Scottishwinter.com

Andy Inglis on the first ascent of Moonshine (VI,7) on Stob Coire nan Lochan. This steep hanging groove branches out left from Moonshadow on the subsidiary buttress that overlooks Twisting Gully. (Photo Neil Adams)

Neil Adams and Andy Inglis added a new line on Stob Coire nan Lochan in Glen Coe on March 16.

“Moonshine takes the obvious slim corner to the left of the top pitch of Moonshadow,” Neil explained. “To get to it, we started up Twisting Gully RH, then continued up another groove just right of the easy ground on Moonshadow (although this was also pretty straight-forward – you’d be as well just going up Moonshadow). There’s then a steep 30m pitch up the groove to the top of the buttress.

It’s probably VI,7 overall – quite sustained tech 7, but never quite reaching tech 8, and not long enough difficulties to justify more than VI overall. Worth at least a star, probably 2, and a good option if the lower buttresses are stripped (as they were last Saturday).”

Andy Inglis finding a way through the fourth pitch during the first ascent of The Rebirth of Cool (VII,7), on the Upper Cliff of Coire Ghranda on Beinn Dearg. (Photo Guy Robertson)

Guy Robertson and Andy Inglis added a good new route to Coire Grandha’s Upper Cliff on Beinn Dearg on December 17. Guy has very made this rarely visited cliff very much his own with a string of impressive routes in recent years. “Unsurprisingly this is one of the places we still need to get pictures for the book [a new volume on Scottish mountain routes], and unsurprisingly we got a fantastic new route!” Guy told me.

“The Rebirth of Cool (VII,7) takes the easiest line up the steep and complex area of overhanging grooves and bulges immediately right of Tickled Rib, another of my own routes from ages back.  The climbing was typical of the crag – never that steep, but never easy, and a superb mix of thin ice, turf and rock.  For a while I thought that – unusually for this cliff – the whole route was going to be well-protected, but a sustained section sketchiness a good few metres out from a tied off peg on the third pitch soon put paid to that.  As ever, it was great to get a rare opportunity on a day that many folk seemed to have written off as too warm.”

A busy day in the Northern Corries. Andy Munro climbing Auricle (left) and Andy Inglis on Ventriloquist in Coire an Lochain. (Photo James Richardson)

It was an excellent winter climbing weekend in the Cairngorms with teams active on many crags including Braeriach, Coire Sputan Dearg, Lochnagar and the Shelter Stone.

The Northern Corries were especially popular with dozens of parties enjoying the early winter sunshine. Conditions were particularly good for so early in the season with frozen turf and generally dry cracks all coated with a healthy layer of new snow and hoar frost on the steep sections.

James Richardson sent me the above picture with tongue in cheek comment – “Shows typical winter solitude on No. 1 Buttress in Coire an Lochain.” James was climbing Auricle with Andy Munro, and Andy Inglis was partnered by Helen Rennard on Ventriloquist. “James and Andy were next to us all the way up,” Helen explained. “It was very sociable. We shouted ‘Andy’ and they both turned around for the photo!”

Andy Inglis making an early repeat of Minute Man (VII,7) in Core an Lochain. The route was climbed on May 16 with Guy Robertson, and the pair added a new direct start. When Brian Davison and Andy Nisbet made the first ascent in January 1997, they started up Milky Way because only the top tower was in winter nick and the lower part of the cliff was bare. (Photo Guy Robertson)

With warmer temperatures now sweeping across the country, it looks like the 2011-2012 winter climbing season is finally coming to an end. The last six weeks have been unusually cold for the time of year, which has led to resumption of winter climbing, although unfortunately only a handful of folk appear to have taken advantage of it.

Unusually, the best of the conditions have occurred in the Cairngorms. Normally it is late season ice on Ben Nevis that attracts attention, but the devastating late February thaw meant there was little snow-ice formation high on the Ben. Instead cold north-easterlies have kept the Cairngorm plateau white with deep snow and the high corries have provided good sport for those willing to get up early and make the long approach. During May, over a dozen new routes have been added to the high corries of Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Ben Macdui.

The Northern Corries have been good too, and on Wednesday May 16, Guy Robertson and Andy Inglis made an early repeat of Minute Man (VII,7) adding a new direct start. “This gave two good pitches,” Guy told me. “The second main pitch up the cracked tower being we thought as good as any other VII pitch in the corrie, and worth a couple of stars for sure!”

Guy Robertson on the second ascent of Swallow Tail Pillar (VII,8) in Coire an Lochain, Northern Corries. This route, which lies between Deep Throat and Gaffer’s Groove, and was first climbed in winter by M.Walker, A.Gilmore and R.Rosedale in March 2008. Robertson has had a successful run of April routes in the Northern Corries in recent years and has become a champion of late season mixed when many folk have put their tools away for the summer. (Photo Andy Inglis)

Cool temperatures and consistent snowfalls late last week resulted in some worthwhile late season mixed climbing conditions last weekend. Confirmed winter addict Guy Robertson tempted Andy Inglis out for some late season Northern Corries action on Sunday April 29 resulting in a probable second ascent of Swallow Tail Pillar (VII,8).

“Conditions were very challenging,” Guy told me, “as the cliff was either completely black or Patagonian white! Obviously we had to choose an area that was the latter, so we opted for Swallow Tail Pillar. This gave two good thought-provoking pitches, and I thought Andy did a particularly fine job of digging out and sending the top pitch, which was probably the crux. Overall the route was similar in difficulty to Prore so VII,7 or VII,8 about right – it’s always hard to judge these things when the rock is so deeply buried. As ever at this time of year the late start and wonderful light was as much of an attraction as the climbing itself – it was a really stunning day with full cover above 800m; almost certainly the best days skiing so far this season. It isn’t over yet either!”

Across on Ben Nevis, Pete Flanagan and Ben Giles had a productive day with an early repeat of Spartacus (VI,7) on South Trident Buttress on Friday April 27. As to be expected on this south-east facing crag, the ascent was a race against the sun which unhelpfully emerged from behind the clouds on occasion. Late season climbing has many benefits – late starts, long evenings and often benign weather conditions but any sunshine can be an unwelcome addition!

Andy Inglis reaching the second belay during the first free ascent of Rampart Wall (VII,8) on Beinn Eighe. “The crux (on the second pitch) involves levering the full head of an axe into a horizontal break in the quartzite wall to the left; pulling round to the left; committing to a thin horizontal torque with the other axe; pulling further round to the left; hooking a crack line before heading upwards once more,” Jim Higgins wrote on his blog. (Photo Jim Higgins)

On January 28 Jim Higgins and Andy Inglis repeated Rampart Wall on the Eastern Ramparts of Beinn Eighe. This sensational summer HVS was first climbed in winter by Andy Nisbet, Brian Davison and Dave McGimpsey in March 2002.

Further details can be found on scottishclimbers.blogspot.com and Jim gave me the following background behind their ascent: “Andy Nisbet has just responded with the following comment: “Second ascent of Rampart Wall, almost certainly”. If so, it is the first free ascent, as we both freed the tension traverse of pitch 3 (maybe hard tech 8?) I would be surprised if it hasn’t been repeated before, but I guess the Eastern Ramparts and Far East Walls are subject to quite fickle conditions and visited relatively infrequently in winter. Shhhh, don’t let everyone know how awesome it is out there!”

Andy Nisbet and Brian Davison have left an outstanding legacy of hard winter routes on Beinn Eighe. It is great to see them begin to get some well-deserved attention at long last!

Roger Webb styling up a new Grade IV chimney-line on Creagan Coire Cha-no. Just before this photo was taken, Roger trundled a huge block perched in the triangular niche below his right boot. (Photo Simon Richardson)

As usual, early season activity continues to focus on the Northern Corries. During the weekend Coire an t-Sneachda was especially popular and there were ascents of The Lamp, Belhaven, Burning and Looting, Pot of Gold and Houdini.

Also of note was an adventurous visit to Garbh Choire Mor on Braeriach by Neil Adams and Andy Inglis who made an ascent of Phoenix Edge (V,6). I’ve not heard of any other repeats of this summer VS since it was first climbed by the Andy Cunningham and Andy Nisbet in January 1990, so this may well have been the second winter ascent.

On Sunday November 21, I revisited Creagan Coire Cha-no with Roger Webb. We climbed the prominent narrow buttress split by a IV,4 chimney to the left of the previous routes and made the first winter ascent of Duke’s Rib, which gave a fun Grade II. The real spice of the day came when we climbed Arch Wall to the right of Jenga Buttress resulting in an exciting VII,7. The crux was a strenuous and poorly protected sequence through a capping arched roof, and these moves will stay firmly implanted in my brain for several months to come!