(by Gerry Moss – April 2013)
Winter conditions in the Ravens Glen, Glencee
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For Your Ice Only
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The Cosmiques Arête in winter
(by Allister Gerrard, February 2013)
An ascent of the Cosmiques Arête, Chamonix in March 2012, with Padraic Gibbons and friends. The Cosmiques Arête is a three star classic route, graded AD, one of the finest routes of the grade in the Western Alps. -
Begging for More (Winter Climbing)
(by Dave Madden, September 2012)
A weekend climbing in the Mournes at Slieve Beg.
With a perfect weather forecast for the weekend on the East Coast we decide to head North. With the excellent summer we’ve had we are tiring of all these endless days on the rock in balmy conditions. Dave and I are clearly pining for the return of the winter and some proper hardship.
The Mournes seem like an ideal solution. Sure isn’t there a joke about the weather in Northern Ireland being akin to Iraq? Partly Sunni but mainly Shiite? Perfect. Where will we stay? Camping? Surely not – won’t be cold enough. We decide to bivvy instead. What about a long walk-in? Can we find somewhere with a Scottish style walk-in? Ah yes, Slieve Beg fits the bill.
So we leave on the Friday evening up to Newcastle, drop the car and hail a taxi to drive us out to the Annalong Valley. As the taxi driver takes us deeper into the dark hills he must wonder who the nutters in the car are. Maybe it is Dave’s Dublin accent or the way he keeps enquiring about the tracking device in the taxi but by the time we get to Carrick Lyttle the cabbie seems very relieved to drop us off. The taxi lights disappear quickly.
The Bivvy BegWe stroll in and about an hour and a half later select a suitable bivvy spot on the path with the bulk of Slieve Beg looming in the gloom above us. After an early start we head up towards Satan’s Buttress to acquaint ourselves with the crag. First up is Satan’s Rib, a three-star V-Diff winding its way up the left hand side of the south face. I pad upwards rolling both pitches together and finish up at a memorable belay spot with a great view down the Annalong valley. But something isn’t right – it simply isn’t cold enough. Has the Mournes gone soft or what?
Dave M. on the Devil’s Rib, V.Diff ***Scrambling down the Devil’s Coachroad it seems we aren’t to be disappointed for long. The wind has come up strongly and a thick clag descends around us. Classic pea-souper. The Main face becomes increasingly damp in the mist and the atmosphere suitably sombre. Dave leads up Shelob, a nice-looking VS but it soon becomes clear that he is having problems. The route is clearly not in condition – the ice hasn’t formed yet. The mist blowing up the gully is plastering the routes with moisture. This moisture seems to make the surface of the Mournes granite crumbly and smearing becomes difficult. Dave backs off and we opt for Poetic Justice (PJ) a three-star VS that winds it way up the left side of the main face. The route is damp but looks climbable.
Poetic Justice, *** VS 4bDave heads up PJ like a scalded cat, seemly terrified that his preciously guarded climbing weekend away is dissolving in front of his eyes. At one point his goes slightly off-route, places a nut and as he steps back comes off. It’s not really a fall, more like something you would see if you played Wayne Rooney backwards at speed on your TV. Then I take over. The second pitch of PJ is a gem with really engaging climbing and bomber gear. The next belay is really exposed to the cold wind and as I belay Dave up the third pitch it starts to feel more like Winter Climbing – but without the big Belay Jacket. Just what the doctor ordered. The third pitch also has a sting in the tail – just when you think it’s all over you have a nice vegetated top-out over some dodgy blocks.
Dave topping out on PJWe head back down the Gully and marvel at the two classic HVS lines, Sweetie Mice and Parallel Lines. No chance of climbing them though as conditions start to deteriorate further.
Parallel Lines in the gloomWe have our dinner and contemplate life sheltering behind some rocks on the summit of Slieve Beg. Dave exchanges text messages with Declan and Jane telling us that it’s 27 degrees and sunny in Dublin. Sure they don’t know what they are missing out on here! It looks like it might be a bit too warm and sheltered behind the summit rocks to sleep so we select a more suitably exposed bivvy site on a nice peat hag on the hillside. In the middle of the night I awake to a clear sky and a panorama star show – bivvying at its best! A bonus side effect is the lack of insulating clouds which leaves me feeling nice and frigid in my two-season sleeping bag.
What, no snow?In the morning I wake-up humming the Clash, “Should I stay or should I go now …”. The pea soup has returned to keep us company and doesn’t look as if it is leaving anytime soon. It seems we have drunk all our coffee last night and good things can’t last forever so we reluctantly pack up our gear and make our way down to Newcastle where the sun is shining and the tourists amble in short sleeves along the streets.
On our way home we drop in for one last “fix” at Pigeon Rock. We are barely on the crag when the pea soup descends once more to keep us happy. The classic severe Class Distinction, a nice amiable route, suddenly starts to feel a bit trickier as the friction disappears. Dave leads another severe Pi Squared as the rain starts to fall. So it’s back to the road where we meet a young one out for a walk with the dog. He promptly informs us that he has been climbing at Fair Head the previous day in glorious conditions.
Walking back to the car we shake our heads. Another guy who just doesn’t know what he’s been missing out on this weekend ….
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Scottish Winter Climbing
(by Allister Gerrard, from IMC Newsletter Spring 2012)
I have been going to Scotland for a number of years, winter mountaineering and climbing. It takes a bit of forward planning and organising to get there, finding suitable accommodation and of course deciding on the areas and routes to walk and climb in the Scottish highlands in winter. Here are a few of the lower-grade, easier, Scottish winter climbs I have had experience of doing, and recommend.Number Four Gully, Ben Nevis
Grade I , 100m
No. 4 Gully is a great gully for starting off as a first winter route. It is quite straightforward, and gives the opportunity to practice belays using bucket seats, and other winter skills.
It is also a good descent route to the CIC hut in good visibility. The top of the gully has a metal marker post with the number 4 drilled into it (Grid ref. NN 15821 71733), though this marker may be removed in the future. Due to the cornice it may require using a snow bollard abseil but usually there is a section of cornice dug out below.
Avalanches have occurred in this gully, so check conditions first. I climbed it in 2004.
North Gully, Ben Nevis
Grade II **, 110m
A narrow gully, close to the entrance to No. 4 Gully. An excellent outing, with a mix of steep snow slope and some ice lower down. Takes approximately five pitches. Belays can be found on rock walls along the route, also snow belays. We exited to the far right, a steep finish with a small gap in a cornice previously made. Exiting out left is a grade III finish, which I found was difficult to find good gear placement as the rock was crumbling. Beware avalanche danger on the final slopes.
I did this with Aileen Moloney and Pádraic Gibbons on 21st March 2009, and again with Aileen in March 2011.
Pádraic Gibbons on North GullyNumber Two Gully Buttress, Ben Nevis
Grade III **, 120m
A mixed route, with steep snow and an ice wall of approximately twenty metres. Anchors can be found along the way and vary from using a snow stake, buried ice axes, nut, friend and peg. When climbing the ice wall, we belayed from the buttress to the far right, which was great because we didn’t get covered in snow and ice from the leader. There was a long run-out of the rope at the end up the snow slope to the plateau. No. 2 Gully next door looked heavily corniced at the time (26th February 2007). We had good weather for it, no wind, and a clear day. It took about ten hours for the round trip from the North Face car park, including about four hours for the climb. Descent was via the Red Burn.
No.2 Gully Buttress
Allister on No. 2 Gully ButtressNumber Two Gully, Ben Nevis
Grade II ***, 120m
Early in winter it can be grade III. A fine gully, wide and gradual at the lower slopes, it narrows and then opens higher up to reveal a large open snow expanse, with large cornices above. We exited out left on steep snow and ice to avoid the cornice.
I did this with Aileen Moloney on 29th March 2011.
No. 2 Gully
Aileen on No. 2 GullyOther Ben Nevis Classic Scottish Winter climbs
- Point Five Gully (V)
- Tower Ridge (IV)
- Raeburn’s Easy Route (II)
- Ledge Route (II)
Broad Gully, Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glencoe
Grade I *, 150m
The climb is straightforward and doesn’t usually have any cornice difficulties. The route can be hazardous in avalanche conditions and is best avoided after heavy snowfall and/or heavy winds. From the top, walk easily up to the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochan and head SW to the summit of Bidean nam Bian along a fairly narrow ridge. Descend to the corrie by either shoulder (NW is easiest); from the corrie follow a path back to the start. The gully is also used for descent and can be even quicker when glissading!
I did this one in 2004.
Forked Gully Left Hand, Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Glencoe
Grade I/II
The route starts just to the immediate right of Dorsal Arête. Like a typical IMC party in the winter of 2005, we arrived up near the base of the climb in dribs and drabs. Moira and I for some reason decided to head off right of the start on a solo climb of our own; I blame Moira, I was following her. After a nice bit of solo climbing, we found ourselves on steep snow and ice. Twenty metres above, our party were settling into a nice belay spot. We had to back-climb across and down to them, which was a slightly hairy moment for us. All back together, we climbed in two groups up the steep snow gully which is Forked Gully. It is a great gully in condition with a bit of chopping for Denis to cut into the cornice at the top. A great day out with splendid views from the top.
It was an IMC meet, with Eileen Murphy, Denis Beakey, Moira Creedon, Sé.O Hanlon and Allister Gerrard, on 6th March 2005.
Forked Gully
Eileen and Allister at the top of Forked GullyDorsal Arête, Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glencoe
Grade II ***, 120m
Starting from Broad Gully, we climbed up onto the ridge by whatever obvious route we could find from the bottom of the arête. Up to the arête itself is straightforward enough. The arête itself is more defined and very narrow but can be avoided on the left by traversing along under the side of the arête. Just below the end of the arête, Pádraic and myself broke off left and Pádraic led an alternative finish up a rock pitch in a narrow gully; probably a grade III/IV finish. A great climb but short.
Done with Pádraic Gibbons on 16th March 2009.
Allister on Dorsal ArêteOrdinary Route, Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glencoe
Grade IV **, 150m
The climb starts on mixed ground, mostly rock, then a groove, and moving right a tough move up onto a ledge overlooking NC Gully. Follow the edge to a tower and a series of awkward walls. Half way up, due to time and weather constraints, we abseiled off into NC Gully.
This was on 2nd March 2007.
Other Glencoe Scottish winter classic climbs
- Twisting Gully (III) **
- SC Gully (III) ***
- Aonach Eagach Ridge, 4km, II/III ***
- NC Gully (II) **
The Runnel, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms
Grade II *, 135m
A fantastic winter climb. A straightforward well-defined gully with some rock belays, left and right, until you reach a narrow ice chimney which is the crux of the climb. I managed to get one or two ice screws in here before leading on to the upper slopes, with a little soft snow at the top before topping out for fantastic views at the top.
Climbed with Pádraic Gibbons on 17th March 2009.
Pádraic on The Runnel
Allister on The RunnelGolden Oldie, West Face Aonach Mor
Grade II, 500m
A mixed Scottish winter snow and rock climb. Our approach was to take the gondola from the Aonach Mor ski centre (see their website). During the winter they run a climbers’ gondola at 8am before they open for skiers at 9am. As the route is quite long (500m) I would advise taking the 8am one if possible.
From the top of the gondola follow a track to the west. After 15 minutes this track ends, but a small path can be seen descending into the valley below. Follow this then continue up the valley for about an hour and a half until you can see a number of rocky ridges descending from the summit plateau. These ridges are not obvious until you are almost below them. Pinnacle Ridge is the furthest left ridge and has a small gendarme near the top. Golden Oldie takes the ridge to the right. Harder climbs (grade II/III and III) take the ridges further right. We found it tricky enough to find with poor enough visibility; we were lucky to have someone point it out to save time, as the whole west face is without huge features. Gear up at NN 1877 7301 which is below the buttress. If time is short then slopes to the left can be ascended for a hundred metres or so to the platform.
From here the route follows the crest of the ridge directly. The way is now obvious almost to the summit plateau. We found the route relatively straightforward, except for a step I had to make on the final knife-edge before reaching easier ground. A delicate traverse on the right-hand side can be taken. Continue up easier ground to the summit, which we had to navigate to in whiteout conditions. Navigation was required to lead out across the summit plateau to our descent route.
Climbed with Pádraic Gibbons, 15th March 2009.
Allister on Golden Oldie
Golden OldieThe Web, Aonach Mor
Grade II/ III
A nice chimney 100m in length. Situated approximately 30-35m south of Easy Gully. The grade varies depending on condition. We found good hard névé, with some ice patches and occasionally small patches of verglas-covered rock. Mostly straight up and we had one short traverse to the left across a small rock slab required at about half-way. At the snow slope above the chimney we traversed out to the left and up to find a suitable exit, using snow stake and axes as anchors (using a T-bar and we switched axes), with one peg in a rock slab half-way up the snow slope.
I climbed this on 1st March 2007.
Right Twin, Aonach Mor
Grade II **, 120m
Narrow gully and well defined, with steep sections at the bottom and at mid-height. Exit left at the top is the norm I think; however, I exited straight up and found it a little struggling pulling up over the top in snow, with soft deep snow underfoot, often the case on steep exits in gullies I find. With time not on our side I found on the second half of the route it was difficult to find any anchors.
Climbed with Pádraic Gibbons and Tony Barry on 18th March 2009.
Icicle Gully, Aonach Mor
Grade IV, 130m
A wider gully at the start, narrowing. Continue up a wider right-hand line to where it narrows (we went left for some more challenging ice), climb the icicle to a snow bay, at which point Pádraic proceeded to unleash half the mountain of snow and ice down on top of me. We followed up a steep snow slope before stepping out left on mixed ground. Out left is a direct finish graded V, and we went left. The final climb provided us with a serious mini soft snow field before pulling up with difficulty over the cornice, with soft snow again underfoot and topping out ‘wasted’, with cold hands, into glistening sun. Scottish winter bliss.
Climbed with Pádraic Gibbons, 20th March 2009.
En route to Icicle Gully
Pádraic leading on Icicle GullyOther Scottish winter classic climbs on Aonach Mor
- Left Twin (III) ***
- Forgotten Twin (II) *
Getting there
A number of ferries operate from Belfast to Stranraer. Alternatively, people could fly to Glasgow (Ryanair to Ayr; Aer Lingus to Glasgow airport or even Inverness or Edinburgh) or another airport and hire a car or get the bus, all of which I have done myself at one time or another.
What to do
Ben Nevis is close by Fort William and Glencoe. For example, Stob Coire nan Lochan in Glencoe (about 30km from Fort William) is within easy enough reach by car.
The Cairngorms are also manageable as a day trip, from Fort William (95 km approximately).
Aonach Mor nearby also offers easy access to the snow line via gondola for skiing, winter mountaineering, and some great Scottish winter climbs.
There are many guidebooks and lots of walking options, as well as a multitude of climbing routes and grades in these areas. A good guidebook is Scottish Winter Climbs (Scottish Mountaineering Club Guide), by Andy Nisbet, Rab Anderson, Simon Richardson.
For an easier indoor day there is also the Ice Factor at Kinlochleven (see their website).
Accommodation
Camping or even snow-holing may be an option!
I have stayed in various accommodation; however, a place I have repeatedly returned to, depending on availability is Alan Kimber’s Self Catering (see the website), a minute’s walking distance into the heart of Fort William town. Alan of course himself having put up some of the harder routes in Scotland and with vast experience, is always willing to give you key update information of routes and conditions.
Scotland Weather
Some useful sites to plan your Scottish winter climbs, around the weather.
- Met Office mountain area forecast: www.metoffice.gov.uk/loutdoor/mountainsafety/
- Mountain weather information service: www.mwis.org.uk
- Sport Scotland Avalanche Information Service: www.sais.gov.uk/
- Exacta Weather: www.exactaweather.com
Other useful websites for Scottish climbing routes and conditions
- Scotland winter climbs and information: www.scotclimb.org.uk/bennevis.shtml
- Nevis Range: Aonach Mor Gondola: www.nevisrange.co.uk
- Check conditions: www.ukclimbing.com/forums
- 50 of the best Scottish winter climbing routes: scottishwinterroutes.com
- West coast mountain guides blog: blog.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk
- Scottish winter blog: www.scottishwinter.com
General
Navigation skills and competent map reading are essential, particularly coming off the Ben Nevis summit plateau. Leave adequate time to descend. Early starts for longer routes are essential, especially for places like Ben Nevis, if you have limited experience. In low cloud, it can be difficult to even find the right route and can take time.
Typical rack
For a grade-I route a walking axe will suffice; after that two axes will most likely be needed. Be selective; the more you have the more to carry and slow you down. A deadman can be useful in snow gullies where there is no rock or ice available, although admittedly I have never used one and used axes only in snow gullies for anchors when there is no rock or ice. Some of the routes above are okay with a single rope. A half-set of nuts, one or two hexes, two friends/cams, two or three ice screws depending on the route, a few assorted pitons, extenders and quickdraws (extensions for these can be useful to avoid excess drag), a few long slings, twelve-point crampons, for example Grivel G12. All these are personal decisions.
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A Winter Camp on Lugnaquilla
(by Allister Gerrard, fromIMC Newsletter Spring 2012)
“A camp that’s short, sweet and spontaneous sometimes works out for the best; it was one of those times – just good craic!”
Early in March 2009 I decided to hold a winter camp in preparation for a winter climbing trip which had been planned for one week afterwards in Scotland. I had first rounded up a few interested parties and then placed a post on the Irish Mountaineering Club forum. Even with only a few days notice to go I got quite a bit of interest. A couple of people had to pull out and it settled as a party of eight for the camp.
I set out with Aileen Moloney, Martina Duignan, Martina Michels, Tony Groves, Tony Barry and Pádraic Gibbons. Declan Cunningham joined us later on that night. We parked at Aughavannagh at the southern end of Lugnaquilla. We opted for the lower track through the forest. This track exits about half way through the forest, which meant following the river and then crossing it in its full winter flow. The upper track (a right at the first junction) is the quicker and more straightforward route. The upper track exits at the other end of forest and leads to the South Prison.
The day started off mild, even warm. Rain began as we approached open ground heading for our camping spot, a plateau in the South Prison area. We were pitching tents from around 6.15pm and just as it was becoming dark. By the time we got into our tents we were well soaked from three showers. We were glad of the shelter and the opportunity to peel off our wet layers and put on dry clothes. We had planned to bring ice axes, crampons and ropes for a route on the South Prison; however we decided to leave the extra gear behind as there was little snow on the mountain. There were frequent showers that evening, some very heavy, and gale force winds. At 8.30pm we decided to ring Declan while he was en route to join us. We let him know what conditions were like, but he was undeterred. Fortunately things had eased off and visibility had improved by the time Declan started walking up to us at 10pm.
Back at camp a dinner of scrumptious hot chicken with black bean sauce and fresh vegetables was ready. It had been pre-cooked earlier that day by Aileen for the whole group. It was delicious and much appreciated by all. On that winter night, even Gordon Ramsey himself would have been full of compliments. Tony B took out his wee bottle of whiskey which he shared with Pádraic and me. After a while we went to our respective tents to chill out.
Visibility had improved by that time, so I went for a stroll to check out the area around the camp and so that I could advise Declan in case it became necessary. The three girls could be heard giggling away to themselves, squeezed into Martina M’s tent for hours, and knocking back the hot whiskey. On the way back from my stroll I popped my head into Pádraic’s tent and he invited me for tea, so I had some hot whiskey instead. For the record, I never drink hot whiskey in the hills and it was purely to help with the chill and to be sociable! We chatted over a couple of hot drinks about our plans to tackle some Scottish winter climbing routes in a week’s time.
After a while, I left Pádraic’s tent. I had assumed it would take Declan another hour to arrive. Suddenly in the distance, I could see a head torch fast approaching, if I had stayed put and it was Paul O’Connell or John Hayes he surely would have knocked me out flat. Declan arrived at 11.30pm. It was late and he was tired and weary after the day. We bundled him into a tent to relax and Aileen and I swapped stories with him over even more hot whiskeys. After an hour or so, he jumped in with Tony B, who had a spare spot for him and to save Declan pitching a tent so late.
At 7am the next morning the snow was falling thick and fast. I could hear Pádraic’s Jetboil in the distance, getting ready to make the tea (or whiskey, only joking). I put the sausages on; it was like the miracle of the loaves and the fishes sharing them out. Tony G got stuck into the full monty of duck eggs and bacon. Tony B and Declan left at 9.30am with the intention of making it back to the metropolis for 2pm. They headed for Lugnaquilla summit, returning by Slievemaan into Aughavannagh, and they made good time. The rest of us broke camp at 10.30am; for us it was a more sluggish, leisurely start. We headed through the snow up to the saddle to the east of the South Prison. Our plan from there was to take the same route as the party ahead of us. Up on the saddle we were bombarded by hard cutting snow, piercing to the eyes. In the high winds, it was difficult to stand up or even see, and so we decided to head back down. We had enjoyed ourselves and did not feel the need to push it any further that day; there would be time enough for hard going in Scotland! We headed back down, taking the upper track through the forest and we reached the cars before the others. We went to the IMC hut for a quick cuppa and a tidy up before heading back to Dublin. A camp that’s short, sweet and spontaneous sometimes works out for the best; it was one of those times – just good craic!
Pádraic Gibbons, Tony Barry, Aileen Moloney and I went back again in March 2011 for another IMC winter camp on Lugnaquilla. This time we had a frosty summit and a fine sunrise. We headed up from Fentons in the afternoon, just before dark. Tony followed us up in the dark! It certainly was a very pleasant night camping on the summit of Lugnaquilla, something we could not do in 2009 because the weather had been too wild.
