Much nicer than expected: Western Rib, Aonach Mor

You couldn't have asked for two more contrasting days this weekend. Yesterday, it was raining well above the summits and much of the snow had been washed away. Today, deep drifts of fresh snow and cold temperatures.

I first met Callum in the Indian Himalayas back in 2001, where we climbed Stok Kangri together. We lost touch, but he contacted West Coast Mountain Guides, unaware that I was now running it, so 18 years later, we found ourselves back in the mountains together.

With windy and wet weather yesterday, we climbed Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower, which felt like a good option. It certainly wasn't a day for hanging about!

Today, I was expecting strong winds first thing, but it felt remarkably settled, so we took the climber's gondola up at Aonach Mor and waded through plenty of fresh snow round to the West Face of Aonach Mor, where we climbed Western Rib. The overnight northwesterly winds had done a great job at refreezing the ground and riming up the rocks. On the upper ridge, we also encountered quite a bit of wind-blown snow on the leeward side.

It was great to spend a couple of days with Callum, and hopefully not another 18 years until we climb again together!