Summer 2008 Reports

26th October 2008

Another really wild day yesterday with ferocious winds and heavy rain caused havoc - boats were washed off their mourings and the Original Mountain Marathon in the Lake District was abandoned leaving many competitors stranded. The good news is that it has calmed down a bit today and cooled down giving us fresh snow down to 800m on the hills. It will stay very cold this week (-6 celcius at 900m on Tuesday) with snowfall giving us some some chance of some winter climbing. The ground is not cold yet though so don't expect the turf to be frozen, choose something rocky instead.

24th October 2008

Last week was persistently wet and very wind, not the best conditions to run an ML Training Course but a good opportunity to experience the most challenging summer hillwalking conditions you might find in the UK. The course was based at Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre and we used the fantastic Arrochar Alps (including The Cobbler and The Brack) for the training.

With 100mph gusts at 900m forecast we stayed low for the two day expedition at the end of the course. Also with 50mm of rain forecast on the first day out the stream crossings were always going to be a potential problem. Despite these challenges the team kept up the energy and effort to learn all the skills required to lead hill walking groups in summer conditions in the UK.

12th October 2008

The rain stayed off to give us a dry weekend for the SPA Training Course I was working on with George McEwen at Glenmore Lodge. We went to Cummingston on the Morray coast for the personal climbing day where there is generally a good chance of dry conditions when all around is wet. The groupwork day we spent at Kingussie Crag up behind the golf course. This is a great wee place, superb for taking first timers or learning to lead.

4th October 2008

After a horrible morning with lashing rain and wild winds this afternoon brightened up perfectly. The day finished with sunshine and blue skies! Working for Alan Kimber, Danny, Brian and I took a group of Swiss from the Royal Scotsman train through the gorge to Steall Meadows. This has got to be the best short walk in Scotland, I defy anyone to come up with a better one! The snow on the hills built up fairly well and was then washed away from the open slopes but there is still some in the gullies. This will be washed away next week no doubt but winter is definitely on its way.

3rd October 2008

More snow on Ben Nevis today, now down to 500m. It will all disappear next week as we get SW winds back again but it's good to see the first signs of winter.

2nd October 2008

October has brought the first snow of the approaching winter to the hills. A dusting down to 1000m on Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor and Carn Mor Dearg was just enough to raise the excitement levels and get us thinking about what the winter will shape up to be like. If it's anything like last winter I'll be very happy! We're starting to get bookings for winter courses so book early to make sure you get the training or the adventure you want!

26th September 2008
Day three of our expedition was a quick ascent of Ben MacDui before heading north, down the Goat Track and out to the ski area car park. Altogether it was a fantastic expedition over the highest plateau in the country taking in four 4000 foot peaks on the way. A brilliant effort from the whole team.

25th September 2008

Day two of the ML Assessment expedition took us over Sgor an Lochain Uaine and Cairn Toul in the mist before dropping down to Corrour Bothy in the Lairig Ghru. The big climb up the other side towards Ben MacDui was quite a test but the brilliant views down the Lairig Ghru and the blaeberries kept us going to our camp site just under Ben MacDui.

24th September 2008

Working for Glenmore Lodge on an ML Assessment Course Al, Mark, Jake, Dan and I headed up from Glen Feshie towards Braeriach. There was a little light mist on the tops which was useful for the assessment! We got as far as the Wells of Dee where we camped, a very wild camp at 1200m. After dark we all headed out to walk up Braeriach doing some night navigation under the brilliant stars.

18th September 2008

The forecast high pressure was showing some signs of progress today in Glen Nevis with some warm sunshine on the boulders. Owen and I escaped for a couple of hours playing on the superb boulders just off the road at Poldubh. The ground is wet but the mica-schist in the glen dries very quickly and the boulders were perfect to climb on. The high pressure system will dominate the weather next week so we will have warm sunshine and dry conditions all week. We have guides available if you want to make use of this Indian Summer - a Skye Ridge traverse or a lead rock climbing course perhaps? Get in touch!

18th September 2008

Today I went biking for a change, with Ailsa and Heather. As part of their week's holiday of biking in the Outdoor Capital of the UK we went for a wee ride up to the CIC Hut along the Allt a'Mhuillin. This is a great trail, quite a long way up with bits of pushing but it goes right into the heart of the north face of Ben Nevis, a fantastic sight. The descent (all 650m vertical of it!) is a bit technical with lots of drains to cross but great fun and flowing in between. Getting on to the Witches Trails as part of the descent is easy and a wee loop by the River Lochy to finish made for a superb short day out. It was wet and windy for much of it but tomorrow should be drier.

17th September 2008

It was a mixed summer, some dry spells and some wet spells. Dave MacLeod completed his project on Echo Wall, Ben Nevis (well done Dave) and the CIC Hut is being extended (unfortunately). Donald had two wet weeks on Skye at the start of September while I was climbing Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya - have a look here for the pictures and report. I'm back home now and was back on Ben Nevis today with Michael and Ron. They are ticking off the great ridges of Ben Nevis having done Tower Ridge (in summer and winter) and Observatory Ridge. Today it was NE Buttress, a great V Diff and the most prominent of the ridges but less well travelled than the others. Unfortunately it didn't come out of the mist today and if you didn't know where it was you'd struggle to find it! The rock was super slippy as well with more lichen and moss on the rocks making the going quite treachurous. Michael and Ron did great to climb it so well. More rain tomorrow and generally mixed weather for a few more days but there is the chance of high pressure coming next week.

15th June 2008

My father's day treat was to take Louise, Owen and Megan climbing in Glen Nevis and it was great! The weather has gone a bit cooler with hail and snow falling on the tops in showers. However there is more sunshine than showers and it is very warm in the sun and out of the wind. The buttresses are still very dry - we've had just occasional light rain over the last couple of weeks - and the snow patches are receding fast. Donald has made full use of the good rock climbing conditions and has made ascents of many routes up to E5 including the rarely visited Aquarian Rebels in the Steall Gorge. Dave MacLeod is working hard on his project on Ben Nevis and Rhapsody has had its second ascent by Sonny Trotter, the American superstar. I'm off to the Alps in a couple of days for seven weeks. I have a couple of days still free for some Alpine guiding (1st to 4th July) so get in touch for a last minute trip. Donald and the team are still here in Scotland over the summer and we have some free slots for classic rock climbs, scrambling and walking in the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

2nd June 2008

Light, steady rain fell for a few hours over night but by sunrise the ground was dry again. Ken, Dave and I enjoyed the cool early morning conditions and made great progress, with clouds paying in the corries beneath us, to get to Bruach na Frithe by 1.30pm. By this time the clouds had cleared and we finished the traverse as we started in hot sunshine - glorious!

1st June 2008

Another very hot and sunny start to another Cuillin Ridge Traverse, this time with Ken and Dave. Despite the couple of days of rain the ridge was bone dry again and finding sufficient water was always going to be a problem. However the clouds came across so the afternoon was quite a reasonable temperature. With far fewer people on the ridge than last weekend we didn't get held up at all and we made it over Sgurr Banachdich to camp by The Teeth. There was a brilliant sunset before clouds brought the threat of light rain moving in from the east.

31st May 2008
The rain only lasted two days and wasn't really that heavy so the crags are back to bone dry now. The sun is out and it's very warm again with very patchy rogue showers floating around. So, I'm off to Skye again!

28th May 2008
At long last, after two months of dry weather, it has started raining!

27th May 2008

With weary legs Tom, Joy and I walked in to Coire Laggan to the awesome acres of rock on Sron na Ciche. We climbed Cioch West, a very exposed grade Severe climb on perfect rock. There were many teams out enjoying the perfectly dry climbing in this unique setting. There's no place better when the weather is so good!

26th May 2008

A comfortable night with less wind saw us starting with the sunrise to continue our traverse. Perfect weather with a gentle cool breeze helped us along to the next water stop at Bruach na Frithe. A quick scramble without the packs then got us to Am Basteir and Sgurr nan Gillean still with big smiles in place! The long walk down watching the evening colours change on the peaks was helped along with dreams of a big dinner and a bath!

25th May 2008

When will it ever rain again? Still very dry and sunny on the west coast so Joy, Tom and I went for the Cuillin ridge. We started our traverse from Sgurr nan Eag and went past the TD Gap and all the way along to the Inaccessible Pinnacle which we climbed in the light of the setting sun. With an hour's delay at the TD Gap and an hour and a half at the Inaccessible Pinnacle we only made it as far as Coire na Banchdich by 9pm. There was a strong and cold easterly wind all day which made it easier to stay hydrated (since we kept cooler) and filled up from the spring down in Coire banachdich. A long day made longer by the number of people out enjoying the ridge but brilliant all the same.

19th May 2008

Another lovely day, cool air with a little cloud building up and a very light snow shower on the top of Ben Nevis. Mike and I climbed Tower Ridge and had just about the whole place to ourselves! There was one team on Raeburn's Arete (a superb climb on the First Platform of NE Buttress) and another an hour or two behind us on Tower Ridge. Apart from a small patch of snow in East Gully of Douglas Gap and in the Fallen Block Chimney there is no snow left on Tower Ridge. In fact all the crags are dry - after Number Five Gully there is no snow on Ledge Route so Carn Dearg is dry and Minus One Buttress is dry but has a big snow patch at the bottom.

18th May 2008

It's slightly cooler this weekend but just as sunny and dry. The air has cleared as well so the views are spectacular. Mike and I went up Stob Coire nan Lochain by way of Barn Wall, a superb scramble/moderate rock climb on very steep rock with excellent ledges. The top was busy today and we went down over Gear Aonach and The Zigzags back to the glen. All the crags on the East Face of Aonach Dubh are dry, the weeps of Weeping Wall are just black streaks and there were a couple of teams on the Terrace climbs (Archer Ridge etc.) and Freak Out. The West Face will be just as dry but there are still substantial snow patches towards the top of the hills for walkers to avoid.

15th May 2008

The good weather just won't give up! Another dry day with a little cloud to keep the heat of the sun off just enough. With understandably tired legs, Tim, Matthew and I went for a wee climb on Sgurr an Fheadain called Edgeway. With a gentle walk in past the Fairy Pools this grade Diff climb was perfect to get the muscles back into action without being too demanding! We've now had excellent weather in the Outdoor Capital of the UK for a month and a half with no sign of it giving up yet!

14th May 2008

Day two of our traverse got off to an early start to make use of the cool morning air. Starting off with my favourite top - Sgurr an Greadhaidh - we made great progress and got to the spring after Bruach na Frithe by 1.30pm. From there a quick circuit got us round and onto Sgurr nan Gillean and the end of a fantastic two days that will stay with Matthew and Tim for many years to come. Traversing the whole Cuillin Ridge is a world class objective and requires great fitness, concentration and some luck with the weather. This time it all came together and resulted in two of the best days I've had in the Cuillin.

13th May 2008

Very sunny and hot conditions again made it tough going for the first day of our traverse of the Cuillin Ridge from Sgurr nan Eag to Sgurr nan Gillean. We walked in to Coire na Grunda for a big drink and stock up on water before going up to the ridge. There are a couple of springs on the ridge that are vital in this weather - if you get dehydrated your performance drops along with your ability to concentrate making a mistake far more likely. Carrying sufficient water is impossible as well because it is too heavy so good planning is essential. We managed to cover the first six Munro's including the Inaccessible Pinnacle before setting up camp next to The Teeth on the col after Sgurr na Banachdich where there is a good stream 5 minutes from the ridge (if you know where to look!). A perfect sunset on a perfect day in one of the best places in the world.

12th May 2008

Perfect conditions and weather on Skye has drawn many teams onto the Cuillin Ridge. However Tim, Matthew and I got Pinnacle Ridge on Sgurr nan Gillean to ourselves today. This is a brilliant moderate rock climb with an abseil off the third pinnacle before going up to Sgurr nan Gillean. From there a wee scramble down the west ridge and an abseil down the chimney at the bottom took us onto the east ridge of Am Basteir for our second Munro of the day. Dehydration then set in so we headed down to the welcome cold springs in the corrie and back to Sligachan.

10th May 2008

The rain held off in Glen Nevis and, in fact, most areas of Lochaber. Jenny, Lesley and I had a great day rock climbing at Poldubh in the warm, dry conditions. We climbed Heat Wave, Secretaries Direct and Super Direct, and The Gutter, ten pitches in all and three abseils! There were just a couple of other climbing teams out so there was plenty of room on the crags. The valley crags are bone dry just now but the mountain crags will be wet for some weeks to come as the snow slowly melts away. Dry and warm for the coming week so I'm off to Skye!.

9th May 2008

For the two day expedition on the summer ML training course we had great weather. Hot sunshine all day yesterday, a perfect, warm and stary night for the night navigation and sunshine again this morning. It was far more humid today and feels like a thunder storm would be good to clear the air. We have more ML Courses planned in October and are hoping to do an assessment course as well as a training course. Get in touch now if you'd like to book your place. We might get some rain tomorrow but the high pressure is making the warm front fizzle out and weaken so we may well get away with it.

7th May 2008

Another hot and sunny day for the ML Training group to discuss management of accidents and incidents, practice improvised carries and stream crossings. Looks like the high pressure will stay with us for a good few days still to come.

6th May 2008

It was a bit hazy today as the remnants of a warm front passed ove but with high pressure dominating the weather stayed dry and fine. Our ML Training group went to Glenachulish to cover the emergency ropework sections of the syllabus. There are great little granite outcrops all over these corries offering some superb scrambling in a brilliant setting.

5th May 2008

Yesterday's rain made for a slightly misty start today with high pressure building and holding it down in place. However the hot sun burned it off very quickly to give a brilliant, hot and sunny day. The ML Training Group went for the SW Ribs of Meall an t'Suidhe to look at group management, leadership styles and security on steep broken ground without using a rope. We got a bit burned in the sun but enjoyed the spectacular views up Glen Nevis and down Loch Linnhe. This high pressure system will be with us for many days to come and possibly into next week so get out walking and rock climbing before the midges arrive!

4th May 2008

In the space of two weeks we've gone from the tail end of winter with huge icy classics being climbed in great, cold conditions to full on summer sunshine and heat with the rock dry and valley cragging at its best. The first day of our Summer ML Training Course started out dry and breezy but turned to fat rain by the end of the afternoon. After an hour discussing the role of a mountain leader we went up to Lundavra Farm and walked over Beinn Na Gucaig looking at all the core aspects of navigation.