Mountain Diary and Conditions

Steve: Following several rescheduled attempts Jenny, Kyle and I took our chance as a weak ridge of high pressure allowed us to finally complete a traverse of Skye’s Cuillin Ridge.

Making use of a great forecast yesterday we cruised over the first 8 Munros enabling us to enjoy a luxurious bivi at Glaic Mor. There’s plenty if snow here to melt for water and several very flat and sheltered places to sleep. It’s also about 2/3 of the way along the ridge giving us the best chance of staying dry on our second and final day.

I knew the northern end was still blocked by snow, however; I had a couple of tricks up my sleeve and convinced Jenny and Kyle to leave the crampons behind. After Bruach na Frithe we cut under Am Basteir on the Lota Coire side before carving a line back up to the bealach. It was then up and down Am Basteir before traversing Sgurr nan Gillean hence achieving a snow free adventure on one of the UK’s most sought after mountain challenges.

Ken: It was another wet and windy day on the Isle of Skye, but that did little to deter our enthusiastic Skye Munros team (run in conjunction with Steven Fallon Mountain Guiding). We made our way up Sgurr Nan Eag first of all, before heading up and over Sgurr Dubh na da Bheinn and onto our second Munro; Sgurr Dubh Mor.

We then retraced our steps and contoured beneath Sgurr Alasdair, often between large patches of snow and the steeper crags, before doubling back and tackling the traverse of the highest peak on the Isle of Skye. We then descending the mighty Great Stone Chute. Like yesterday, much of the day was spent in the clouds, but as we reached Coire Lagan, we were treated to views and a marked improvement in the weather.

Ken: Eric and I were back out today, this time we headed to Buachaille Etive Mor to climb Curved Ridge, which is possibly one of the best routes of its grade in the Highlands.

The day started of similar to yesterday, with the cloud base hovering just above the glen floor, but it soon cleared up to give a pleasant spring day. Eric had plans to head to Oban this afternoon, so we kept the foot down, and made swift progress up the ridge and soon found ourselves on the summit of Buachaille Etive Mor. We descended Coire na Tulaich, which is still holding a fair amount of snow, which didn’t require crampons today, but like yesterday, an axe was helpful. Only one other team on Curved Ridge, but plenty of people on the summit. Rannoch Wall was damp, but could be dry enough to climb tomorrow!

All the best to Eric with his ascent of the Matterhorn later this summer, these two days in the Highlands will stand him in good stead!

Fancy being guided up Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor, which must be one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains? Head over to http://51.38.64.114/courses/curved-ridge-guide/

Steve: I’ve just got home from my first 4 days of Skye season 2018. Thankfully the weather God’s were kind to us as Dave, Jim and I kicked off with perfect conditions for a traverse of Sgurr Dubh Mor, Alasdair and MhicCoinnich. We passed a group of friends walking a high-line over the great stone shoot in the process which was impressive and made for a good photo opportunity. We subsequently made use of a typically ‘Scottish’ forecast and climbed the west ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean which was icy and consequential on the long snowy approach. To polish off a succesful three days Dave and I completed a round of corrie Greadaidh which never fails to impress.
Having left Dave and Jim to make their journey home I met up with Helen and George who had just enjoyed a couple of days guiding with Dave. We scrambled up Sgurr Mhic Coinnich in wet and breezy conditions which felt somewhat more akin to Skye’s Cuillin ridge.

Ken: I was back out with Sebastian, and working for Peak Mountaineering, today, and we decided to go for Castle Ridge on Ben Nevis. The day started off dry, but the drizzle soon set in, giving us a rather damp ascent of Castle Ridge. In these conditions, careful footwork becomes all the more crucial, as the Andesite that makes up the bulk of Ben Nevis can be very slippery when wet.

Sebastian did fantastically well, as the two distinct cruxes of Castle Ridge were a significant step up from his previous experiences. There’s virtually no snow on the ridge anymore, but a fair sized patch to cross to gain the start. On topping out, we continued up to the summit of Ben Nevis, before making a bee-line for the Red Burn, which provided a quick and enjoyable descent, using that all-important mountaineering technique, ‘the bum-slide’.

The weather cleared on our descent, and by the time we reached Halfway Lochan, the summit of cloud-free.

If you fancy being guided up Castle Ridge, or any of the other magnificent ridges on Ben Nevis this summer, please give us a shout!