Tag Archives: Lochnagar

Busy Season at the Cutting Edge

The following ascents were initially reported on Instagram but unfortunately, I do not have first-hand details. All are significant ascents and are listed here to maintain the historical record. 8 December, Lochnagar, Nihilist (IX,9)First winter ascent by Greg Boswell and … Continue reading

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Winter Begins!

Once again, it’s been a slow start to the Scottish winter season and most of November was unseasonably mild. There was a three-day window in late November when the snowed up rock routes in the Northern Corries came briefly on … Continue reading

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January Update

January has been disappointing month for Scottish winter climbers. The weather has been dominated by warm high pressure systems and any snowfall has quickly disappeared with sudden thaws. The dry air and associated wet bulb effect has allowed the remaining … Continue reading

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2021 Winter Catch Up

Now that winter is over, and lockdown largely behind us, I have summarised activity from January 4 until the end of the season. The Cuillin: Big news from Skye was the first winter ascent of Mongoose Direct (VIII,8) on Sgurr … Continue reading

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Lockdown Catch Up

While Mainland Scotland is in full lockdown, I do not feel it is appropriate to report ongoing winter climbing activity on scottishwinter.com, so I’m using this post to catch up on recent weeks. The extended spell of cold and snowy … Continue reading

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All Go on The Stooee

I was intrigued to find out that Erick Bailot and Dave Kerr climbed The Stooee Chimney on The Stuic on Lochnagar on Sunday November 10. The Stooee Chimney is the obvious central line and was the first route ever attempted … Continue reading

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Sunset Buttress Revisited

I’d been meaning to return to Sunset Buttress on Lochnagar for years. I first climbed it in 1994 when winter climbing in the Southern Sector was not very fashionable. Rick Allen and I made an ascent of the original summer … Continue reading

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The Goldilocks Zone

The Southern Cairngorms have been consistently colder than the northern part of the massif this winter, so the cliffs of Lochnagar quickly came into good mixed climbing condition after the welcome snowfall late last week. On January 18, James Richardson … Continue reading

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Gryphon Grooves

A key piece of advice in Chasing the Ephemeral is take time to assess conditions at the base of the cliff before you start climbing. The ten minutes you spend at this point can be the most critical point of … Continue reading

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More Scouring Please

There is a lot of snow lying in useful places all over the Highlands and this winter is shaping up to be an excellent season for classic Scottish winter climbing. The snow banks are nicely oozing ice, but it needs … Continue reading

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