Author Archives: Simon Richardson

About Simon Richardson

Simon Richardson is a passionate Scottish winter climber

The Demon – First Winter Ascent

Greg Boswell and Dougie Russell scored a notable coup in the Northern Corries on Saturday December 7 with the first winter ascent of The Demon on No.3 Buttress in Coire an Lochain. This rarely visited summer E2 was first climbed … Continue reading

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High Cairngorms Exploration

Autumn is a great time to explore the high Cairngorms. The north-west facing Northern Corries rime up quickly with the first snows of the season, but it is the likes of Braeriach and Beinn a’Bhuird that truly hold the cold … Continue reading

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New Lochain Route

On November 23, Michael Barnard and Lee Harrison climbed Snuffleupagus (IV,6), a new two-pitch line in Coire an Lochain on the very left side of No.4 Buttress. “It starts up grooves and corners parallel to and left of Oesophagus,” Michael … Continue reading

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New Route Recording – A Conundrum

Simon Yearsley had an enjoyable day in the Northern Corries on November 25, coming away with a possible first ascent on No.4 Buttress in Coire an Lochain. His climb raises some interesting aspects about the recording of new routes. “I … Continue reading

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Day of The Doctor

On Saturday November 23, Simon Yearsley and Helen Rennard added a new route to North Trident Buttress on Ben Nevis. Simon takes up the story: “Over the weekend, freezing levels seemed hard to predict, with anything from 900m to 1100m … Continue reading

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All Eyes on The Ben

If last weekend’s activity is anything to go by, Ben Nevis has taken over from the Northern Corries as the venue of choice for high standard early season mixed. Harry Holmes and Dan Tait set the tone on Thursday November … Continue reading

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New Winter Season Kicks Off

Strong westerlies brought the first real snows of the 2013/214 Scottish winter season during the last days of October. There are rumours of an ascent of Fingers Ridge (IV,4) in Coire an t-Sneachda during the first snowfalls last week, but … Continue reading

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Steam Train – Second Ascent

On April 26, Guy Robertson and Pete Macpherson visited Ben Nevis. They had their eye on an objective higher up the mountain, but with the big routes buried under thick unstable snow, they opted for a safer low level option … Continue reading

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The Smear – Repeated at Last!

Mike Lates and Andy Huntington rounded off an exceptional 2013 winter season on Skye with the second ascent of The Smear (V) on the North Face of Sgurr a’Mhadaidh. “Mick Fowler once told me that he’d only ever seen it … Continue reading

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Explorations in Coigach

Bob Reid and Ian Crofton visited Ben Mor Coigach on April 8 and did a little exploring. “Conditions were excellent,” Bob told me. “There was plenty of snow and ice on the north faces and we had good weather. We … Continue reading

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