Wetter than expected on the Cuillin Ridge today. Darren and I got caught in the first shower of the day whilst we were traversing Hart’s (Collie’s) Ledge to then join the summit ridge of Sgurr Mhic Choinnich. This shower didn’t last long and we were…
A day of mixed weather on Skye today, with a couple of showers through the morning as Mike, Darren and I made our way round Sgurr Nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and over to Sgurr Alasdair. Whilst on Sgurr Alasdair, the skies cleared, giving us some excellent views of the Cuillins and beyond.
Quite a few others enjoying the Cuillins today.
I was back on the Aonach Eagach today, but in a different capacity to Friday, as I was acting as safety cover on a section of the ridge to ensure that the competitors were staying on course and keeping them safe.
We made a quick ascent up to Am Bodach and along the ridge, just as a shower swept through. Fortunately, it was short-lived and by the time the first runners were passing through, the weather had cleared up nicely and the rock was more or less dry. The moody clouds behaved for the rest of the day, given a pleasant day out for all.
Needless to say, the race itself is a huge undertaking, so a big well done to all those who entered and gave it their absolute best! Also, nice to see some familiar faces competing!
We have some spaces for the Aonach Eagach on the 28th September, so please get in touch if you wish to tackle this fantastic ridge!
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The sunshine and great weather continue. With most folk wearing t-shirt and shorts today, it was hard to believe that we're almost at the end of September, but as ever, the Scottish weather has a habit of throwing in some very pleasant surprises (and more often than you might think!).
I was back out with Hilton, who wanted to recce Curved Ridge in preparation for the Glencoe Skyline Race tomorrow. We weren't the only ones making the most of the glorious weather, with plenty of other teams on North Buttress, Curved Ridge and queues on Agag's Groove. The markers for the race have been put out, so we stuck to them all the way to the summit, giving a couple of variations here and there.
Again like yesterday, not wanting to expend too much energy and effort, we chose not to continue over Stob na Doire and instead descended Coire na Tulaich.
Just another reminder that we have a space left on our guided Aonach Eagach day on the 28th September, so get in touch if you would like to tackle this excellent scramble!
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It's been a while since I was last on the Aonach Eagach and today was the day for it! I was out with Hilton, who is visiting from the States and gearing up for the Glencoe Skyline Race on Sunday. He wanted to recce the technical sections beforehand, so with such an amazing forecast, we tackled the Aonach Eagach, starting at the western end.
Needless to say, we had a brilliant day and were treated to the best views the Highlands have to offer. With the race being on Sunday, we chose not to rush, which meant we were able to fully enjoy the finest ridge scramble on the mainland. Plenty of others making the most of the fine weather, including Jon, who was out guiding Jarek, Emma and Sharon.
We still have one place left on our open Aonach Eagach trip (£99) on the 28 September, so get in touch if you're up for tackling this brilliant ridge and its two Munros.
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The weather has certainly kept us on our toes over the past couple of days, with the winds changing all the time. Fortunately, the forecasts have been reliable and so with a bit of juggling, we've been able to make the most of the past couple of days.
Yesterday, with the winds forecast to pick up at 1ish, we decided to tackle Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh and Sgurr a'Mhadaidh. The rains eased through the day, but as expected, the winds picked up.
Today, with a damp and windy start, we took in one of the more straightforward Munros; Sgurr na Banachdich before heading over to the In Pinn, by which time the winds had eased enough to allow for a safe ascent. To finish the day, we took in Sgurr Mhic Choinnich (which was drying out slowly but surely), before descending the An Stac screes. So that's 8 of the 11 Munros ticked off this week, with the northern end to go tomorrow.
We have a couple of spaces left on our Skye Munros Course running 24-27 September.
Today, I was back to work on Skye and kicked off a 4 day Skye Munros Course. We tackled the southern three Munros; Sgurr Nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alasdair.
The day started off fairly dry, but soon the weather closed in, giving steady rain and low visibility for the rest of the day. That didn't dampen our team's enthusiasm as we made our way round.
Dewcending the Great Stone Chute provided some the of the team with their greatest challenges of the day!
We've got a couple of places left on our Skye Munros Course running 24-27 September, so please get in touch if you wish to bag the Munros on the main Cuillin Ridge.
For Dan and Ollie second day, with a reasonable forecast, we took our chances and headed for Raeburn's Arete, which takes a direct line up the blunt arete up to the First Platform on North East Buttress. Our plan worked, but not without getting a good soaking as the rains arrived much earlier than expected!
Fortunately, the rock is rough enough where it needs to be and whilst it is more difficult in the rain, it is feasible. On reaching the first platform, we carefully traversed off back into Coire Leis, just as the sun popped out and dried up some of the rain.
I was back on home turf today and out with Dan and Ollie, who are staying up at the CIC Hut this weekend. Wanting to make the most of staying at the hut, we climbed the East Ridge of the Douglas Boulder, a route that has become quite popular in winter, but was first done as a summer rock route. It's quite a scrappy route but has some steep steps, offering interesting moves, on the second pitch.
From the top of the Douglas Boulder, we abseiled into the gap, before tackling Tower Ridge in its entirety, which was good fun as always. Unfortunately, very little dry rock about today, as the drizzle came on at around 9am.
We popped over to the summit before descending Ledge Route and back to the hut. There were a few other teams out enjoying Tower Ridge, including Mehmet and Chris, who were just ahead of us. Plenty of people on the summit!
That's more like it! After a couple of days of wet and breezy weather, Cameron, Andrew and I were finally able to enjoy the southern three Munros in the sunshine and with clear views in every direction! Needless to say, I'm pleased that Cameron and Andrew were able to leave Skye having seen the splendor of the Cuillin Ridge in all its glory, rather than 20m at a time!
Despite the amazing weather, we still didn't see many people on the ridge, although plenty were enjoying Coire Lagan and the road out of Glenbrittle was quite busy…
After these past three days, Cameron and Andrew have reached the summit of all 11 Munros on the main Cuillin Ridge and for Cameron, he's now down to his ultimate Munro; Ben More on Mull.
