Skills & latest Ben Nevis conditions

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Hannah was out in the corries of Ben Nevis today, delivering a winter skills day for Bristol University on behalf of Mountain Motion.  Overnight, the temperatures had risen to above the summits, saturating and softening the snow pack and leading to cornices becoming unstable and in some cases breaking away.  Needless to say, the crags quickly lost any rime ice, and were quite black, so whilst mixed climbing would have been a non-starter today, what this thaw did is highlight the build up of ice down the major drainage lines.

Much of the ice will be thin and soft and not much fun to climb just yet, but there is a lot about, and with a much more prolonged cold spell starting on Wednesday, after the passing of Storm Frank, it’s looking like a promising start to 2016.

Hannah and Rich took the group on a tour of Coire na Ciste, looking at cramponning and ice axe arrests, before a journey day in Glencoe tomorrow.  Not many other folk out today, although one team did make an ascent of No. 5 Gully, before coming back down No. 4.

 

Long time coming! Crest Route, SCNL, Glencoe

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After weeks of storms, super short lived freeze cycles, and generally a frustrating start to winter, things finally took a noticeable turn for the better this weekend.  So, with the promise of clear skies, calm winds and low temperatures, Steve and I quickly hatched plans to venture up to Stob Coire nan Lochan yesterday and have a look at Crest Route on North Buttress.  Steve had already climbed the route before, so knew that due to it’s rocky and steep nature it didn’t really rely on turf, which hadn’t quite had the chance to thoroughly freeze, and me having not climbed it before, it seemed like a wise idea, and a great one, as it’s been on my tick-list for quite a while.

The approach was quite tough going due to some deep snow drifts covering the path, but luckily for us, we weren’t the first ones of the day heading up.  We were also just as lucky that the couple of teams in front didn’t have Crest Route in their sights!  The first pitch was a fairly straight forward affair, led by Steve, before I took over, and made my way up the sustained, technical, but well protected and enjoyable second pitch, before Steve slowly and steadily made his way up the technical and awkward third pitch.  We topped out to virtually no wind and clear panoramic views in every direction.  Not a bad way to open this winter’s account!  Other teams were on Yankee Go Home, Scabbard Chimney, Dorsal Arete, Twisting Gully, Central Grooves and Intruder.

Today unfortunately didn’t turn out to be quite so productive.  Steve and I made our way up high, to the entrance to No.4 Gully on Ben Nevis, with intentions to explore and climb on the upper tier of Trident Buttress, which overlooks No. 4, but unfortunately, due to the longish approach, probably coupled with yesterday’s efforts, Steve’s back, which he has had quite a few problems with this year, was causing him a bit of discomfort.  For life as mountaineering instructors, there’s almost nothing more important than looking after your body, particularly with a busy winter looming, so for both Steve and I, there was no question that pushing on would be foolish, so we made our way back down.  It was just nice to be out on such a glorious day, to have a look at an area of Ben Nevis that I know less about and see what else people were on (quite quiet today, with teams on Tower Ridge, Cutlass, No. 3 Gully Buttress, Sioux Wall and Ledge Route).

Hannah has also had a busy weekend, working with a group from Maximum Adventure.  They enjoyed a walk into Coire na Ciste, whilst looking at a number of core winter skills, all in preparation for today’s assault on the summit of Ben Nevis, which they succeeded in achieving. They’ve certainly had a great weekend for it.

Surprisingly snowy on Ledge Route, Ben Nevis

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Yesterday was my first day of mountaineering work this winter.  I was working for Abacus Mountain Guides, and was joined by Sally, who was keen to observe a mountaineering day on Ben Nevis, and Amanda, who originally hails from South Africa, and had come up for the weekend from down south to reach the summit of Ben Nevis via a more technical route than the mountain track.  Ledge Route is often a great option, weaving an intricate line through some outstanding scenery, beneath imposing crags and buttresses, and above yawning gullies and snow laden corries, so that’s what we set out to do.

The forecast promised an improving picture as the day progressed, which was reassuring, as early morning brought with it strong winds and heavy rain down to sea level.  As soon as we gained the entrance to Coire na Ciste, things noticeably calmed down,  and we picked our way though a lot of fresh snow to the top of Moonlight Gully Buttress, before traversing across the bowl of No. 5 Gully and reaching the start of Ledge Route itself.

Amanda did exceptionally well, particularly as conditions underfoot weren’t easy with the sheer volume of soft snow sitting directly on the rocks, typical for early season, before a good firm base of snow has established.  Once on the plateau, we made our way over a mixture of scoured ground and the occasional snow drift to the summit, which was well rimed.   Whilst visibility was quite poor, the winds by this stage were far more gentle than earlier in the day.  We had a look at descending the Red Burn, which is starting to fill with snow, but soon changed our minds as it was slow going and ventured back onto the mountain track, which made for a far easier descent.

Very few people out and about, and climbing conditions wouldn’t have been great following a substantial thaw on Thursday, and a dumping of soft, wet snow on Friday before the ground had time to refreeze.  Another variable week of freeze/thaw cycles ahead, which will all help in the long run.

Don’t forget to let us know what you’ve been up to on the hills, as we’ll include any useful information and pictures on this blog.

Sgor na h-Ulaidh and Beinn Fhionnlaidh, Glen Etive

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Before you spend the whole time reading this blog wondering how an earth to pronounce the two mentioned Munros, here you go: Sgor na h-Ulaidh is pronounced ‘skor na hoolya’ and means peak of the treasure and Beinn Fhionnlaidh is pronounced ‘byn yoonly’ and means Finlay’s peak.  And it’s these two Munros that Johnny and I, working for Steve Fallon, guided a strong group of ten around yesterday.

Following a rather wild and wet week, with some quite mild temperatures, things took a distinct turn on Friday evening, with a drop in temperatures, and with it, the promise of fresh snow, possibly down to valley level.  Fortunately for us, the snow was nowhere near as heavy as some forecasts predicted, allowing us to drive safely down the often untreated road in Glen Etive, and set off at 8am on Saturday morning.  What snow had fallen, had been brought in on fresh NNE winds, therefore transporting much of it onto southerly aspects, which was quite apparent when making an ascent of the south eastern flank of Sgor na h-Ulaidh.  A thin layer of windslab was starting to form in hollows, but without a base, was of very little concern. As ever, it’s interesting to see it forming.

The group made steady progress up the steep SE flank and ridge, and we were soon enjoying the summit of Sgor na h-Ulaidh, with little wind, and great visibility over towards the Aonach Eagach and Ben Nevis to the north, to Beinn Cruachan to the south and over to Mull out west.  From here, a long descent down to nearly 400m, brought us to the foot of Beinn Fhoinnlaidh.  We ascended the mountain’s west flank, again, up steep slopes, to gain a short but interesting summit ridge, which led us, via a couple of tricky steps to the summit.  As it was 3pm, and therefore with limited daylight left, we chose not to hang about, and managed to negotiate all the steep ground to the SW, before having to don headtorches and make our way over easier ground back to the cars.  All in all, it was a big yet rewarding day for the group, taking in 2 Munros, 17km and 1600m of ascent with less than perfect underfoot conditions.

Winter climbing wise, things are improving, but reports suggest that Stob Coire nan Lochan in Glencoe may not be quite there yet.  A mild and wet start to this coming week, but again, next weekend looks promising.

Here’s a very short film that I quickly put together, it’s amazing what you can do on a phone!

Winter has arrived!

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Storm Abigail brought with it the first substantial snowfall this season, giving the mountains their first winter coat, down to about 600m or so.  Winter has arrived in the Scottish Highlands! Quite a few folk made the most of this early season wintry snap with mixed routes having been climbed in the Northern Corries of the Cairngorms over east, and on the high crags of Ben Nevis and Bidean nam Bian on the west coast.

It’s a bit warmer and wetter today, which will wash most of the recent fresh snow away, however, there is plenty of snow and a cold spell in the pipeline towards the end of the week and into the weekend.  It’s looking like a very promising start to the season!

Phil Thompson was out in the Mamores yesterday and reported:

“Yesterday we went up Stob Ban via col and then up East Ridge. I broke trail in up to 25cm of drifts. The normal summer exit from the East Ridge where it meets the summit was totally filled in so took a detour right to avoid floundering in powder ! ” 3:45hr car to car.

Mamores in winter

Early snow in the Mamores

From the East Ridge of Stob Ban

View from the East Ridge of Stob Ban

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Phil for the report and photos.

Meanwhile, Han was also out, leading a group up the mountain track to the summit of Ben Nevis, for Atlas Mountaineering.  She encountered soft snow all the way, and so the group didn’t need to use crampons or an ice axe.  There was plenty of rime on the summit cairn and shelter.

If you’ve been out walking, mountaineering or climbing, then feel free to drop us an email: [email protected] with your trip report, which we can then include in our blog posts.

A short, yet inspiring film on Scottish winter climbing

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Take 4 minutes out of your Friday afternoon, and watch Kenton Cool, Neil Gresham and Heather Geluk talk about their motivations for the unique world of Scottish winter climbing.

It’s cooling down – Scottish winter courses

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It’s been a busy summer, both on the Isle of Skye and in the Alps and it’s been great to meet new and also catch up with familiar faces. The late Indian summer we’ve had has been very much appreciated and t-shirt climbing in October and November has been great! We are however also pleased to say it’s now cooling down, and with winter not far away, it’s a good time to start laying down plans for the upcoming winter season.

Our first Scottish winter courses this year start in mid December and we also have some running over the New Year period. This coming winter, we will be offering a greater range of courses than previously, with the inclusion of a Winter Skills & Summits course, aimed at hill walkers looking to take their first winter steps in the Scottish mountains and who wish to tackle snow covered Munros.

Should you wish to tackle something steeper, such as a snow filled gully, iced up buttress or classic icefall, then our range of Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Courses may be just what you’re after!  We’re lucky to be surrounded by some of the finest winter venues, from Ben Nevis to Aonach Mor on our doorstep, to the impressive peaks and crags of Glencoe just to the south.

We will, of course, be running our flagship CIC Hut Weeks too.  The week is spent in the UK’s only alpine hut, at the foot of the North Face of Ben Nevis, which means minimal walk-ins, maximum climbing time!

Don’t forget, we also take Private Guiding bookings too so if you can’t quite find what you’re after when it comes to climbing, winter skills, or walking make sure you get in touch whether your an individual or a group so we can talk through what you’d like to achieve and we’ll come up with a tailor made itinerary for you.

The West Coast Mountain Guides blog will also be kept up-to-date throughout the winter season and please feel free to email us with your own conditions updates and pictures that we can then include on our blog

Oh, and if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to ‘like’ us on facebook and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Ken & Hannah to head up Scottish Courses

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With an ever expanding Alpine climbing and ski touring season, and with Scottish winter and Skye mountaineering courses continuing to be busy, we have brought in Ken Applegate and Hannah Evans, who are based in Fort William, to head up our Scottish mountaineering and climbing courses.

Over the past couple of years, since taking over West Coast Mountain Guides, we have been developing both our Alpine ski touring and cascade climbing courses, along with running our flagship Scottish winter and Skye mountaineering courses, all of which has led to an increase in administration and additional pressures on logistics, to the point that we feel our level of service is beginning to feel the strain.  It therefore makes sense to bring in Ken and Hannah to spread out the work load, and ultimately offer quicker turn around times to enquiries and deliver smoother courses, right from initial contact and booking,  through to enjoying yourselves in the mountains.

Ken, who holds the Mountaineering Instructor Certificate and International Mountain Leader, and Hannah, who holds the Winter Mountain Leader and International Mountain Leader, have been based in Fort William for the past 8 years, and have worked and climbed extensively on Ben Nevis, in Glencoe and throughout the Scottish Highlands.  In between seasons, they seek adventures ski touring, rock and alpine climbing, and recently successfully summited Ama Dablam (6956m), as an independent team,  in the Nepalese Himalaya.  They are both part of Lowe Alpine’s Outdoor Team, and regularly test clothing and equipment for Lowe Alpine and Rab and will bring a wealth of experience into West Coast Mountain Guides and have a constant presence in Fort William.

Contact:

ken@westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk
hannah@westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk

Phone number: +44 (0)7799 863068

Vicky and I will continue to process all Alpine enquiries, both summer and winter.

Bruce.

 

Minus Three Gully, Ben Nevis

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There is deep snow all over Ben Nevis at the moment, down to low levels. The team in the CIC Hut were all alone on the mountain today and climbed the brilliant Minus Three Gully on the side of North East Buttress.  They encountered high quality climbing on each pitch.  Rather than battle up the buttress, they chose to abseil back down the route. Tomorrow looks fine and clear, so they’ll look at climbing a route that tops out on the summit of Ben Nevis.

Scottish Snow Conditions

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Here are the latest Scottish Snow Conditions:

West Coast

Ben Nevis

Skiing Nevis Range
Great cover on the mountain with extensive cover on the upper slopes. At all levels and back to the top station there is a mix of firm packed snow with soft snow on a packed base where the groomer has been along with pockets of soft sleety snow on the summit and upper Goose. Mix of soft wet snow on the Quad Chair runs and firm packed. On the very lower runs Linnhe run is broken but the rope tow is fine.

Warrens lift will open as demand increases with the run currently accessible for the summit.

BACK CORRIES: Assessed daily but Tuesday the snow was soft and exits good with some soft cornices and localised instabilities.

FUNPARK: Small Terrain Park with 3 features at the end of Rabbit run.

Climbing
Fantastic conditions for winter climbing and mountaineering…

Glencoe

Skiing
Wide and deep cover of snow offering excellent skiing on the whole of the mountain.

Climbing
Fantastic conditions for winter climbing and mountaineering…