After our last efforts at finding climbs resulted in wandering around looking for ice, this time I persuaded Will to head for Hellvelyn a place he knows well. Given we had to wait till Friday due to work commitments (how inconvenient!) we hoped being high it would be a good bet. A relaxed start and some roadworks and diversions in Thirlmere got us to the Greenside car park before 10 and on the track with a few others with similar ambitions and a pair of skiers!
It's quite a easy walk up (about an hour on good track) but it was pretty cold and the wind was much stronger than anticipated. Arriving at Red Tarn (partially frozen) the mist was down, visibility about 10..15m and no shelter from the wind.
Plan A: Confident that Will could find V-Corner we set, leaving a couple of soloists poking around looking for one of the easier gullies. We wandered back and forth across the face, up and down a bit and traversed he whole hill side until we hit Striding Edge! On top we met one of the soloists and a team emerging from the Gully.
Plan B: descend the grade I gully to get us to where we wanted to be. This plan lasted about 2 mins, until the high winds, spindrift, very poor vis and poor snow (some powder, some windslab and some neve') meant a retreat to the summit shelter.
Plan C: We descended Swirral Edge, intent on another foray onto the face
Plan D:Worsening vis meant we legged it down and around Catstyescam to do the gully (grade I/II) in its north flank. We traversed for a while found a gully like line which petered out into snow plod/slopes but got us back to the ridge (and the wind). Probably nothing, but good exercise.
Plan E: The path down was easy and it started to rain – don't think its stopped yet
Narrowly avoiding a deer which jumped into the path of the car was the most exciting thing to happen all day!
Wonder if I'll find any routes this season ?
Pix to follow from Will.