Author Archives: Simon Richardson

About Simon Richardson

Simon Richardson is a passionate Scottish winter climber

Gully of the Sods

Unaware of the first ascent of Fly Me to the Moon nine days before, Pete Davies and Donie O’Sullivan also visited the Crescent Gully area of Creag Meagaidh and made the superb first ascent of Gully of the Sods (VI,6) … Continue reading

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The Primate – First Winter Ascent

On February 5, Pete Davies and Donie O’Sullivan laid a long sought-after problem to rest with the first winter ascent of The Primate (VIII,8) on the West Wall of Mitre Ridge in the remote Garbh Choire of Beinn a’Bhuird. “We … Continue reading

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Lochnagar’s Black Spout Wall

Lochnagar’s Black Spout Wall is one of the steepest and most impressive walls in the Cairngorms. It was first climbed in summer by a four-pitch E3 by Dougie Dinwoodie and Bob Smith in August 1976, and it is a highly … Continue reading

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Cooran Gully

Conditions were good in the Galloway Hills last week, and on February 2, Stephen Reid and John Biggar made the first winter ascent of Cooran Gully on the Dungeon of Buchan. “It’s four pitches, III/IV and nicely sustained at that … Continue reading

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Cha-no Diary

Creagan Cha-no on the east flank of Cairngorm has proved very popular over the last few weeks, with several teams climbing there most days. The majority of last season’s routes have been repeated and there is overall consensus on the … Continue reading

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BMC Winter Meet – Lochnagar Update

Several teams made the cross-Cairngorm roller coaster drive from Glenmore Lodge to Lochnagar during the BMC Winter Meet. On Tuesday January 24, Nick Bullock and US climber Bayard Russell climbed Trail of Tears (VII,8) on the Tough Brown Face. The … Continue reading

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For Crying Out Loud!

As chance would have it, on Friday January 20, two teams independently set their sights on the first winter ascent of Cryotherapy, a VDiff on the west flank of The Garadh in Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis. Jeremy Windsor, … Continue reading

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BMC Winter Meet – Ben Nevis Update

The BMC Winter Meet visited Ben Nevis en masse on Friday January 27 and came away with an impressive haul of routes including Sioux Wall, Smith’s Route, Darth Vader, Babylon, North-East Buttress, Tower Ridge, Gargoyle Wall, Tower Face of the … Continue reading

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BMC Winter Meet – Loch Avon Update

The Loch Avon Basin has been a much-visited venue this season, and it was a popular location of Day 2 (January 24) of the BMC Winter Meet with two ascents of the classic Postern on the Shelter Stone. Iain Small … Continue reading

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Pic ‘n Mix – The Mindless Finish

On Day 1 (January 23) of the BMC International Meet, Nick Bullock set the pace with the first full winter ascent of the Mindless Finish (IX,10) to Pic ‘n Mix. This summer E3 5c pitch is followed by the original … Continue reading

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