Tuesday 12 January 2010

Winter Climbing - West Coast

What a week to be in Scotland - excellent weather and ice climbing conditions allowed us the freedom to pick and choose routes; with trips to Glencoe for Squaddies Climb, The Screen, No.6 Gully, Broad Gully and Curved ridge - Sgurr A'Finnisaig and The East Face at Aonach Mor - and Steall Falls in Glen Nevis. There was some very hard windslab about and a lot of powder snow, but the low temperatures combined with a lot of water seepage has meant that there is a lot of ice forming - even Elliotts's Downfall had touched down by Monday, although still a bit thin for my liking.
For some, new to Scottish winter climbing, this week might have given a false impression - it's not always this good - so I hope you enjoyed it !!
Thanks to Matt, Martin, Frank, Lorcan, Rob, John and Trish for a great week - and commiserations to Iuan, Pete, Will and Si who couldn't make it.