Tag Archives: Mark Robson

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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Princess Cut

During the first Coronavirus lockdown in spring 2020 when we were only allowed to venture away from our homes on foot or bike, Mark Robson discovered an unclimbed crag on Ben Wyvis. The 100m-high Diamond Buttress is situated on Glas … 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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End of Season Wrap Up

With settled high pressure and cool nights, winter climbing conditions have looked superb over the last month, but with the hills close due to Coronavirus, it is all been rather academic. However. I thought I’d take the opportunity to catch … Continue reading

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January Scottish Winter Diary

It’s been a tough January in the Scottish mountains with almost non-stop winds and long periods of thaw. Conditions on the mountains have changed day by day and have often been completely different from east to west. Here is a … Continue reading

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All Go on Shapeshifter Wall

It’s been busy on Shapeshifter Wall on Lurcher’s Crag in the Cairngorms. The steep three-pitch Shapeshifter (VIII,8) was the brainchild of Steve Perry who made the first ascent with Andy Nisbet and Helen Rennard last January. The route was repeated … Continue reading

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White Walkers

Mark Robson and I took the easy option on Sunday November 17 and arrived late at the Cairn Gorm Ciste car park in the full knowledge that others would be ahead of us and making a trail to Creagan Cha-no. … Continue reading

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Winter Starts

Winter in the Scottish Highlands started in late October when a cold north-westerly deposited a layer of snow on the West. Conditions were typically early season, with the turf not fully frozen, and the best climbing conditions were found in … Continue reading

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November Cold Snap

After a very warm first half of November, the cold easterlies that set up in the middle of the month were good news for winter climbers. The big decision was whether to go east or west. Going west meant better … Continue reading

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