Category Archives: Commentary

January Scottish Winter Diary

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Simon Richardson

It’s been a tough January in the Scottish mountains with almost non-stop winds and long periods of thaw. Conditions on the mountains have changed day by day and have often been completely different from east to west. Here is a … Continue reading →

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Scottish Winter Meet Update

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Simon Richardson

There are less than four weeks to go before the Scottish Winter Meet. Mountaineering Scotland have issued the following press release: “Climbers from around the globe will be gathering in Scotland next month for a special event revived by Mountaineering … Continue reading →

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Season’s End

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Simon Richardson

Hopes for good late season conditions were thwarted by another major thaw in March. By way of compensation, a heavy snowfall in the Cairngorms followed by a helpful thaw-freeze cycle brought the easier north-facing gullies into condition and several teams … Continue reading →

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Neverthought Arête

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Simon Richardson

Without question, it has been a dismal Scottish winter season. The warm weather through most of the peak winter climbing period in February upset many people’s dreams, and the tragic loss of Andy Nisbet and Steve Perry coupled with the … Continue reading →

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Alex Runciman (1960 – 2019)

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Simon Richardson

Grahame Nicoll’s atmospheric photograph of Alex Runciman perched above the misty void on Number Three Gully Buttress (III) on Ben Nevis is one of my favourite winter climbing images. It is no coincidence that it was published in both the … Continue reading →

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Andy Nisbet (1953 – 2019)

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Simon Richardson

The British climbing community is reeling from news of the deaths of Andy Nisbet and Steve Perry on Ben Hope on February 5. All climbing accidents are tragic, but this one cuts deep to the core of who we are … Continue reading →

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Steve Perry (1971 – 2019)

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Simon Richardson

The terrible accident on Ben Hope on February 5 robbed Scotland of two of its finest climbers. The exact details will never be known, but it seems likely that Steve Perry and Andy Nisbet fell from the upper section of … Continue reading →

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Winter Restarts At Last!

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Simon Richardson

This blog has been unusually quiet for the last few weeks, because quite simply, there has been nothing to report. The warm weather over the Christmas period was followed by a stable high pressure system that resulted in almost no … Continue reading →

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New Mini Guidebook to Creagan Cha-no

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Simon Richardson

Today, the Scottish Mountaineering Club published a mini-guide to the popular and easily accessible Creagan Cha-no on the east side of Cairn Gorm. This is the first guidebook published for the cliff and includes all routes climbed until the start … Continue reading →

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Under The Radar Screen

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Simon Richardson

Despite the consistently cold weather, new route activity has been a little slow this season. For sure the regulars have been looking around new corners, Guy Robertson and Greg Boswell have been climbing superbly well, and several new faces have … Continue reading →

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