As the 3-day Laggan meet grew near, were were treated to the traditional mega-thaw that put paid to any thoughts of winter climbing, and to make matters worse Storm Otto was on its way.
But luckily worst of it came through overnight Thursday, so with a late start and staying away from the highest tops we managed a fine loop over Creag Ruadh, a Graham above the head of Loch Laggan. Breezy on the tops but with plenty of sun, and the showers mostly passed us by.
Return was via the Pictish fort of Dum-da-lamh, making a nice relaxing circuit of just over 7 miles. Well worth doing for a shortish day out.
Some snow was forecast overnight at higher levels, but we weren't expecting to wake up to find snow lying on the ground outside the hut! After a swift adjustment of plans, we headed off en masse to traverse Creag Meagaidh. We started from the SW end of the hill at Moy, having left a car at Aberarder.
Passing a small lochan we tackled Creag na Caillaich direct, possibly unwisely at it was very steep with some loose scrambling – probably better approached via a dogleg to the left. But at least it gave us plenty of excuses to stop and look at the views, clouds swirling around and below us, with blue sky above, and even a fogbow. A long ridge then took us gradually up to the summit, sadly the clouds rolled in just below the top and that was it for views.
But old hard snow and ice on the summit plateau at least gave us an opportunity to use crampons, rather than just carrying them round all day as usual. A steep descent through the Window (where crampons were indispensable) was then followed by a long walk out to the car park. Less than 11 miles but felt a lot more!
The next day was supposed to be mild and wet, and so it proved. So some of us went for a run round the woods where the Wolftrax MTB centre is situated (accidentally running up then down a red bike run – luckily not meeting any cyclists). Jamie took the more sensible option of cycling round the same runs, while everyone else stayed indoors!
For this New Year's meet the 26th to the 1st YAC members headed to Mill Cottage, the mountaineering Scotland hut located near Feshiebridge on the edge of the Cairngorms.
The forecast looked a bit mixed but in the end was much better than expected with some fresh snowfall and two amazing blue sky days with beautiful views of the hills.
13 Members attended with a whole range of activities taking place including skiing, mountain biking, road biking, hill walking, mountaineering, trail running and cold water swimming!
They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so here are some photos!
Weather station on the summitHiding from the snowApproaching blizzard in the Ladder HillsBecky tackling the Fiacaill Ridge in proper Scottish conditionCycling in Rothiemurchus ForestDon't fall in!Three musketeersNav trainingLouise doing some race training !White outAndrew and Jane heading for the summit of CairngormDays like this make it all worthwhile!Great ski touring conditions, shame we were walking!Leathad an RaobhainThe track to the hut !Winter wonderlandMike laying fresh turns on the south slopes of CairngormFrozen over Loch Morlich
Pete surveying most of Scotland from Stob Coire Sgreamhach, Glencoe
Cold weather arrived last week and the forecasts predicted cold but settled weekend conditions so a last minute plan was hatched and bags hastily packed for a quick getaway after work on Friday – time to head to Scotland!
Parking up in a layby it was a cold, crisp and clear Friday night, with some spectacular stars out, something I really appreciate seeing when in the middle of nowhere away from the artificial lights of the city.
Saturday morning in daylight we could see the route we'd thought about doing from the van. A few days of cold weather had clearly not been enough, with thin looking ice and the hills still very green. So we binned our rather optimistic plan for another day and headed up the road to Glencoe for some more elevation where there'd be plenty of options to go at, settling for the classic Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor, which we hadn't done in winter.
Mike on Curved Ridge
Mike in a curved ridge chimney
Clear conditions meant finding the bottom of the route wasn't an issue and we started up the scramble. Despite being below freezing, there wasn't any snow so it felt fairly straightforward at first both happy soloing on dry grippy rock. As we climbed higher things got slippier with verglass and hoarfrost beginning to cover rock sections we would be happy on in summer conditions with some friction between boots and rock. The forecast wind had also arrived, whipping up the ridge with significant wind chill. We switched to alpine style, pitching a couple of short sections and moving together on the rest and above 800m the ridge was white and feeling very Scottish. Some nice chimney sections and frozen turf meant we could to get used to wearing crampons again.
Mike on Belay near the summit of Curved Ridge
Topping out late afternoon we surprised a mountain hare near the summit. The sun was setting through the clouds and it wasn't the place to be hanging around as the temperature dropped and the water started freezing inside our bottles. A careful descent down through Coire na Tulaich followed on slippery icy rocks back to the valley floor. We finished the day in the Clachaig (where else!) with a meal, well earned pint and some live music. Plenty to reflect on as is usually the case after the first winter day out of the season, such as it's better to gear up earlier than later, always pack goggles, put stuff you'll need first at the top of the rucksack, etc etc!
Pete at the top of Curved Ridge
Mars was bright and low in the western sky at daybreak on Sunday as we got the coffee on and packed kit before heading up the Lairig Eilde to Sron na Lairig. The scrambling was great all the way up and provided a good mix of winter skills practice including delicate front pointing on tiny rock placements, plenty of well frozen turf and even some ice to get the tools into.
Mike finds some ice on Sron La Lairig
Topping out we continued up to Stob Coire Sgreamhach for lunch and some fantastic views across much of Scotland. It was so clear with an alpine feel sitting in the sun with no wind. We then scrambled down from the summit and walked the Beinn Fhada ridge back north towards Glencoe before dropping down to the valley path, past a large herd of red deer and taking care on a very icy path back to the road. Still -5 at the van so another brew before hitting the road for the drive south. Fingers crossed for a good winter ahead!
Two years after our last trip to Scotland, it was probably inevitable that this one would be a sell-out. Less predictable was whether the weather would cooperate, and it wasn't looking promising for a while with a series of storms crossing the country.
But for once, things worked out well, with Eunice's winds confined to England on Friday, we instead had a day of heavy snow.
The sensible majority stayed low, taking the train to Bride of Orchy and walking back to the hut along the West Highland Way.
The foolhardy five (Marianna, Liz, Russ, Carmen and myself) set off to climb a pair of Corbetts between Killin and Lochearnside. An easy start along the disused railway path soon gave way to a trackless ascent up deep powder-strewn slopes towards the first hill, Creag Mac Rainach. Going was slow, very slow, and it soon became clear that the planned continuation to Meall an t-Seallaidh was a hill too far. But we persevered as far as the first summit, the winds steadily increasing, and we eventually reached the cairn where we lay for a minute or two, too windy to stand, before retreating back the way we came.
Saturday was a different day. Originally forecast to be a repeat of Friday's weather, the Met Office changed on Friday night to suggestions of some clear skies, sunshine even, and a 70% chance of cloud-free Munros. So plans were made…
The day dawned to weather that exceeded our best expectations, with clear blue skies, almost no wind, and wall-to-wall sunshine!
Carmen, Liz and I went for another Corbett, Beinn nan Oighreag (between the Munros of Meall Ghaoraidh and Meall nan Tarmachan) with a view to continuing west over Meall Ghaordaidh if time allowed. Of course, time did not allow, as it was another day of wading through powder, with more delays courtesy over finding a way across some icy streams.
Stopping for regular photos, we eventually reached the summit some 2 hours over guidebook time. The continuation looked like it could be even slower, and with some very loaded slopes near the top, but luckily the clock had already decided that we wouldn't attempt it. As it was, we didn't get back to the car until 5pm, and our decision was vindicated as it started to rain on the drive back to the hut.
Meanwhile, most of the others walked/waded up Meall Ghaoraidh and had a similarly magnificent day, with some sledging (bum sliding) on the way back down.
And as quickly as it had arrived, the fine weather was gone. Heavy rain overnight led to a massive thaw right up to summit level. Russ went for a short run up the West Highland Way, everyone else stayed inside until the drive home. But all in all, a superb weekend, the sort of conditions that make all the rainy days worthwhile!
Originally scheduled for last year, we finally managed our planned return to the excellent Bryn Hafod hut in the beautiful Cym Cywarch valley. We'd hoped to climb on the Cywarch crags, perhaps even managing an ascent of Doom from which we retreated on our last visit due to wet rock. But heavy rain over the previous couple of days ruled that out, so on Saturday, 6 of us drove west to Cadair Idris for a climb or scramble (depending on conditions) on the Cyfrwy Arete.
The cloud was low as we approached, but there was a team high up on the crag and the rock was dry, so we decided to stick with Plan A, which was Table Direct (VDiff) followed by the arete itself (Diff). Reduced to 5 courtesy of Karl's dodgy knee we climbed as a 2 and a 3, Carmen and I going first.
The VDiff seemed easier than the Diff that followed but the climbing was good throughout. The cloud lifted and the sun came out, with some good views of the crowds on the tourist path, but we met just one other pair on the crag.
After sitting in the sun for a while, we decided to head for the summit. From there we walked out to the subsidiary top of Mynydd Moel and back, hoping to bump into the others on the return. Of course the clouds dropped as we approached the descent path so we headed down the killer screes and back via Fox's Path to the car park, where we met the others picking blackberries.
Meanwhile Pete and Aoife went for a walk in the Arans above the hut – misty on the tops but stayed dry and they almost had the hills to themselves. And Ann and Pete went mountain biking round Lake Vyrnwy – I don't have details but tea shops were probably involved!
The traditional over-eating duly followed with a chunky soup from Pete E, Mexican tortillas from Pete B, and a rhubarb and newly-foraged blackberry cake from Pete W.
The next day the same 6 headed for Barmouth Slabs for a spot more climbing, but without the long walk in. The rain started as we parked the cars. Light at first, it stayed light until we'd decided to climb anyway and were almost at the top of the first routes. It then became heavier, but most of us decided to keep climbing anyway and managed another route in the pouring rain (fine leads by Carmen and Rob) before running away. Not quite what we'd hoped for but fun in a type 2 sort of way! A nice crag, if polished, one to return to in better weather sometime.
Pete and Aoife went for a very wet run along the Mawddach trail from Barmouth towards Dolgellau. The sun came out so they went to the beach and Pete had a swim in the sea before the rain returned so determined to enjoy their 'day at the seaside' they bought chips and then went to the amusements!
All in all, another excellent meet. And we still need to return to the hut so we can manage an ascent of Doom!
Best laid plans and whatnot meant that after a few weeks of team shuffling, three of us went on a lightweight, faff free and cheap week-long trip to the Swiss Alps. More precisely, Myself, Mike S and Russ W drove across to the Salbit Area near Andermatt. The area is famed for its granite rock climbs on 3000m mountains and there is an amazing amount of rock out there. Unfortunately so much of the info about the climbing is in German and in local guidebooks, hut topos and most likely websites I couldn't understand. We looked at great walls of granite, several hundred metres high with teams scaling them but didn't know what they were on (or more importantly the grade). Mike, in particular, had eyes for many fine lines, likely hard.
After a 20hr drive we arrived on a mid afternoon to a small campsite in Goescheneralp. Basically its a tiny hamlet with a Hotel, a few houses and nothing else except a campsite, lakes and mountains. Not quite as tranquil as it sounds since the campsite is squeezed into a tiny area for no apparent reason. Its something between a festival site and a Refugee camp, with tepees, caravans and all manner of wooden constructions adjoining. Oh, and it has two toilets and no showers. Still we squeezed into a bit of land, gentleman's agreement about not washing for a week, and got on with it. Something a bit boys own 'vietnam' about it all, but by the end of the week I quite liked the place. and it was cheap.
The main focus of the trip was the South Ridge of the Salbit. (grade D / 5b). This is often called the 'best route in the alps of its grade'. We'd see. The first few days promised settled weather so we decided to hike up to the base of the mountain and maybe 'knock the bastard off' by day two! Typical Brits with a lack of German, not much money and a penchant for outdoor life we decided to bivi (near the Hut). 2hrs walking got us to the hut, an hour scouting around found us a bivi spot with access to water and then it was onto a 'warm up' route.
I'd chosen the Huttengrat,on the Gemsplanggenstock 14 pitches and alpine '4c'- (ADish). about 30mins from the bivi site. Block leading saw us getting into the swing of climbing as three, the two seconds simultaneously climbing whilst the leader belayed with a guide plate. Pretty efficient. I thought the climb was great, interesting, enough fixed gear, finishing on a summit (2600m), no one else on route and not too difficult. A scramble and a couple of short abs got us back for tea and early bed ready for days two attempt on the 'big one'.
Arising early, (well 6am as it was getting light) we headed up to the Salbit South Ridge. This is a popular route and our fears about queuing were well realised. In fact we waited a bit before getting going and there must have been a dozen teams on the mountain, most of them in front of us. Setting Mike off first saw us getting up the first four pitches and abbing into a breche. We'd just been behind a team of three Germans who appeared pretty experienced and knew what they were doing. At this point they informed us they were abseiling off the mountain as rain was due to come in. The nature of the ridge makes escape tricky (in short bloody scary) with this first breche being a classic 'point of no return'. So deferring to their experience and knowing we had a long way to go, we also abseiled off. 6 abseils got us back down the mountain and avoiding a loose gully scramble that we'd gone up. Midday by know and no real sign of rain, just cloudy. In fact the rain did not turn up, no storm and we felt a bit silly for bailing. Hindsight is magic. A slow walk down the mountain feeling slightly sorry for ourselves for afternoon frolics
The next few days were very unsettled and we made the best of it. We hiked up to a another refuge and did some single pitch bolted climbing. Slabby granite with wonderful views, but I found them a tad tricky. An afternoon sheltering from rain in the refuge, exploring other granite walls and back down before we got too wet. A via ferrata near Andermatt filled another day along with the age old alpine exercise of checking the 'meteo'. The last two days promised good weather so it was decision time. Back for round 2 or go and see something different.
Better the devil you know proved the decision. It is 'world class', 3 stars etc and I was 2 hours hike away, had two rope guns with me and a favourable forecast. Not many times that happens in life. So back up to familiar bivi sight. A bit of single pitching on crags in the cirque filled the afternoon before bedding down. Refined tactics now.
We decided to start earlier to be ahead of the crowds, aiming to arrive at the base at first light. Also, we'd take a short cut and do a two pitch route up to the breche where we'd abseiled from. Justified as we'd done the first part of the ridge previous. I took the lead at the start, got lost, tested an old piton (if it has pitons must be a route….as opposed to the shiny bolt 10ft away just out of sight.) sweated a puffed and got us back to our high point. Expediency (and a bit of fear) meant I put the 'A team ' out in front to get us up the tricky stuff over the next 10pitches or so. Mike lead the crux (5b) freely and we kept ahead of all other teams much to our joy. We let a pleasant swiss pair pass so we could enjoy the climbing and experience. And it is a good route. Interesting, slightly devious and keeps you guessing and needing some mountaineering nouse. Bolts are spaced, 5-7 per 50m pitch. To paraphrase the Welsh Slate guide 'enough to save you from the mortuary, but not enough from Ysbyty Zurich'. I'd been warned about the grade being 'tough' and certainly felt the swiss grade were comparable with English. i.e 4c swiss = 4c English. So good going by Mike n Russ. Good time as well, about 6hrs up the ridge.
It has a final 'sting in the tail' in that the summit itself is a 15m needle sticking up above the surrounding shattered blocks. A 4c slab pitch protected by one bolt sees you to point were there is no higher. We all took turns to stand, kneel, touch the summit before lowering / abbing off. To put ourselves into too much perspective we meet another English team who'd done the West Ridge, Mega classic ED1 (English E2 and 20+ pitches) in the impressive time of 7hrs. Skilled in the dark arts they were (and young and fit and good).
A pleasant scramble down and back to reality. Next day it was raining (good) and packing up and a steady drive to the tunnel and back to the mountains of York. So finally, thanks to Mike S and Russ, without whom none of the above for me would have been possible.
On the weekend of the 6th of April six YAC members headed to North Wales to attend a Navigation course at Plas y Brenin. We based ourselves at the Dolgam campsite near Capel which I would highly recommend, really nice clean site with great facilities.
Saturday dawned and for a change we were hoping for low cloud and poor visibility to make the most of the Nav course, the sky couldn't have been clearer. The sun was out and the temperature high, think we all regret the winter trousers and warm base layers, so much for the poor weather nav. After Jane had put her Shepherd's skills to test rounding up an escaped lamb at the campsite we headed to the centre for the course.
Despite the clear conditions the course went well and I think we all got something from it and at least the nice weather made for a more pleasant relaxed day. It was the first time for most of us in the Plas y Brenin centre and we were all impressed, so much so we headed back there for an evening talk involving polar bears and canoes rounded off by dinner (that's two mains and two puds for Karl) and a few drinks in the bar.
Sunday morning was cloudy and cool so plans to climb were put on the back burner and we headed for a group ascent of Tryfan. After a minor incident where Karl narrowly escaped serious injury or death (Simon to the rescue) we arrived at the summit and the crowds.
The skies had cleared, the sun was up and it seemed even warmer than the Saturday.
From the summit we continued up Bristly ridge, the group showed great support and Jane was especially pleased to complete this classic scramble. We returned to the cars via the Y Gribin ridge with perfect clear conditions and some great views.
Great weekend with crazy weather for that time of year.
Last October 7 YAC members (me, Simon, Ann, Peter E, Peri, Dave D and Mike) plus James and Sara went to the Ariege (foothills of French Pyrenees). It is a lovely area that Simon & I were keen to return to. Peter and Ann hired bikes for a couple of days and were doing a mixture of cycling and walking and even the occasional rock climb. Sara was also doing a mixture of cycling, climbing and walking activities, including a sightseeing day with Dave D to Carcasonne. The rest of us just climbed – as there is so much climbing around. We were overall pretty lucky with the weather. Any heavy rain fell overnight and we were able to get out climbing everyday.
Several days were spent on the local limestone crag of Calames – climbing some of the quality long single pitch and multi-pitch climbs. Couple of trips to the brilliant granite crag Auzat – La Sabine is a must do route (just as good as we remembered). A trip to a new gneiss crag of Junac, not in the current Rockfax which turned out to be rather good and complete with cheeky goat. A trip to Baychon where the routes were of variable quality and grading – but a beautiful outlook over the valley. Some of the team climbed at Aux le Thermes and some of us went for a long multi-pitch on Dent d'Orlu (granite) which was a top day out with fantastic views and we had the East face to ourselves. Worth saving for the good forecast.
Still plenty more routes and crags not visited. It is a beautiful area with a good variety of rock types and route lengths. I think we might be back again some day (hopefully).
James on La Sabine -AuzatSimon at top of multi-pitch la voie des peres tranquilles – CalamesPeri climbing at Baychon
View down valley from BaychonMike on classic Fleur de Rhodo – La Dent d'OrluDave D on Fleur de Rhodo – La Dent d'Orlu
Due to an imminent change of lifestyle, I was desperate to get in a big climbing trip whilst I still had some freedom. The plan had been to get a core group of 4 together to simplify decisions and arrangements, then open it out to the rest of the club. Unfortunately due to my inability to organise a piss up in a brewery, there were still no firm arrangements a week before our planned departure date (and a month before due date)! After about two hundred emails back and forth we finally agreed on a 4 bed apartment in Arabba, a tiny village close to the Sella group in the centre of the Dolomites. The team was Mike Shaw, Pete B, Rob and myself, with Paul coming later for an extra week with Rob…
We arrived at the apt (Cèsa Raggio di Sole) about midnight and were pleased to find the extensive dithering had paid off. A great little apt, newly decorated, comfy, and cheaper than camping. Though we had no crags right on our doorstep, we were pretty well located for the Western end of the Dolomites, with a huge selection of crags (a.k.a. mountains!) within an hour's drive, inevitably involving going up and over a mountain pass – we got very used to those hair-pins.
As we'd arrived late we hadn't had chance to pick up any food but with the weather forecast warning of storms later in the week we wanted to make the most of the good weather despite our late start so grabbed a meagre breakfast of apples and cake in the local shop and headed to Sella Towers, a group of three towers right by the road at the top of one of the passes, with a selection of long easy routes to go at. Mike and I climbed Via Fiechtl (V-), a nice route with the crux (for me) being the awkward offwidth on pitch 2. The route culminated with a fantastic couple of chimney pitches, proper traditional back-and-footing, which proved rather easier for those closer to 6ft than 5 ft! Pete and Rob climbed a neighbouring route which shared the first 1.5 pitches.
A great start to the weeks climbing, but we got back to the car too late to make it to the shops (silly continental Sunday trading hours) so we scraped together some dinner from the basic provisions we'd got that morning and Rob's secret stash.
The following day, despite the lack of a proper meal for almost 2 days, we opted for another big route before the storms arrived, this time on Piz Ciavazes. Once again, Mike and I teamed up for Little Micheluzzi (Direct Start), a three started V- culminating in a fantastic juggy traverse with spectacular exposure hundreds of metres above the valley floor.
The following day had rain forecast for the afternoon so a roadside sport crag (Penia di Canazei) seemed like the perfect option for the morning. This turned out to be a humbling experience, with most of us struggling on 5s and 6s, and I even managed to fall off a 4! The rain arrived just as we were running out of routes, and pulling power so we took the opportunity to do a proper shop, at least that was the plan, continental trading hours had other ideas, so an hour or so was killed mooching around the town, but we finally got some proper supplies.
More sport the following day, this time at Sass de Stria, a much better crag with more realistic grading. A few of Rob's mates who'd been camping nearby made an appearance.
via f: on way up
via f:on way down. a spot of bloddering
More suspect forecasts the next day prompted a bit of via ferratta. A grade 4c (out of 5) on Sella Towers, which was great fun but over all to soon. The descent from the top was a different story, going via a couple of summits just under 3000m and taking several hours, only to emerge on the road about a mile and a half downhill from where the car was park. I drew the short straw so ditched my bag and went to retrieve the car, however karma was clearly on my side as the others got midged whilst waiting.
paul at rest
Paul had been due to arrive that night but due to a delayed flight (a sign of things to come) he resorted to kipping in the car and arrived early Friday morning. With a good forecast one last big route was called for so we headed to Falzarego Towers. Since they were climbing as a three Pete, Rob and Mike went for the easier option of Comici – South Arete (V- *** 6 pitches) whilst Paul jumped in at the deep end and joined me on Dibona (V+ *** 11 pitches). This had some great climbing throughout, culminating with a scary unprotected chimney pitch behind a detached pillar (crux IMHO) leading to a fantastic belay perched atop said pillar. The final pitch (and technical crux) stepped back across off the pillar and pulled through some wild and steep moves to reach the summit. A great start/end to our respective trips.
That evening we celebrated with pizza and beer and went our separate ways the following morning, Paul and Rob to find a campsite for the next week, the rest of us squeezed in a couple more sport routes at Sass de Stria before heading to the airport for our flight home. The less said about that the better, let's just say there's a few of us who won't be flying with Ryanair again. An otherwise great trip! I would certainly go back either to the same area (as there's so much more to go at) or elsewhere in the Dollies, maybe in 18 years or so.
The Scottish trip in February saw us heading to Glen Clova in the southern Cairngorms, keen to make the most of a good forecast and hopefully some great conditions. Axes and crampons were sharpened, skis dusted off and way too much food packed as we made our way to the newly refurbished Braedownie hut, which is owned by the Carn Dearg MC.
A few keen members had gone up early to try and get an extra day in. On Friday Paul and Jamie took the gear for a walk up Corrie Fee, sadly the conditions weren't quite as good as hoped, and all the gullies looked a "bit deathy" (Jamie's words!), so they followed Simon and Carmen up the buttress of Craig Rennet (deep, soft snow and heather).
Rob takes up the story for Saturday: "After much discussion and lots of delays while waiting for the rain to stop, Jamie, Paul, Rob, Dave, Russ, Dan and Peri headed off towards Winter Corrie in the light drizzle. The Walk in is quite straightforward and takes a little over an hour. We were greeted with a view of much snow and huge cornices overhanging the main buttresses. The line of Diagonal Gully did appear to have lots of ice on it but we decided against it. Peri retreated back to the hut before taking a stroll to Corrie Fee, the rest of us made our way to the centre of the Corrie and had a lunch break by the huge boulder.
We picked a route up the eastern (less loaded) slopes which was cornice free and with rocks to join up in a route to the rim. We all trudged up, put our crampons on before tackling a few rock steps on the way to the top. Dan ran laps around various bits of the slope with a huge grin on his face.
We topped out in calm, bright sunshine and blue skies and were rewarded with wonderful panoramic views. The team then plodded to Driesh summit and hid by the trig point before splitting up. Paul, Jamie and Dave route marched over to Mayar and down the Kilbo path. Rob Dan and Russ navved back to the corrie and descended the spur, which was occasionally eventful with deep snow and large patches. At the bottom, they crossed the style of doom and the found the bridge which made a short walk back to the hut".
While they were all playing in Winter corrie, another group of 6 headed further on to Corrie Fee to have a look. Again this was found to be powdery and unconsolidated, although everyone managed a route of some kind, sticking well clear of the unstable looking gullies. After ascending the left hand side buttress, Richard and Pete continued over the plateau to the Munros of Mayar (928m) and Driesh (947m) in the sunshine, with some great sastrugi patterns to admire on the way across.
Jamie: "On Sunday, being pretty knackered and thoroughly sick of carrying a big sack, I went for a wee run in the snow, telling Paul I'd be back in an hour, which turned out to be 13km, climbed to over 700m (at the shelter) and took 2h15m. Only out by 125%!" .
Pete, Mike and Richard having seen the cracking conditions on the plateau the day before were keen to get the skis out and head up for a day tour. After boot-packing up Glen Doll they popped the skis on at the forest edge and skinned up Jock's road past the emergency shelter to tick off their first munro on ski (Tolmount, 958m).
The tour continued over the Munro Tom Buidhe (957m) as the viz came and went in the strong wind, and then the cloud came down properly, resulting in some challenging navigation to get off the plateau. Turns out trying to estimate how far you've travelled and contouring on skis is pretty tricky! Sadly they couldn't do the best downhill ski sections justice in the white out, and found their way down corrie fee before hiking back through the forest to the hut.
Monday was the day to travel home, and with a poor forecast most were planning short trips out before hitting the road. This resulted in a pleasant group walk up to Loch Brandy from the valley bottom behind the hotel. Some carried on to the Corbett 'The Goet' (Ben Tirran) unfortunately no views to reward them, but they did find a bothy to eat lunch out of the weather. Peri went for a 'powder swim' up driesh in an 'epic' amount of snow following fresh falls overnight getting some fabulous views before the clag blew in.
Apologies I don't have a record of what everyone got up to, but all agreed it was a great weekend of winter adventures, hanging out in the mountains with friends, and of course calorie loading YAC style!
