Roger Webb pulling through the final chokestone on the first ascent of a new four-pitch (VI,6) on Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair. (Photo Simon Richardson)
Mullach Coire Mhic Fearchair, which lies deep in the Great Wilderness, is one of the most remote Munros in Scotland. In January 2007, Roger Webb and I visited the steep cliff on its north side to climb the compelling central corner-line but once we saw it, we turned tail and fled. The cliff was far steeper than we imagined and the corner looked desperate with poor protection and blank featureless rock. The weather was poor, the approach had taken over seven hours, and I had wet feet after falling into a bog. We were spooked by the seriousness of our position, but by way of consolation, we climbed a Grade IV gully bounding the right side of the cliff. We called the route No Place for Hubris, which aptly described our feelings that day.
That corner haunted both of us, but it was a moment of real inspiration when Roger suggested trying it again on Sunday, January 2. We were concerned that cliff may not be in condition after the recent thaw, but we reasoned that the turf would still be frozen after the Christmas freeze, and the crag would whiten up with snow showers coming in from the north. If we were lucky, we may even find the corner iced.
In the event, everything went to plan. The approach only took six hours rather than seven, the snow showers had arrived on cue, and once committed to the bulging first band barring access to the corner above, we found the climbing to be a little easier than it looked. We had spied a thin line of ice in the upper corner from below, and sure enough, this led past a series of bulges and chokestones all the way to the top.
