Sunday 29 January 2012

Wind around the Nid

Investigating options
A wee bit blowy
Can we go home now
Day 2 of the AMI workshop today and the focus was on shortroping for UK mountaineering conditions. We were back on Aonach Mor and there was a sign at the ticket window warning us that there were high winds due after lunchtime and that the gondola might shut.
We went to the Nid area and looked at spacing students on the rope and different methods of ascent and descent. We spent a good deal of time discussing how comfortable we were moving people with hand coils on different angles of slope and with different conditions underfoot and transitions from shortroping into climbing situations.
The wind picked as as we had been warmed but we moved up to the top of the Nid Ridge looking at Abalakov/V Threads in some ice on the way. Finally we looked at getting 2 students down past a corniced edge. By now the wind was really quite strong and the snow was blowing straight down along the ridge. We finished our work and beat a retreat back to the top station to find the doors closed. :-( So it was wee walk down the hill for us.
Back East at Glenmore Lodge next week and finally might get a little climbing in!!
Big up to Greg Boswell for sending Don't Die of Ignorance on Ben Nevis today but climb of the season for me so far must be Nick Bullock, Guy Robertson and US visitor Bayard Russell's second ascent of Guerdon Grooves!

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