Scottishwinter.com

Roger Webb approaching the imposing Atlantic Wall on Slioch. Over the last 20 years Webb has authored over a dozen new routes on this remote face. With a total height of over 400m it is one of the biggest cliffs in Scotland. (Photo Pete Macpherson)

Pete Macpherson and Roger Webb added a challenging new route in Torridon on March 29.

“Roger and I had a memorable day on Slioch’s impressive Atlantic Wall on Good Friday,” Pete told me. “Last time I climbed with Roger was about six years ago when we had a massive day in Beinn Dearg Mor so it was good to get back out with the ‘North-West Connoisseur’ himself. We left the car at 5.30am in daylight and made the longish approach along the shores of Loch Maree then up to the crag.

I can’t believe I have never been to this crag before – it’s a cracker! There are 250m of steep sandstone broken by three or four terraces topped by a further 200m of Grade II scrambling which takes you to the very summit of the mountain.

We decided to do a line up the right side of the crag starting up an obvious corner-line followed by chimneys and walls totally direct all the way to the summit. The first two pitches proved to be the crux with strenuous, and at times quite bold, climbing with bomber turf just when you needed it. The climbing eased afterwards but stayed interesting all the way up the remaining four pitches.

On the top half of the route we had the sun on our backs, which was bliss, and we topped out to one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen over Loch Maree and the Fisherfield Forest hills. Overall, it was a very relaxing day and a great laugh with Mr Webb. We called the route ‘Yggdrasil’ which is a sacred tree from Norse mythology and gave it VIII,8, although I find sandstone quite hard to grade. But more importantly, I can’t emphasis enough, how cool this crag is!”

Despite Pete’s casual description, the long approach and descent makes any route on Slioch a major undertaking. Nevertheless, Roger has had a good late season spell on the mountain. A couple of weeks earlier (March 16), he visited the cliff with Guy Robertson and made the first ascent of Morgane (VII,8) the prominent corner-line on the left side of the wall, which joins the upper section of Katabasis.

The impressive Flake Buttress on Beinn Dearg Mor. The winter line weaves its way up the front face of the buttress at VI,6 via a series of hidden grooves and chimneys. Above is a long connecting ridge with a final two pitches up the buttress in the top left of the photo. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Roger Webb and I were keen to make best use of last week’s high pressure, so arranged a visit to Beinn Dearg Mor on Thursday January 24. This remote Corbett hidden behind An Teallach has an attractive north-facing corrie, but the long approach has deterred the majority of visitors. Apart from Roger that is. Inveterate North-West explorer, Roger already had two new winter routes to his name on the mountain.

The plan was to make a winter ascent of Flake Buttress, a summer Severe first climbed by A.Parker, J.Derris and I.Richards in 1952. Roger has been intrigued by Parker’s exploits in the Northern Highlands for a number of years, and with routes like the improbable Main Buttress on Slioch (climbed solo), they deserve greater recognition. Parker himself stands out as one of the great Scottish mountain explorers of his era.

For my part, I had wanted to visit the corrie ever since my great friend Chris Cartwright made a the first winter ascent of the impressive Central Buttress (V,5) with Iain Stevens in February 1995.

As advertised the approach was long, and even though it felt we had made rapid progress, it took five hours before we were standing underneath Flake Buttress. Rearing up like a skyscraper, it was without doubt the finest feature in the corrie. The problem was that we couldn’t see how to climb it, and knowing the pedigree of Parker, his Severe could be anything up to HVS. With pressure mounting we spent an hour of precious daylight climbing the gullies either side of the buttress to scout out a line.

Roger was confident that once we started it would slot into place, and of course he was right. We used an overhung turfy fault to gain the buttress from the right, and then followed cracks and grooves, more or less up the font face of the buttress, to where the angle eased. Our line had coincided with the guidebook description in part, but we were in for a shock when an unsdescribed narrow ridge led across a neck and onto a big upper buttress.

Eventually at 6pm we arrived on the summit ridge with nine pitches and nearly 300m of new winter ground below us. Lean conditions in the side gullies meant that our descent option now led over the summit. We were six hours from the car and ten hours from home, and both had work commitments next morning. It was going to be a long day’s night!

Roger Webb pulling through the crux roof on the first ascent of Tempting Fate (V,6) in Coire Ruadh on Braeriach. The climbing potential of this rarely visited corrie on the north side of the mountain has been largely ignored until recently. (Photo Simon Richardson)

We had big plans for a route in one of the great east facing corries of Braeriach, but despite a good forecast, the weather had other ideas. When Roger Webb and I started cycling up Glen Einich early on Sunday morning (January 13) it was already starting to snow and by the time we left the shelter of the forest we had to put on goggles to see into the full frontal blizzard.

On the long walk towards the plateau we reassessed our options. Plan A rapidly became a less committing Plan B, and when that too seemed overly optimistic in the blowing storm, we opted for an even easier Plan C. Even so, it took over five hours to reach our crag in Coire Ruadh on the north side of the mountain. We were cold and tired after being knocked about by the wind, so we rapidly set about climbing a straightforward-looking mixed groove to salvage the day and start the descent as soon as possible. As I started leading the first pitch, Roger wryly commented we were a ‘hostage to fortune’ given the inclement weather.

But as we started climbing, our luck began to change. Our mixed groove was great fun, and although it was steeper than it looked, it was blessed with so many hooks, spikes and little pinnacles that we only needed slings for protection. We finished our new III,4 as the sky began to clear, so ‘tempting fate’ I suggested to Roger that we try another route.

This time, the climbing was even better, but technically harder, and we both had to think hard during our leads of the second and third pitches. The protection was so good (Friends this time rather than slings) that we couldn’t grade it more than V,6, but when we reached the top it was almost dark. Fortunately we had taken a GPS reading of the top of the descent gully leading down to Glen Einich, and as we descended the hard frozen snow, the wind dropped and the stars came out. “You know, we wouldn’t have felt fulfilled if we’d gone down after that first route,” Roger observed as we reached the car at the end of our 14-hour day. And of course, he was right.

Roger Webb on the final section (common with The Blood is Strong) on a new Grade III on Creagan Cha-no on Cairngorm on December 30. This photo was taken during a slight lull in the wind – storm conditions persisted throughout the day and the route was ironically named Captain Fairweather. (Photo Simon Richardson)

The weather over the Christmas –New Year holiday period was very challenging with high winds putting the hills out of bounds for much of the time (for sensible folk at least). Rather frustratingly, the fluctuating temperatures were on the cool side and conditions at mid-height across many of the ranges were very good, with well-frozen turf, neve and ice.

December 27 was the best day and several teams were busy on Ben Bevis. Iain Small and Blair Fyffe added a difficult new pitch to the left of Rogue’s Rib and Michael Barnard and Ron Dempster added a good new finish to Jacknife on The Douglas Boulder. The Off Road Finish (IV,4) steps down and left from the belay at the end of pitch two, climbs the corner at the back of the ledge and continue up through the obvious square-cut chimney above.

I ventured into the hills on December 30 with Roger Webb, rather hoping that the forecast 80mph winds with 100mph gusts were an exaggeration. We decided to play it safe and make a visit to Creagan Cha-no on Cairn Gorm, which is probably the crag with the shortest approach in Scotland. But even a few hundred metres from the car park we were being blown off our feet. Rather stubbornly (and stupidly perhaps) we continued, reasoning that the east-facing cliff would be sheltered from the westerly winds. Unfortunately this was not the case, and the cliff was a maelstrom of blowing spindrift – the day quickly became a matter of climb something quick and get down as soon as possible.

We climbed the prominent rib to the right of the groove of The Blood is Strong which takes in several technical and steep steps. “This is not a day to break a leg,” Roger reminded me as I struggled on the steep initial wall, and we emerged on to the plateau after two pitches in a whiteout facing into the gale. Roger had wisely put on his goggles below, but as soon as I dug mine out of my sack they immediately filled with snow and ice.

The navigation back to the car was technically easy – we knew we had to travel due west for about a kilometre until we hit a ski fence and then turn south, but walking straight into the wind was almost impossible, and made doubly worse for me as I could barely see through my now useless goggles. For a few minutes I thought that we were going to have to crawl, and the situation reminded me of descending Cerro Torre in a storm ten years ago. But soon enough we found the ski fence, dropped a little height and if it wasn’t for our stinging cheeks and eyes, we would have wondered what all the fuss had been about.

For all those brave and determined enough to succeed on a winter route, whatever the grade, over the holiday period, I salute you. The Scottish hills really bared their teeth, and the weather conditions at times were as challenging as you are likely to meet anywhere else in the world.

Roger Webb moving up to the base of the cave pitch on the first ascent of Insurgent (VI,7) on Sinister Buttress, Lochnagar. This steep buttress is the least climbed feature in the Southern Sector. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Lochnagar is my local crag, and over the years I have climbed almost all of its features, often by multiple routes. But there was one buttress that had eluded me – Sinister Buttress in the Southern Sector. Greg Strange wrote in his 1978 guidebook that it is “named for its associations and its rock which is lichenous and vegetated.” The term ‘associations’ refers to a bad accident in 1949 when Cairngorm pioneer Kenny Winram fell whilst attempting the first ascent of the buttress. The route was finally climbed in summer by the crack team of Bill Brooker and Tom Patey in 1955. Sinister Buttress is deceptively steep, and twenty years later, mixed master Norman Keir and D.Marden made a futuristic winter ascent approximating to their line.

With a high freezing level forecast for Sunday December 16, Roger Webb was keen to visit Lochnagar and give Sinister Buttress a go. The result was Insurgent (VI,7), a new and exciting four-pitch line with an intricate second pitch that tested both leader and second alike. We started early, but even so we it was night time by the time we finished on the plateau, well satisfied after finding away up the least known of all Lochnagar’s buttresses.

Roger Webb on a new VI,6 in Coire an Lochain on Braeriach. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Catching upon some late news: It was a ‘busy’ morning in the tiny Glen Einich car park last Sunday morning (November 4) with four teams gearing up at 6am for the cycle into Braeriach. Colin Wells and Penny Clay were headed for Sphinx Ridge in Garbh Choire Mor but they were stymied by the large amounts of snow on the plateau. “We stomped over the shoulder to the corrie, totally gobsmacked by the volume of snow and having to make diversions avoiding the incipient windslab that had already built up, “Colin told me afterwards.

“In the gloop we neared the corrie rim and realised that quite large cornices had formed already, so we headed for the spur and shelf on the Angel’s Peak side. Because of having to navigate blind and avoid slab, it had been more time-consuming than usual and was now probably too late in the day anyway to make an enjoyable ascent mostly in daylight. However, just as we grabbed a quick bite to eat before plunging down, the mist rose briefly to reveal – Sphinx Ridge completely buried in a Mr Whippy-style fondant covering from tip to toe, topped by unhelpful cornice. In fact, just about every route was pretty much artexed. It was clear that any climbing was going to involve massive amounts of energetic digging and not be very secure at all, so we decided to cut our losses and bail out…”

Roger Webb and I had more luck in Coire an Lochain. This coire is disappointing from a technical winter climbing point of view, however there is one steep section of rock, which provided a sustained four-pitch VI,6 outing.

I’m not sure where on Braeriach the next two teams were bound, although ascents of West Wall Route and Campion Gully in Coire Bhrochain were reported on UKC, although it is more normal to approach this coire from the Lairig Ghru side.

Roger Webb moving up the easier central gully section on the first ascent of Ben Alder Diamond (V,4) on the South Buttress of Garbh Choire Mor on Ben Alder. Until this week, only one other winter party is known to have climbed on this remote 200m-high buttress. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Ben Alder was a natural choice for anyone looking for classic Scottish winter climbing last weekend. Its huge eastern corries are renowned for holding snow blown from the extensive plateau area, and the recent thaw and freeze were perfect for stabilising the snow. It is easy to have too much snow on Ben Alder however, (on both the crags and the approach), and since the mountain lies 14km (as the crow flies) from the nearest road, this is a serious consideration.

On a hunch, Roger Webb and I decided to visit the South Buttress of Garbh Choire. This crag has been on my hit list for over 20 years, and I was rather envious when the emerging team of Malcolm Bass and Simon Yearsley made two visits to the South Buttress with J.Clamp in March 1996 and added four fine-looking routes to the cliff. This was the first time anyone had climbed on the buttress in winter, and to my knowledge their routes are unrepeated, and nobody has climbed on the cliff since.

There are good reasons for the neglect of Garbh Coire’s South Buttress. It stands proud of the main corries and lies a little lower and strips more easily in a thaw. It is also a longer walk, and on the way you pass under the enticing Alderwand face in Garbh Coire Beag, which (quite understandably) has attracted the majority of the climbing attention on the mountain to date.

Roger and I left Dalwhinnie early on Sunday morning (January 15) and by daybreak we were looking across to a wintry South Buttress. As expected the gully lines were full of snow, but as a bonus, the more shaded north-east side of the buttress had caught a little of Thursday’s snow that had fallen across nearby Creag Meagaidh. Back in 1996, the fledgling Bass-Yearsley machine had very effectively scooped up the major lines on the cliff, but there was one remaining unclimbed feature – the impressive barrel-shaped buttress to the right of Raeburn’s Gully.

The buttress is defended by schist slabs at its base, so we decided to climb up into a steep overhung niche in the hope that a hidden through-route would take us through the steep lower section.  Our optimism was not completely misplaced, as we could see accumulated snow in the base of the niche that had to come from somewhere, but even though no hidden tunnel appeared, a steep groove behind a tower led us up into a series of icy grooves.

Five pitches later we thought it was all over, but a short final headwall loomed with tricky chimney and we emerged on top of the buttress with the sky turning red as the sun set behind us. We had enjoyed a classic Scottish winter outing, but our day was far from over. We still had to return 24km back to the car!

Roger Webb back and footing up the final pitch of Wobble Block Chimney (V,5) on Stac an Fharaidh. The eponymous wobbling block was trundled and is no more. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Yesterday (January 2) was a horrible day in the Cairngorms. Roger Webb and I were not convinced that the turf would be fully frozen after the New Year thaw, so we headed for Stac an Fharaidh on the south side of Cairngorm, where I knew of an unclimbed rocky chimney that would not rely too much on frozen turf. We also reasoned that the cliff would cool down quicker in the brunt of the ferocious south-westerly winds.

It was a fine plan in theory, but when we came to the edge of the bare and featureless plateau above the cliff there was no shelter whatsoever and we were fully exposed to the wind. “It’s hardly a five star gearing up spot,” Roger observed. He then produced a bivouac shelter from his sack and we geared up in that. I’d seen people do this before, but it was a first for me, and although it was a little awkward and constricting, it saved the day.

The chimney yielded in three pitches, with the turf on the lower two pitches being just firm enough where it mattered. As Roger remarked, the final impending chimney could have been anything between Grade III and VII, but in the event it provided a superb pitch of technical 5 with many hidden holds. Once back in the maelstrom on the plateau we bundled everything into our sacks and were blown across the plateau to the Fiacaill and down to the relative tranquillity of the ski area.

Vince Aerts pulling through one of the many chokestones on the third pitch of Great Overhanging Gully (VI,7) on Beinn Bhan in Applecross. This legendary route was first climbed by Mick Fowler and Phil Butler in 1984, and has seen very few repeats, but it saw two ascents last weekend. (Photo Pete Davies)

At first sight, the North-West Highlands were not a logical choice last weekend, with heavy showers, dumping high levels of snow across the region. Parties attempting the classic Liathach and Alligin ridge traverses were unsuccessful, due to time consuming deep snow and dangerous avalanche conditions at the head of gullies.

Helen Rennard and partner, decided to take the gamble however, and were rewarded with a brilliant weekend. On Saturday December 18, they made an early repeat of Tango in the Night (VI,7) on Sgorr Ruadh, which is reckoned to be one of the best mixed routes on the Northern Highlands. Despite tired legs, they went in to Beinn Bhan the following day, and climbed the awe-inspiring Great Overhanging Gully (VI,7), an archetypical Mick Fowler route, first climbed in March 1984.

“It was the hardest day’s climbing I’ve ever had!” Helen told me afterwards. Helen explained that the walking conditions were tough, but the route was technically demanding as well. I was intrigued, because GOHG was first repeated by Dave Hesleden and Chris Cartwright in February 1994, and it was they who gave it its current two-tier grade. I spoke to Dave and Chris, and they both agreed that they thought the grade was fair. “We weren’t trying to be competitive or anything,“ Chris said. “After all, it was a Fowler route!” But as Chris explained, it was nearly 18 years ago now since they climbed the route (they also made the first free ascent in the process) and couldn’t remember for sure. (I suspect they were both climbing extremely well at the time, as they made the first ascent of Foobarbundy on Liathach the day afterwards (still unrepeated), which at VIII,7 is still arguably, one of the most difficult ice routes in Scotland).

Pete Davies (another very accomplished Scottish winter climber with first ascents of hard routes such as The Brass Monkey and Catriona on Ben Nevis to his name), and Belgian climber Vince Aerts, climbed the route last Saturday, so I asked his opinion.

“We thought it was pretty hard as well,” Pete told me, “because the difficulties are sustained all the way to the top. If The Godfather is given VIII, and Genesis VII, then VI (all be it at the top end of the grade), might be about right, I suppose. The overhangs are always well protected with a few run-outs on the less steep ground in between. I think it’s the best winter route I’ve done. It had everything – Ice, turf, overhangs, spindrift, overhangs, consolidated snow, overhangs, unconsolidated snow, overhangs, night time finish! We had a fly-by from a Golden Eagle as well!”

Pete sent me the photo above, and all becomes clear. Dave and Chris reported good ice on their ascent in 1994, whilst Pete’s photo shows thin and fragile ice, so upward progress last weekend must have mainly relied on rock and frozen vegetation.

Whilst Helen was climbing on Beinn Bhan, Roger Webb and I were having our own adventure on Beinn Damh in Torridon. This Corbett has some long winter climbs on its east face, but Roger knew of a vertical quartzite cliff directly under the summit, so we decided to go and have a look. Unfortunately, the rock was very unhelpful and difficult to protect, but we succeeded on our objective of climbing the curving cleft left of centre, that breaches the central line of overhangs, to give access to an icy groove above. Due to a communication error we carried three ice hooks up the mountain, which was just as well, as they provided all the key protection on the climb. Roger’s name suggestion, The Bulldog Spirit (V,5), was apt in more ways than one!

Glaucous Buttress in Coire an Dubh Lochain, Beinn a’Bhuird looking magnificent in the early morning sun. The sickle-shaped snow couloir on the left leading to a narrow chimney is Polypody Groove (IV,3). The ground just to its right is Tearaway (IV,4) which finishes up the groove just right of Polypody. Crystal (VI,7) climbs the groove-line right of the sunlit central crest and then continues up the headwall directly above, just left of the steep tower on the right-hand edge. (Photo Simon Richardson)

Last week’s thaw and re-freeze meant that ice, or icy mixed lines, were going to be the order of the day for this week. Roger Webb and I decided to visit Coire an Dubh Lochain on Beinn a’Bhuird to have a look at a line on Glaucous Buttress. I’ve climbed over 50 routes on Beinn a’Bhuird, but never on Glaucous Buttress itself, which needs specific conditions to bring it into winter condition. The lower summer slabs need to be covered in snow, but the buttress faces north-east and the upper headwall catches the early morning sun. The window of opportunity is mid winter therefore, when there is enough snow build up, but before the sun gets too high in the sky.

Monday February 28 was a beautiful day. Glaucous Buttress was beautifully icy and looked supreme in the early morning light. It was more reminiscent of Ben Nevis than the Cairngorms and our route went exactly to plan. We climbed the prominent groove to the right of Tearaway in the lower section to gain the steep headwall. The first pitch on the headwall looked rather imposing – steep with no obvious cracks, but once started the climbing was technical and absorbing with good protection. The final pitch up a thinly iced open groove was the complete opposite – Roger sprinted up it without pausing to place any gear, but fortunately the angle had eased back a little.

We named our VI,7 route Crystal in memory of Chris Dale who tragically died a few days ago. Chris was one of the quiet men of Scottish mountaineering with a string of outstanding first ascents across the Highlands and the Alps. He was a prodigious talent with routes such as The Argonaut (VII,8) on Lochnagar, climbed way back in 1984, to his credit. He will be missed.

We sorted our gear on the plateau and then had a leisurely stroll to the South Summit with the Cairngorms spread out before us, and then dropped back down to the bikes in the Fairy Glen. “This is the best day of the winter,” Roger declared, and I had to agree.