Dave McGimpsey on the lower section of Cribbage (III) on Coire Garbhlach in Glen Feshie. The pair could not decide to where to belay, so ended up climbing the route unroped. (Photo Andy Nisbet)
Andy Nisbet made another visit to Glen Feshie yesterday (january 20):
“With a good forecast before a very windy weekend, but rain moving in to the West, another trip to Coire Garbhlach felt right. A complex rib between the two gullies of Corkscrew and Moss Ghyll was the unfilled gap. After having such a hard time on an unfrozen Corkscrew, I was nervous about the turf despite friends assuring me the Cairngorms were well frozen.
An easier walk-in and the sight of a cliff not deeply buried like last time didn’t convince me until I hit the first sod and it was good. So Dave McGimpsey and I set off soloing until we reached a steeper bit. But the turf was so good that we kept on going until we reached an easier middle section. Then Dave spotted a turf ledge which led across a steep wall overlooking the gully of Moss Ghyll (climbed in December), so I went looking for a steeper bit where we might rope up. And there was a steeper bit but we didn’t rope up, so we reached the top rather quicker than we’d planned. We’d been ribbing, or maybe that was Cribbage (Grade III).
It seemed a bit early to go down, and we had carried a rope and a rack, so we decided to put them to some use by straightening out the Corkscrew. The gully at the top end of the crag is Grade I and made a useful descent. This time we did rope up although the turf was still excellent, and it felt nice with a rope despite only one runner in a long pitch (still IV,3). And we reached the top earlier than expected, but this time the legs said to go home.”
