Following on from the soaking he got last week Kevin was persuaded to head to the hills once more. This time I promised, blue skies and snow. I didn’t tell him it would be cold but he should have guessed with the layering and fatter gloves!
Ben Donich is a great hill for your first winter hill walk, it feels like a proper mountain journey with lots of ups and downs and interesting rock features. There was lots of wind blown snow but we were able to pick our way round all of it making for a more interesting but circuitous route.
Kevin did really well for his first time in crampons with good balance and weight distribution…
 |
| Raised Footprints |
11 January 2014
Kevin picked the worse possible day for his first ever hill walk. Storm force winds meant we stayed relatively low (600m) and made a quick ascent of Mid Hill.
He did very well to cope with the conditions underfoot; the wind, the hail, the rain and the snow, not complain, smile and ask if he can come again!
4th January 2014
I headed into SCNL with Gerry, Murray and George. With 5ºc at the car we thought we would be taking the rack and ropes for a walk. The walk-in was warmer than usual but we split into 2 teams both heading for Twisting... some gamesmanship had Murray and I arrive at the belay first leaving Gerry and George to go in search of something that looked "in".
Twisting was full of unhelpful snow where you wanted neve but we made it past the first difficulty. The chockstone was a technical grade harder today (IMHO) and the final pitch was on soft snow and turf. Good climbing tho and Murray enjoyed so much he offered to carry both ropes out!
Gerry and George headed up Dorsal after bailing on a soggy Langsam. The pinnacles were in good icy nick and looked great fun from our vantage point.
Funny video from Murray of the day here.
2 January 2015
We headed up Coire na Eanachan to blow the cobwebs away…it was cold and clear and the wind was blowing very hard from the West.
Good quick half day half hr from Glasgow.
30 December 2014
I headed into SCNL in 1hr 13mins to solo some routes and burn some Christmas cake. I swam up NC gully then crunched up Pearly Gates… conditions not quite there yet TBH.
22 December 2014
Craig and I headed to Aviemore looking for a couple of days of good climbing conditions before Christmas. The 100mph winds of the previous days had quite literally stripped everything from the Pottage, Aladinn's and Fingers areas leaving only the more sheltered Fiacaill Buttress with snow.
We headed over to the Seam and soloed to the start of the difficulties only to queue behind a rope of three. Shouts of "Hotaichs" and "I'm pumped" and little progress after 60mins had us decide to fire on up Invernookie for the 100th time - this is an exaggeration but we have climbed this route many times and in every conceivable condition, but its always good!
Next day was mild and wet at the ski station so we bailed and went for a second breakfast… some pics of Craig as he likes his picture taken...
