker option and ford the river rather than the long option of the bridge.  I mistook how fast the river was flowing and it pushed against my foot as I took a step, knocking me off balance and splash! into the river!  Foot soaked and leg soaked from foot to hip!  Och well, if the forecast sun came out then it would dry off.  As it was, it drizzled and rained all the way from the carpark until the point where the path meets with the Lairig Ghru. 
D wasn't enjoying the walk in at all and looked pretty demotivated.  I asked if he wanted to wait for me at Corrour but he said he would continue.  I was going well though.  My hill fitness felt good, my legs fast and my lungs open.  It was all pretty much flat ground though, so the going was really easy and I was as happy as larry to be out and about in the hills.  We decided to cut off the Lairg Ghru at the point where the Allt na Lairig Ghru and the Allt a Gharbh choire join to become the River Dee.  It meant we had to cross 2 rivers but we reckoned the crossing would be easier there, than crossing the Dee.  We managed across the Ghru just fine and the Gharbh was just a dry stream bed surprisingly so that was fine too.  Then it was a long slog off path, up to the Garbh Choire 'bothy'

We were on the hunt out for the Lochan Uaine and upon seeing a bowl shape to the west of the bothy I was really puzzled as the map showed the lochan being pretty much due south of the bothy.  It took a moment, but D realised that the lochan was actually really high up and consulting the map, he was correct.
Then it was time to figure out the best way up there.  We had the choice of following steep rubble and rocky steps to the right of the waterfall falling from the lochan, or heading up either further right, up snowy ramps broken by rocky bluffs.  We decided on the later option as I wasn't keen on ascending steep boulder fields and I reckoned the rocky bluffs were steeper than they looked.  Whereas if the snow was good enough, we could just romp up.
As it was, the snow wasn't that great at all.  There was avalanche debris in many places, lots of fracture lines and really iffy looking sections.  On occasion, I had to cross first, getting D to watch my back, lest I go for a ride.  I felt extremely naked without my helmet and decided that I would always carry a helmet in winter regardless of how easy the scramble I was doing.  I decided to cross a patch of loose stone to reach a snow ramp and that bit was precarious but safe from the dodgy snow.  Once on the snow ramp it was a case of threading up between rocky bits where the snow would be more anchored to the slope.  Some places were less rocky and at one point D set off a small avalanche behind him, which was a bit freaky!  We got to an impasse where the only option was to traverse rightwards for a few steps to a rocky patch, but crossing above a section of recently avalanched ground.  The fracture line was really deep and the snow above didn't look stable at all.  I perched on a rock, looking at it, unable to decide whether to cross or to take the other option of going directly upwards, up an open snow field.  The snow field was only around 20 metres long, but if that went, it would spell trouble, just as much trouble as the snow on the other choice going.  It was only the 1st 5m that was steep enough to pose a problem but I couldn't decide whether traversing a few steps was better than exposing myself for 5 metres.
A discussion followed and in the end we both decided that neither of us were happy to traverse those few steps but D was happy to try going upwards.  I asked him to go up as far as the 1st rocky section on the skyline and I'd watch him.  Then he could watch me coming up.  As it was, the snow was a bit soft to start off with and I could feel it slide under my feet a little, but once we were higher, the snow seemed more bonded and better consolidated.  Don't think I've flew up grade I snow plod ground as fast before!
Good timing, the mist had cleared from the tops and there was our ridge.  The 1st section is just a walk really, with little steps in places that you can make as interesting as you like.  There was so much snow however, that any little steps were pretty much banked out.  Up above we could see a wee steepening at the top.  From the distance it looked like a bit of a snowslope at the very top, topped off with a cornice.  But that was an illusion, there was a small snow slope, broken by a rocky step, but there was no cornice thankfully!
It wasn't long before we were at the steepening.  There was one rocky step that you could go around, but I decided to go up it instead for interest and that got the adrenaline going a bit as it was a bit on the slabby side.  As we neared the top, the ground got more and more exposed.  There was a section where D let me go first and I just trusted myself to the snow, pretty hairy but it worked!  There was evidence of avalanches on either side of the steepening and I was happy to stay off the snow as much as possible.   The last moves at the top though, the step was enough to worry me a little.  I moved up, didn't like the move or the snow condition.  I had to trust my axe in that soft snow and that the snow would bear my weight.
At exactly that point, we heard a loud rumble like thunder.  It was a chilling noise that got my heckles right up and looking across at Garbh Choire Mor, we could see a small avalanche slowly slide downwards.  It seemed to move slowly, hit a point where all hell broke loose, and the whole lot careened down the cliff edge, gathering speed and mass.  WHOAH!!!  I'd always wanted to witness an avalanche and my wish had just been realised.  That was mental to see!  I really didn't like the noise, it was really quite spooky, reminiscant of the time that Andy was trundling rock on Beinn Eighe, cleaning a route for us. 

Back to the route though.  I moved back downwards and tried shuffling under an overhanging bit of rock, but that felt really precarious.  I moved back to my original position, cleared some snow away from a rocky bit to make a good ledge for my foot, cleared snow away from above so I could get a good axe placement, always on the back of my mind that I was knocking snow down onto the snowy slope that I was precariously stood on.  Stepped up some more, grabbed a rounded rock, got my foot on my unburried ledge, sank in my axe, and moved up, praying that the snow would hold my weight.  It did, woohoo, what a rush!  A few more plunges of my axe and kick a few more steps and I'm there.  Think I exclaimed a few more woo's and got my breathe back!  D had decided that he didn't like the look of my way at all, and went round the other side of the bulge.
That was it done, a route and a munro in the bag.  Then it was off to Cairn Toul.  I seemed to tire going up and by the time I was on the summit, I was feeling really quite dizzy.  I had a drink and something to eat and D donated his sandwich of which I ate half.  I then put another layer on to block out the wind.  That didn't seem to help though and heading up Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir, my legs just went all wonky.  I could barely lift them off the ground.  It reminded me of the time when my lower spinal nerve root was being compressed and I had to really think about how to walk as I seemed to lose the automatic funtion of walking.  I had to really concentrate on walking, moving one foot ahead of the other, and my legs seem to respond with a slight shuffling and upward motion.  It was really quite worrying and unbeknown to me, D was worrying too that he was going to have to carry me off the hill.

We decided under the circumstances that going up Devil's Peak wasn't a great idea and we should just get down to the bothy so that I could rest.  Once on the way down though, my legs seemed to recover and I'm not sure in the slightest whether it was anything to do with my myelopathy or whether my legs were just tired from all the walking, adrenaline and lack of food.  We were down at the bothy in no time and had a stop and another bite to eat.  It was hard to get up and carry on once we'd sat for a while but once on the path I just put my head down and kept on going.  D gave me the keys to the van and the bike padlocks as I was moving faster again, all leg weakness passed. 
After crossing over the Luibeg, the path back to the bikes seemed to go on forever and ever and so sure was I that every corner I turned would bring Derry Lodge into view, only to be disappointed.  Into view it did come eventually though and by that point I was slowing enough and D moving faster, that he'd caught up with me.  He shot off on the bike and I didn't get a chance to make him a coffee and have it waiting for him back at the van, but it was the thought that counted.

THE COBBLER AND ROSYTH QUARRY - 15/16 April '10

RB, D and I have been enjoying the last of the Easter holidays in the sunshine.  We took a trip over Loch Lomond way to check out potential wedding venues, followed by a walk up the Cobbler.  Neither D or RB had been up the Cobbler before so we went for a walk into the corrie, past the South Ridge, up to the Centre peak, then descending by the North peak.
It was another gorgeous sunny day on the hill and after the horrible slog through the Ardgarten forest it was nice to be in the open with the views of Ben Arthur above.  The Cobbler really is a gorgeous wee hill and someday I must climb on it.  I've always been put off by the fact that the rock is schist and I'm wary about having enough gear.  Sure if I just did the classic V.Diff or Severe then any lack of gear shouldn't be too off putting though.

I pointed out the S.Ridge to D and RB, that I'd meant to climb with James, Kirstin and Mikkel several years ago, which we bailed from due to wet and slippery rock.  It looked like a doddle in the sunny, dry conditions and even the downclimb at the top of the South Peak didn't look too bad.  Though I'd probably want a rope as there is a lot of grassy sections which would be dire and slippery!
Before long we were at the top of the hill, with just the short moderate scramble up to the top of the Centre Peak.  You have to crawl through a hole, walk along a narrow and exposed ledge, scramble up a slab then then pull up over a bulge on massive jugs and up onto the pinnacle.
The narrow ledge was much wider than I remember it being and the downclimb off the top just as hairy, blindly trying to find a foot placement.
We then sat enjoying the sun, and RB and D went back up the pinnacle whilst I took some pics.  Then it was a quick dash back down via the North Peak path, looking out for the entrance to Cobbler Cave route, a V.Diff pot holing route which I must do this year!  We then went for tea at the hotel in Crianlarich, sat beside a stuffed fox which was a tad disconcerting.

On Friday Jonathon, RB and I went out for our first rock climbing session of the season.  The original plan was to head to Rosyth Quarry and do a few easy routes each, followed by a trip to Limekilns to lead some VS's and lead/toprope some harder stuff.  Well, of course I'd forgotten just how time consuming trad climbing is, so we only managed 7 routes at Rosyth and never made it to Limekilns.  I picked Jon up at 10am and we arrived at Rosyth around 11ish.
RB led first, doing a V.Diff called The Sickle, which was my very first trad lead back in 2004.  I soloed up the moderate next door which is often used as the descent route to check out her anchor set up.  Ropework was time consuming, with it being our first time out.  Another team were using the stakes, so we just used a big tree further back.  RB got her belay plate muddled several times, and this was after borrowing mine, having dropped her own down the cliff face!  First trip out of the year, full of faff and bumbledom :oD

Jon seconded RB and then went on to lead the Severe called Drizzle, which both RB and I seconded. 
I wanted something easy for my 1st lead and something I hadn't done before.  There was only one Severe left that I hadn't done, so I went for a V.Diff called Andy's Route, which I found a bit minging!  A bit awkward and off balance and with a start that felt hard for V.Diff and took a bit of figuring.  Both RB and Jon seconded and by the time we'd done a route each it was well past lunch time so we stopped for a sarnie.

A couple of guys were trying the Severe called CND.  The second couldn't manage to complete the route and the leader was hesitant about abb'ing down for gear, so I offered to second the route for them to clean the gear.  And that would then free the route for RB to lead as she had her eye on it.
RB flew up with no problem whatsoever and then Jon had a wander about, not sure what he wanted to do.  He had his eye on Heathy, but there was folk already on it, so he decided on Grenville instead.  It's a VS I'd wanted to onsight, but I wasn't really that bothered.  Jon flew up with ease and RB seconded no problem.  I had a bit of a pause at the crux, and had to climb up a couple of times to figure it, finding a fingery undercut hold that I could use to get some height.  I enjoyed the route, though it was a bit of a one/two move wonder.
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next, but nothing testing as my guts were playing up something awful.  I had to force myself to climb anything at all as I didn't want to sack the day having only led one route.  I just ended up doing another V.Diff called Jack's Route.  My poor old body felt really stiff and awkward and I had a bit of trouble getting my leg up high enough onto a hold at one point, requiring a bit of grunting!
I can see I'm going to have to work a bit before I'm back to climbing and leading VS with ease. 
RB didn't see anything else she fancied leading, so Jon had a go on the HVS called The Waullie.  He totally cruised it!  I can see Jon breaking into the E grades this summer, no problem, he's got a real natural talent there.  RB seconded the route with no problems, just a little shaky on figuring the crux.  But she managed it no problem whatsoever.  My guts and body had had enough for the day and by the time we were back at the car it was around 6pm.
A successful day out for both RB and Jon.  I didn't feel too great, but then it always takes me a few sessions out on rock to get back into the swing of things again.

SUNNY GLEN SHIEL - 10th/11th April 2010

I have been hankering after doing the Forcan Ridge for quite some time now, oooh around 5years.  I got as far as half way up to the Bealach na Craoibhe at that time, for a winter ascent, only for it to uttery lash it down with rain.  We turned back that day, preferring to keep it for clear weather to enjoy the positions and situation.
Finally managed a traverse this weekend in the most superb weather ever.  I deliberated on whether I should take a rope or not, memories of my fall on the Aonach Eagach several years ago on my mind.  The Forcan has a steep downclimb of Moderate standard and it was this section that was concerning me.  I decided in the end not to bother with the rope.  I reckoned that the ridge wouldn't be in winter nick, I had more experience of downclimbing since the Aonach Eagach incident and I needed practise of scrambling without a rope for a trip to the Alps this summer.
D and I went up to Shiel in the van on Friday evening and stayed over.  We set off at around 9am, the first on the hill and upon reaching the Bealach I was blown away by how the view of the Forcan just opens out, in it's almost Alpine splendour that day.  It doesn't take long at all to reach the start of the scrambling and it was poles away and hands out time.  The scrambling starts off really easily, more like scampering upwards than scrambling.  There is a steeper, awkward section above and then the ridge narrows out weaving around and over blocks, narrow paths between blocks and a couple of sections where you have to hold on to the ridge edge to use as a handrail.  The footholds are massive at these points and it's really easy and nice to be moving so freely. 

Here and there, we need to watch our step as there are patches of solid neve in places and soft, slippery snow in others.  It's not long before we reach the point of the downclimb and I've been feeling more and more nervous of the prospect.  Conditions are very similar to my day on the Aonach Eagach, though not wet like that was.  I'm praying that there won't be patches of ice or snow to make the going more difficult.  My prayers are answered and the wall is devoid of snow and is completely dry.  D goes down first and once he's half way down I tentatively start lowering myself down facing inwards.  My heart rate goes up some and I tell myself that I've downclimbed things far, far harder than this when I've been attached to a rope with no problems whatsover, so I can downclimb moderate without any hassle.
I get to a slabby bit and just can't see where to put my foot at all!  There is a big ledge but it's miles away and I'm finding it very hard to judge whether my foot can reach it or not.  It does, but only just!  And I'm left with my other foot up near my chest and I have to lean right out from the rock face to remove it from its stuck position.  The next problem is a wee chimney/groove near the bottom where again I'm having trouble reaching down with my feet.  I manage to swing my foot across onto another block though and another move or two and I'm down. I did it, hurrah!  We move up to a spot where we can stop and have a bite to eat and D moved back to the downclimb so I could take some photos.  We realised that it was much easier to go down the right hand side of the wall when you're looking down from the top, rather than the left side which is more slabby and less blocky.  Not sure I'd have liked to downclimb that wall in winter, going down a gully and avoiding it, or abseiling down would seem a better option to me.

The rest of the ridge is straight forward enough and there is just a snowy crest to cross where we put our crampons on just incase.  They wern't necessary in the end as the snow was pretty soft but it was nice to have them on and just move up the final crest without having to concentrate too fully.  The views from the top were stunning!  You could see South to the Ben, west to the Knoydart Peninsula and Skye and North up to Torridon.  Beautiful! 
Crampons off, we zoomed down the soft snow and down to Lochan Bealach Coire Mhalagain and then it was a steep and upward slog up to the col between Faogoch and Sgurr na Sgine.  The walk up to the summit of Sgurr na Sgine was really pleasant and we briefly discussed whether going back to Faogoch or descending via the NE spur of Sgine.  Going back seemed the best option, the NE spur was do-able but seep and requiring concentration.  As it was, the descent off Faogoch was pretty steep too and my knee was aching by this time.  At one point it locked completely, sending a jarring pain into my joint and that was it in pain for the rest of the descent, which made things slow and tiresome, so relentless was it.  A couple of hours later we were sitting in the Claunie Inn having vegi haggis and fish and chips.

Sunday dawned fine and bright again and having discussed plans the previous evening, we had decided on bagging the Corbett Am Bathach, followed by the munro Ciste Dhubh.  If we felt energetic enough we would add on the munro Aonach Meadhoin too.  Jeeze it was hot, hot, hot!  I knew the forecast had been for fine weather but I thought it had said around 6 degrees at 900m.  It was much hotter than that!  I was struggling, having only packed my Powerstretch tights which have a fleecy inner and my black fleece.  I could have really done with shorts and a vest top, something to cover my head and a pair of sunglasses.  It didn't take long for D to start ploughing ahead of me, so oppressive was I finding the heat and sun.  I contemplated taking my top off for quite some time.  Hmmm.  Should I or shouldn't I?  There was nobody about bar a couple who started up the Corbett behind us, but showed no sign of catching up.  It was always possible that we'd bump into folk at the top, or up on the munro ahead.  I got so hot though, that it got to the point where I simply didn't care, the top was coming off!  It felt a bit weird walking with rolled up fleecy tights and a bra on, not the best look in the world, but phew it felt so much better!
D commented that as soon as I took my top off, I sped up instantly.  He was right, I move so much better when I'm cool and not too hot.  After descending Am Bathach, I shot up towards to the top of Ciste Dhubh, my legs feeling good and strong, my hill fitness coming back at last!  Again, it was gorgeous up there and we sat for quite some time, enjoying the views and the peace and sunshine.  I had to take some painkillers though as I could feel a migraine coming on, too much sun on my head and in my eyes!  Moving again, after sitting so long was a bit of a struggle and I could feel my legs seizing up a bit.  My quad muscle on my good leg was pretty sore, probably from over compensating for my painful knee from yesterday!  Ignore the pain, try to keep my leg relaxed and try to move it normally and the pain settles and becomes easy to forget.
Back to the Bealach Choinich and the slog up to Aonach Meadhoin is hard, hard work!  I think we are both feeling it in the legs, and weary from the heat.  Up near the top of Sgurr an Fhuarail we bump into a guy coming down and I feel a bit sheepish at my state of undress, but quickly shrug it off and ask about the condition of the snow above.  Soft he said, but narrow enough to need concentration.

I ponder whether to put crampons on up to the summit of Meadhoin but we decide against it.  They're not needed right enough, but the concentration is.  It's not far though and before long we're at the top of the munro.  We don't hang about for long however.  That's 3pm, still got a long way back down and a long drive back home.  Back to the summit of Sgurr an Fhuarail, down to a col, up to another top and then we drop down the SE spur.  It's a slog!  We can see the Inn all the way down and damned if it ever gets any closer!  Of course it does though and we're finally there, followed by a walk along the road for about a mile or so back to the van.  A short drive down to the view point near Invergarry to stop to cook and give D some shut eye before the long haul home.
It's been an utterly fab weekend though.  One of those special ones that you'll always remember and that make you feel so glad to be alive and so lucky to live in such a stunning country.

LOCHNAGAR - 8/04/10

I think this was my last day to try and get out winter climbing and I'd been in touch with Rob the previous week about getting out today.  We decided on an early start and meeting up at the Loch Muick carpark to climb on Lochnagar.  I'd seen a photo of the cliffs on the SAIS website http://www.sais.gov.uk/ and it looked to me that with freezing levels hovering at the 1000m mark then the turf might still be frozen on Central Buttress.  It was hard to tell from the photo how white/black Central Buttress was as the pic of that area was obscured by trees, but I thought that Pinnacle Gully 1 might go if the buttresses were too black and both were routes I'd like to do.

I met up with Rob at 7.30am, half an hour later than planned as I'd stupidly set my alarm for 5.50 am instead of 4.50am!  And poor Rob hadn't realised that Lochnagar was only an hours drive from Aberdeen, as he'd normally come from Edinburgh area, and had been waiting since 6.30am!
Driving along towards Ballater, I could see that the cliffs looked pretty black looking so I thought it more likely that we'd be climbing a gully.  The walk in was easy going and it seemed to take hardly any time at all to reach the Col.  We could see straight away that Central Buttress was a no go, and that every other buttress was completely stripped of snow, bar spots of translucent ice stuck to the rock as if by magic!  From the Col, it looked like even Pinnacle Gully 1 looked in dubious condition.  The route starts up a rib/groove/ramp and that was pretty much devoid of snow, bar a few patches and would have to be climbed on rock and bare turf.  We thought it might just go if the turf was frozen enough and lead us into the gully proper above which would surely have snow in it.
Passing by Douglas Gibson Gully we could see that had a large and steep rock step at the very top.  Parallel A Gully was falling down as we passed by, with streams and waterfalls of ice raining down the gully, looked quite horrific and didn't bode well for our route!  Raeburns Gully was the leanest I'd ever seen it and looked impossible at grade II.  What thin ice was left would peel away for sure.  Pinnacle Gully was most definitely not in condition and ice was raining down the side walls of the Black Spout Pinnacle itself.  The rock here was so bare that given a couple of days drying time, it would be inviting enough to go rock climbing on.
We decided to go up Black Spout Gully Left Branch and see if the gully Crumbling Cranny was in nick.  On peering into the left branch and seeing how bare the walls were on the left side, and the ice still raining down the side walls, we decided against it, and just slogged up the main branch of Black Spout itself.  The ice step in the left branch was fully banked out and non existant and I'd been up that branch anyway, but never the main branch.
The snow ran out near the top, bar a wee thin cruddy line which looked ready to collapse.  We took the mixed option on the right and over rock and turfy steps and up to the right side of the cornice.  It was easier to drop the axes and use hands for the rock step.  Then it was into the gusty wind and showers of graupel blasting my face. Up to the summit to shelter from the wind and pack our harnesses which we'd put on where the first aid box used to be (where has that gone?) in the vain hope of climbing.  We'd thought to traverse round to Dubh Loch as the day was yet early but since it was so windy, showery and the clag was down we decided to head straight down the NE spur instead, contour around the bottom of the Pap and back to the path.  This seemed to take forever as it involved boulders and soft snow fields where even laid back Rob gave a couple of growls of frustration at falling into hole after hole.
Home now with my knee and back sore, but eagerly looking forward to a weekend of good weather out in the hills.