Snow & Ice 2011

Over the last few days I've been up in the Cairngorms on the West Lancashire Scouts annual winter skills and mountaineering scheme, Snow & Ice, based out of Nethy Bridge. I fist went to the event as a participant 7 years ago, and its where I first learnt most of my winter mountain-craft, so its really nice to be able to go back now as an instructor and impart some of knowledge to people younger than me. The event also has a reasonably good social side to it as well.

Day 1

Ice axe arrest training in Corrie na Ciste.

The first day of the scheme is a compulsory winter skills training or refresher day for all participants. After a minor setback with the ski road being closed due to high winds we set off walking up towards the ski car park. I took my group into Corrie na Ciste above the over-flow ski carpark. First we looked at traveling with the axe, safe travel technique, the axe self belay before getting to arresting a fall with an axe. After some lunch we headed a little higher and found some hard neve to practice kicking and cutting steps, something I think is perhaps a neglected skill these days. We then had a look at avalanche awareness, digging a rustschblock which failed quite impressively and then looking at a tap/compression test. We ran through some basic winter belays quickly, digging a few snow bollards, bucket seats and burying a few axes and looking at how to use body belays with them. Finally we put crampons on and had a quick walk around so everybody could get a feel for them before we headed down.

The group we're really good and we got through most things quickly, and I think they all learnt a few things which is always good.

Day 2

The forecast for Sunday was worse than the previous day, but decided to head into Sneachda to see if we could get up anything. The walk in was tedious and took a long time in the high winds, almost feeling like one step forward two steps back. The team split in the corrie with most bailing back to the car park. Myself and Stu perceived though, and climbed up the mixed ground to the Fiacaill Ridge col before soloing along the ridge. If taken direct, Fiacaill Ridge is actually a really good day out with some easy but exposed mixed climbing in places, and the chimney crux section is certainly a good section of II. We topped out into a whiteout on the plateau where the compasses came out to get round to 1141 and down into Cas. The cornices lining the rim of Sneachda were particularity huge.

Day 3

On Monday Jayne, Stubbs, Stu and myself headed back into Sneachda with a group of 6 punters to look at winter climbing skills, with the potential of doing a route at the end of the day. Again the walk in was tedious and slow. The gullies weren't really in conidion due to large amounts of wind slab and the big cornices at the top. We decided that our intinery from the previous day would be idea, so headed up the mixed ground, looking at belays and ropework, before roping up to climb the ridge itself. Once on the plateau the weather was even worse than the previous day which gave the opportunity to look at some navigation in really bad weather, when you really don't want to get it wrong! The cloud lifted slightly as we hit 1141 and walked down to the day lodge. Again I think people had a good day out, it was hard to explain a lot off things in the high wind but I think people understood most things we did, and everybody enjoyed the ridge - and we didn't get blown off!

After topping out of the Fiaciall Ridge.

Day 4

The final day of the scheme there weren't many takers for climbing as most were either skiing or on overnight expeditions, so the small group of myself, Stu, Martin and Jon headed into Sneachda again, in much better weather, to see if we could get up something. We initially went for Fingers Ridge, which I've got a little bit of a vendetta with. I lead off up the first ptich and immediately found it quite hard going, with the entire ridge being covered in about a foot of loose unconsolidated powder snow making both climbing and finding gear and tool placements very difficult. I decided it was for the best to bail so lowered off from the first belay, deja vu.

Fluted Buttress tempting us with seemingly good conditions...

The four of us then ran across to Goat Track Gully, which was fairly banked out but still gave bit of sport coming over the two bulges. We climbed a varition at the top, going straight up the rock prow on the left, at about tech 3/4-. Again the standard walk off was over and down via 1141, as the Goat Track was still looking pretty dodgy with no tracks going up or down it.

Jon following our mixed variation at the top of Goat Track Gully.

In summary an excellent event, as always. The weather was difficult, but workable, and while everybody may not be able to pull of the most perfect axe arrest in every position or other finite skills I think everybody gains some good mountain life skills/experiences - not letting your gloves blow away, what you need handy in your rucksack, layering etc.

End of the day in the daylodge car park.

Giants Crawl - Dow Crag

Saturday was another LUMC trip, destined for Wallowbarrow in the Duddon Valley, one of my favourite parts of the Lake District. I've climbed at Wallowbarrow in the past and its a really nice crag, but with it being February and the forecast being cold and the potential for the rock being damp I decided a mountaineering day keeping moving was more in order.

We headed up at about 11am from Seathwaite following the Walna Scar road to col below Brown Pike, before heading up along the ridge to Brown Pike and Buck Pike. We stopped just below the summit of Dow Crag itself and descended the climbers descent gully to the left of A buttress looking at how to protect scrambles in descent with the rope. Once at the bottom we traversed across to the base of B buttress and geared up.

Bec and Josh before the descent to Dow.

Gaint's Crawl is an awesome route, I think I've done it 4/5 times now mainly for the reasons that its a fantastic route for beginners or people new to multi-pitches, and its good in the wet. It's diff and ~150m and given 7 pitches in the guidebook but lends itself more in my eyes, and is quite doable in 4, which is how I'll describe it. The first two lead up the impressive slanting gangway that cuts B buttress. These are often wet as they were on the day but the gear is good and all the holds are there, its fine in big boots as well. The exposure on these pitches is also good, increasing as you get higher. Next the route kicks back left, which a tricky move over a large block which leads to a good stance and the final pitch tot he easier ground above.

At the belay halfway along the gangway, looking across to A buttress.

About 18 months ago there was some rockfall on the final pitch, and while most of the loose debris has gone there are still a few large loose block hanging around. These could really do with being removed as they pose significant danger to people below on B buttress and around the rescue box if one was to become dislodged.

Myself on the final pitch.

We scrambled up to the summit of Dow, before dropping down to the Dow-Old Man col and then dropping down to Seathwaite tarn and following the access track back down to the valley to be in the pub shortly after 5pm. I was climbing with Bec and Josh who I think (hope) had a good day and were excellent company.

Lockwood's Chimney - 'An Adventure'

Last weekend I was away with university climbing club (LUMC) in Snowdonia. Unfortunately as the week progressed the forecast progressively got worse and worse. The MWIS one issued on the Friday afternoon as we left bounced about triple digit wind speed figures and phrases like 'mobility will be all but impossible on all levels'. Not to mention significant levels of precipitation.

Usually its quite easy to find something to do in poor weather in wales, there's lots of ridges, easy climbs and scrambling. With the forecast most of my usual choices seemed a bit ambitious though so I did some thinking and remember being told about Lockwood's Chimney, a so called adventure route on Clogwyn y Bustach, just below Pen y Pas. I think 'adventure route' is a good phrase as to call this a 'climb' would be an injustice - whether this would be to the route itself or to all other climbs I'll let you decide once you've done it!

Naomi entering the chimney, below the chockstone crux.

To approach the route you park at the farm on the NE edge of Llyn Gwynant and walk down through the campsite crossing the river, and heading north along the river bank until you eventually wind your way up through some lightely forested boulder fields to the base of the crag. Its about 1.5km and takes 20-30 minutes. The start of the route is located to the right of 'the marble arch' a large natural arch of rock that has formed and provides some shelter in wet weather.

We climbed a long first pitch, combining the two written in the guidebook into one. This involves a steep wet crack first followed by another steep wall. This was pretty dire in the wet as a waterfall was running down it, and right down my sleaves pooling at my elbows! You can avoid this a scrambling line up some ledges to the left. After this the real meat of the route begins with the chimney itself. It think its best to do this in two pitches, the first going into the chimney and passing the chockstone which is the crux. Some websites and guides moot that this is about 4a - have no idea really, all I know is that it was very wet and polished and my boots didn't seem to find many edges to stand on so I resorted to back-knee chimeny'ing maneuver to get over it (one of the leaders in the latter parties fell on this and took a slide back down to the bottom of the chimney!). From here you move deeper into the mountain on a horizontal section, barely wide enough for you to turn around in, before climbing the easier ground at the back on the cave which leads you abruptly back to the outside world near the top of the crag. There is another scrambling pitch above this which leads to the top of the crag but we chose to make use of the in-situ tat and make the wonderful 50m free-hanging abseil back to the marble arch, just to add to the adventure. I was climbing with Naomi and Jade and they were both excellent seconds.

Myself squirming deeper into the chimney.

In true university mountaineering club style, only two of the six parties that attempted the route got to the top, with people having issues abseiling, getting ropes stuck, having to have lines dropped to them etc. I think I've grown to accept this now though, and quite enjoy the shut-eye I catch while lay on the back seats on minibuses waiting for them. Several asked how hard I thought the route was as it was only Diff; I never really thought it was hard as such, just a struggle, a horrible moist struggle. But it was awesome, and it was an adventure, top choice for a really bad day in Wales.

Photos copyright of Jade Jauquet.

Arc'teryx Cierzo 35 - First Impressions

I probably didn't really need another rucksack, in fact theres no question about it - I didn't. But with Ultimate Outdoors reducing a lot of their stock in their January sale I couldn't refuse one of the Arc'teryx Cierzo 35 packs, reduced down from £70 to £50 at Ultimate Outdoors Lancaster. Arc'teryx describe it as:

Lightweight and highly packable summit pack. Our lightest day pack under 40 litres.

So, the most obvious thing thing that blurb is that this pack is supposed to be light, and it most certainly is weighing in at 580g. I've had a play about, and if you do a bit of trimming, and removed the compression system you can knock about 100g off this which is getting into serious lightweight territory for a pack this size. Its frameless and has minimalistic waist strap which comprises simply of 1.5 inch webbing with no padding. The capacity is a conservative 35l, but if you really stretch the lid you can just about cram 40 in there. Theres one large lid pocket, and a main body - thats it, no side pockets or zips, no hydration sleeve etc. Its clean, and I like it.

My predominant winter climbing pack for the last half a decade has been my trusty POD Black Ice, one of the ones that Pete O'Donovan in his garage before production moves to China. It is a great rucksack but due to its size, when I'm going fast and light, or climbing something pretty hard I found myself wanting a frameless sack that was a bit smaller and lighter, willing to sacrifice some comfort on the walk-ins. I thought I'd solved this when I bought my Black Diamond RPM in the summer, and while this was great for Chamonix style alpinism I've found for British winter climbing, getting a full rack, harness, helmet and other winter kit is a bit of a squeeze. So enter the Cierzo...

Walking off the Ben with a fully laden Cierzo 35.

I took it out on its first proper outing on Tower Ridge at the weekend. I packed fairly light, but still had all my winter gear and a moderate sized rack in my pack so it wasn't at its lightest for the 2 hour walk in. Surprisingly though it actually carried fairly well, with the hip belt taking more load then I was expecting it too. Unlike a framed rucksack you do have to be careful how you pack the cierzo as the back padding is minimalistic, you could if you wanted add in some extra foam sheets to pad it out a bit more. once we got to the climb I re-packed the sack, with the lid tucked inside the main body and hip belt fastened out of the way. As expected it was a dream to climb with.

This is by no means a definitive review, I'll write one when I've truly used and abused the pack but I think the Cierzo is going to do well. I'm going to take it down to Snowdonia with me next weekend for some rock-climbing and mountaineering, and I'll take it up to the Cairngorms when I'm there in a few weeks time. I also have high hopes for this when the summer alpine season comes around, for stuff of more traditional nature - i.e. not lift accessed, and I reckon it will just about take bivi kit.

The pack has already received positive reviews on the Alpine Guides site and on Alpinist.

Tower Ridge

This weekend I was up in Lochaber, once again staying at the Inchree Center. Saturday, Tom, Ali, Jayne and myself headed up to the Ben for a go at Tower Ridge IV 3 *** 800m. I climbed Tower Ridge about 4 years ago in summer, naively without a proper guidebook and with somebody who'd never really climbed outside before. Obviously, this turned into a bit of an epic with us getting off route, people getting scared and generally being slow - we took nine ours CIC to summit. At the time this was a big learning experience on several fronts, but I did fall in love with the route, and with the North Face of the Ben. I've climbed on the Ben several times since then, but my winter attempts at Tower Ridge have always been thwarted for some reason or another.

Myself leading the Eastern Traverse.

With a promising forecast I first convinced Tom to come and have a crack at it, but then realising we'd need transport we roped in both Jayne and Ali, and planned to climb in two pairs. A 4:45am wake up call, followed by packing and a brief breakfast had us leaving the north face car park at Torlundy at 6am. There are two main options for walking in to the north face, with the approach up Allt a' Mhuilinn probably being the most popular. Some people however prefer, and believe starting from Glen Nevis and traversing in to the CIC from the halfway lochan is faster, we took the former. Since the last time I headed up the Allt a' Mhuilinn path its been improved, and is now signposted and marked all the way tot he top car park, and wide enough all the way to walk two a-abreast.

We paused at the CIC hut around 7:45am just as it was getting light to restock on water before making our way up towards the Douglas Boulder. It was very claggy and visibility was low so it took us a while to locate the start of the route but by 8:30am we had geared up and were making our way up the initial gully to the notch behind the Douglas Boulder. I won't describe the whole route, but will give a brief overview of the crux sections below, which are all interspersed with sections of grade I or II ridge climbing:

1. Douglas Boulder Notch, 3: a short steep mixed pitch leads out of the notch and onto the ridge proper.
2. Little Tower, 3-: Another mixed pitch up the little tower, we took the left flank.
3. Easter Traverse, 2: Not hard, just an exposed traverse.
4. Great Tower, 3: Probably the climbing crux of the route in my mind, a steep pitch and pull over a bulge that lead you back to the ridge crest and summit of the Great Tower.
5. Tower Gap, 3: Not as physically hard as the previous, but more physiologically demanding with the step/lower down into the gap being fairly tricky.

Tom, just before Tower Gap on the final stages of the route.

I climbed with Jayne, and led the vast majrity of the route, and Tom with Ali. We followed a Russian pair up for most of the route who were good company - one of them actually fell while climbing down into Tower Gap and ended up a few meters down Glover's Chimney but thankfully was ok. We had to queue for a while before a few of the cruxes, specifically the Little Tower, Eastern Traverse and Tower Gap which probably equated to around 1-1.5hours of waiting, but this gave us time to eat and chill out. We topped out at 2pm, taking 5.5 hours including the queuing which I think is good, considering the SMC guidebook suggests 6-10 hours for the route. Conditions were good, with solid neve providing a motorway all the way up. The weather cleared as we reached the upper section as well with the cloud lifting to reveal a stunning day with bright sunshine.

Tom, Myself and Jayne on the descent. Very satisfied.

Honestly I found the route easier than expected, the good conditions had something to with this but still I thought the cruxes only just warranted their technical 3 grades. I can understand the adjectival grade of IV being given to the route as it is a long way, but perhaps a III/IV would be more appropriate. Anyhow, none of this takes away from he fact that this is an awesome route, its got a true alpine feel to it, and certainly deserves its rightful place in Cold Climbs. If you've not done it, go and do it - it's ace.

Photos courtesy of Dr. Ali Chambers.