Monthly Archives: December 2016

Blink And You Miss It

“Blink and You Miss It!” Mark Chadwick exclaimed on Facebook after making a well timed ascent of an attractively rimed Auricle (VI,7) in Coire an Lochain with Duncan Hodgson. Following the Christmas Day thaw and Boxing Day storm, winter conditions … Continue reading

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Winter on The Sentinel

This winter continues to be a frustrating one. A cold snap before Christmas saw Sophie Grace Chapell and I heading for the Southern Sector of Lochnagar. The buttresses on the left side corrie have a westerly aspect, which makes them … Continue reading

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Lean Times in Raeburn’s Gully

Before the high pressure properly set in at the beginning of December there were some fine days with cool nights. Winter climbing looked pretty hopeless, but the deep gullies high in the Cairngorms kept a little snow and ice. Several … Continue reading

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Early Season Update

By any measure it’s been a slow start to the season. During the cold snap in November many climbers enjoyed good climbing on the well known early season venues in the Cairngorms and Ben Nevis, but a major thaw followed … Continue reading

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Silver Fox

On November 19, Mike Lates and Sophie Grace Chappell made an excellent early season addition to Coire Lagan in the Cuillin with the first ascent of the 235m-long Silver Fox (V,5). “The long curving fault line from the corrie floor … Continue reading

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Theory of Relativity

“Last February I’d been soloing some new routes on the southern end of Lurcher’s Crag with Andy Nisbet,” Steve Perry writes, “when we came across a very steep looking corner-cum-groove line that Andy thought looked about Tech 9 (he’s usually … Continue reading

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