Tower Ridge

Today Neil and I helped a team of 5 mountaineers from Aberdeen climb Tower Ridge. They moved well as a group of 2 and 3 and we were up and down betwen 9 and 4.30. We had a glimpse of blue sky as we geared up and then it cleared as we it the top of the Great Tower for a spot of lunch to emphasise the exposure on Tower Gap. There are less people around on the Ben now the holidays are over but that still meant 30 or so on the summit. The helicopter was hard at work shifting loads of stone for th pathwork all day. In the past couple of days parties have been out reporting mostly dry rock on Raeburns Arete and Minus One Direct.

Rock Video 2

Here is one of Ardnamurchan this weekend. If you want to see a larger version then click on the relevant video on the videowall to the right.

Rock Videos

A half day looking after Sandy today so I'll post a couple of videos from the weekend.

Another sunny Ardnamurchan day

Day 2 of our Introduction to Outdoor Leading weekend and we went to Meal Fhir Eoin Mhor. We warmed up with me leading the 2 pitch Vulcan (VS4c) and then the guys made a 4 pitch ascent of Beth's Route - a nice long VDiff which they took the most direct and interesting variations on that they could find. Topping out with great views out west in warm sunshine we spotted a clean looking slab on the bealach to the east. There is no record of anything in the guidebook there so we wandered over to see what we could find. The answer was a 10m high perfectly clean sheet of gabro split by 4 crack lines. Will and Greg each led a line (about Severe and VDiff) and I soloed the other 2 (4b and VDiff). Neal and the girls also climbed Beth's route, abseiled from the summit and then they led a route on wedge buttress too. A Great weekend in a stunning place.

Saturday on Ardnamurchan

Sticky, slabby, bulgy, cracky, SUNNY, clean, rough and solid gabbro.....

I love it out at Ardnamurchan. The views to Rhum, Eigg, Skye and beyong are to die for, it's like Reiff in that it sticks out as a low lying peninsula into the prevailing westerly airstream but isn't elevated enough to cause any lift and condensing. So, often, when the moist air hits Glencoe its clouds and rain but that same air passed Ardnamurchan by without shedding its load.

This weekend I was working with Greg and Will, 2 pupils from Glasgow Academy who lead indoors and have sport climbed in Spain. Whilst Neal from the school was teaching Emily and Julz I had the 2 guys to introduce to the joy of trad for 2 days. We started on Meal Fhir Eoin Beag where I had the guys follow me up the crag classic Yir (VS4c) looking at gear placement and building their own belays. Then they led An Deireadh and Krakatoa with me in close attendance before we finished with a quick ascent of Great Gabbro (VS4c). We were looking at all aspects of leading: guidebook interpretation, selecting and racking gear , planning and assessing your route for protection, crux moves and rests, placing and removing gear, lead belaying, routefinding, communication, belay building, changeovers and plate orientation at stances and retreat and protecting a personal abseil..... phew.

It was another sunny day - well earnt after a month of weather misery!

Gneiss at Gruinard

We had part of a day left to climb today before I needed to head back for work on Ardnamurchan this weekend. Based at Gruinard we nabbed ascents of Scramble (3 pitch HS), soloed a couple of long slabby routes (a VDiff and a Diff) and then Gneissest, Gneisser and Gneiss, 3 VSs right next to the road (pics of some other climbers on the same routes and the V Diff to the right). Off to the west this weekend for a 2 day lead teaching course now.

Sandstone at Reiff

Jamie and I headed north in the hope of climbing on Stac Pollaidh but a night's heavy rain and a cloudy dawn meant we headed to Reiff (the sun always shines at Reiff) instead. It was cool and blustery with a bit of a swell but we wandered around cherry picking routes from the Minch Wall all the way out to Rubha Coigach. I even managed to warm up on my bete noire Judicial Hanging which I have failed on as many times as I've succeded! We also climbed a lovely exposed HS called Pirates of Coigach and some nice HVSs and VSs out at the end of the point. The pictures are JB walking back under a pleasant HVS we'd done earlier, 3 shots of the excellent Pirates of Coigach (HS) and leaving the Minch Wall after a successful ascent of Judicial Hanging HVS (breaks through the roof on the left).