Mountain Diary and Conditions

Welcome to the West Coast Mountain Guides diary and conditions page, which we will update regularly throughout the year.  During the winter, there will be plenty of up-to-date information and reports regarding the latest mixed and ice climbing and mountaineering conditions in the Scottish Highlands, and in particular, on Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor and in Glencoe.  We’ll also be posting accounts of our latest trips, both work and play. 

If you have any up-to-date conditions reports and photos that we can include in our blog, please drop us an email:
info@77.104.174.8

Sgurr Nan Eag, Skye

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Back to the Misty Isle today, and it certainly lived up to its name, well in the Black Cuillins anyway. I was out with Michelle and Heather who were keen to have their first taste of the finest mountain range in the UK. We decided to head up into Coir' a' Ghrunnda, which must be one of the most aesthetic corries in Scotland, and made our way up to Sgurr Nan Eag.

The cloud base sat at the base of the corrie, so the journey to and from the summit was an atmospheric and eerie one. From the summit, we traversed beneath Caisteal a' Garbh-Coire, before descending and skirting around the Loch (on the UK's highest beach?) and heading out. Well done to Michelle and Heather, hopefully that's given you a taste of what the rest of the Cuillins offer…


Exploring Ben Nevis

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It was nice to be back on Ben Nevis today. I was out with Dan, Michelle and their sons; Ben (13 years old) and George (11 years old) on Ben Nevis. The weather was far better than the forecasts suggested, so we enjoyed our ascent of a dry Ledge Route, with quite a bit of it spent in the sunshine.

The cloud was lingering on the plateau as we made our way over to the summit. After a bite to eat, we continued our exploration of Ben Nevis, by descending into Coire Leis and heading out along the Allt A’Mhuilinn. A huge well did to the whole family, but in particular to Ben and George! It’s not everyday that 11 and 13 year olds tackle the UK’s highest mountain via its north face.

 

 

Perfect conditions on the Aonach Eagach

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After a squally day on the southern 3 Munros with Rod yesterday, I was back in Glencoe today, this time with Angharad and Gareth. It was Gareth’s birthday, and so Angharad had bought him a day on the Aonach Eagach as a present. It turned out that she had also booked him perfect conditions as well.

As a preamble to the main ridge, we took a diversion out to the Chancellor, which I hadn’t done before either. It gives a fun, if short scramble, but requires a bit of care due to the lack of traffic.

After our diversion, the worn rock and good path along the rest of the ridge allowed Angharad and Gareth to make quick progress, and we were soon on Sgorr nam Fiannaidh, the final Munro.

Quite a few other folk on the ridge today, including some putting in some training for the upcoming Glencoe Skyline event in September.

We have one more scheduled guided day along the Aonach Eagach this year, on the 16th September, so if you fancy tackling one of the finest ridges in the UK (and its two Munros), please get in touch:
http://51.38.64.114/courses/aonach-eagach-guide/

Elbrus Success and back in Scotland

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Last Friday saw my Adventure Peaks team and I successfully reach the summit of Europe’s highest point; Mount Elbrus (5642m) in the North Caucasus, Russia. Our team did fantastically well, setting off at 3 am from the Gara-Bashi Barrels, and reaching the summit at 11 am. Everyone was back down by 3 pm. Conditions couldn’t have been more perfect, with a light breeze and sunshine.

Yesterday, I was out in Glencoe with the Leuchars family, who were visiting from the USA. They were keen to sample a quintessential Highland hike, and so we reached the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochan via its East Ridge, before heading over to Bidean nam Bian and Stob Coire Sgreamach, before making our descent through the magnificent Lost Valley.

Today, I was back on the Isle of Skye with Anne and Jean, who I had been out with earlier this summer. Despite a rather poor forecast, we took in the In Pinn and Sgurr Mhic Choinnich, before making our way out via Coire Lagan. The weather was far better (although not great) than the forecasts suggested, with no real sign of the 50 mph gusts. The rain was no where near as bad as what we expected either.

We still have plenty of availability throughout September and into the autumn, so get in touch to see whether we can help you reach your summits!

Finally arrived in Cheget, Russia

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After numerous flight cancellations and delays, I finally joined my Adventure Peaks team in Cheget, Russia, at the foot of Europe’s highest mountain; Mount Elbrus.

We had a gentle stroll today to help start the process of acclimatising. The weather played ball, and we had great views of the surrounding alpine peaks and caught a couple of glimpses of Mount Elbrus.

Driech on the Aonach Eagach

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Well, after weeks of good weather in the Highlands, I suppose we were due a change, but that didn’t stop Cher and I from tackling the Aonach Eagach in Glencoe today.

We managed to reach the summit of Am Bodach before donning waterproofs, but from there on in, the rain and wind, whilst not severe, was fairly persistent.

Cher coped fantastically well with her first Scottish scramble, and more so given the prevailing conditions. She remained enthusiastic throughout, and we reached the summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh in good time.

Well done to Cher for smiling and remaining determined all day!

We still have spaces for our guided Aonach Eagach day on the 8th September, the cost is £99 per person. The weather is unlikely to be as bad as it was today!

http://51.38.64.114/courses/aonach-eagach-guide/

Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir, Skye

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Beverly, Stephen and I enjoyed a brilliant day on Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir today.

We tackled the West Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean both in ascent and descent, before making short work of the East Ridge (and Bad Step) of Am Basteir, again up and down.

The weather was kind to us all day, and treated us to some atmospheric views of the surrounding hills and sea.

Well done to both Beverly and Stephen for rising up to today’s challenge, and hopefully this will be the start of many scrambling adventures in the Scottish Highlands.

Aonach Eagach Open Course

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Today I had the pleasure of being joined by Dawn and Stephen on one of our Aonach Eagach days. The traverse of the Aonach Eagach is one of the finest mountaineering journeys on the mainland, and links the two Munros of Meall Dearg and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. It’s lofty crest dominates the north wall of Glencoe, and has continual interest from start to finish.

Dawn and Stephen proved themselves to be competent scramblers, so the rope stayed in my pack today. The weather behaved, and we were treated to great views of the surrounding hills, as well as atmospheric clouds bubbling away on the north side of the ridge.

A great tick for Dawn and Stephen, and hopefully the first of many great scrambles throughout the Highlands.

We still have spaces on our remaining two Aonach Eagach days, on the 5th August and 8th September, so if you fancy a crack at this brilliant ridge, please get in touch! http://51.38.64.114/courses/aonach-eagach-guide/

Mullenium Direct, Indian Slab, Ardgour

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For Neil’s second day out with me, we decided to head to Ardgour, and to Indian Slab, deep in Glen Gour. Whilst the approach isn’t short, it’s relatively flat, that is until the final 500m or so.

The crag is an amazing sweeping slab of gneiss, and although there were one or two wet streaks (which didn’t really affect the friction), the rock was largely dry and remained so whilst we were climbing.

Mullenium Direct is one of the longest routes, and takes a logical (if not always immediately obvious) line up the crags. Unlike the Etive Slabs, Indian Slab has more in the way of holds, although the gear is similarly sparse. If you’re a slab climbing aficionado, and keen for a bit of adventure, Indian Slab is highly recommended!

The weather was kind to us, and the rain held off until we were walking out. The winds again, kept the midges at bay. Needless to say, we didn’t see another soul all day.

Rock climbing at Polldubh, Glen Nevis

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I woke up this morning to a heavy shower, so wasn’t quite sure how the day was going to pan out, but the rain soon eased, and by the time I met Neil, the roads were almost dry.

By the time we got to Polldubh in Glen Nevis, the crags, particularly the slabbier faces, were completely dry. We kicked off the day by climbing Heatwave on Calvary Crack Buttress. 4 pitches of excellent climbing, interspersed by one wet section in the middle, brought us to the top of the buttress. We then jumped onto Promises on Dundee Buttress, which Neil had to work a bit harder for. A shower then passed through, so we took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat before heading back out to Pinnacle Ridge, which was already dry by the time we got there.

We finished our day of climbing by popping across to Repton Buttress, where we climbed Three Pines in a couple of pitches, giving us a total of 9 pitches of classic Polldubh climbing for the day. The winds helped keep the midges at bay, which was most welcome!

Due to having spent the past few summers out in the Spanish Pyrenees, I had forgotten how good the climbing at Polldubh is, and also how much can be done, all within a very short distance from the road.