Introducing WINTER - 6 days in the Cairngorms - 29/11/12 to 4/12/12

Approaching winter - Lochnagar

With perfect timing winter seemed to appear as I had two weeks off between jobs and a place to stay on the edge of the Cairngorms.  A quick exploratory buzz up Miekle Pap on Lochnagar proved positive with the bulging granite plastered in snow and hoar and the exposed turf well exposed.  The next evening Harry arrived from the Lakes and we set to sorting out a rack, interrogating the guidebooks and packing our bags.  A relatively short sharp route proved most attractive, Magic Pillar on the Cathedral, an 80m IV5 holding to the Law of Kane that your going to be scared winter climbing so may as well get it out of the way early in the season and challenge your limits (this is at the upper end of what I have climbed before and Harry reassured me with his note that he had not really done much mixed climbing before). 

Magic Pillar takes the grooved arete to the right of the black cleft just left of centre

Outflanking the roof at the start of the second pitch

A ramble up the lower broken ground added a 60m pitch before Harry took on the attractive groove pitch which seemed to rise ever more steeply above us as we approached, leaving me to outflank the capping roof and finish up the arete.  After a lot of cleaning and some awkward moves to gain the niche Harry arrived at the belay.  I first had to traverse out right on steep ground but with fantastic turf.  It was then up left across a series of off balance shelves with marginal protection to gain the upper groove.  Although an initial sick type II fun feeling had come over me, as the pitch went on the climbing became engrossing and the frost bound scenery ebbed in to my consciousness.  All too quickly the plateau was there, but to take in the setting sun we made our way to the summit and took in the changing shades of the snow clad Cairngorms.  Catching glimpses of our route as we descended a black snails track picked out what had been a very steep climb.

Our slug trail up the Cathedral on Lochnagar

Back down to Ballater we were joined by Rich who had headed up from Edinburgh for a trip out to the Hutchinson Memorial Hut and a tramp out in to the Cairngorms.  An early start the next day and some pauses to pick up some logs to weigh us down for the walk in and we were in the Linn of Dee car park and starting to worry there may not be room in what is a very small hut.  The walk seemed to go on forever but as did the Cairngorm scenery which is so difficult to explain in its beauty.   

Approaching Derry Lodge

The Hutchison Memorial Hut

This was a new area of the Cairngorms for me and the mountain hut feel of our bothy was not to disappoint with Creagan a' Choire Etchachan rearing behind it and a refurbishment which was to allow a cosy night......as would the other 4 occupants (luckily the other two had a tent!).  A return in summer or winter to take on some of the challenges that this stunning crag presents is now a must.  After some intermittent sleep following a fine nights whiskey and chat we gathered together some motivation and headed out in to the white and up towards Beinn Mheadhoin.  From Loch Etchachan it was out with the compasses and using the torrs, which intermittently emerged from the blizzards, as waypoints to take us to the summit.  Reversing the procedure, breaks in the cloud started to form and the wild of the Cairgorms really showed itself.  If not for the heat stripping wind and blasting spindrift I could have stood watching the changing scene forever.

Wild on the summit of Beinn Mheadhoin

Derry Cairngorm emerging out of the blizzards

Back to the bothy for tea and then the long walk out, but at least this time without a bag full of logs, and to an interesting night in Kincardine O'Neil with some great rock 'n' roll.

View down to Glenmore on the walk in to Coire an t-Sneachda

To continue the punishment to our bodies it was up to the Northern Corries for a wander and some more climbing.  Sunday brought blue skies and a glut of climbers and ski-tourers out in to the northern Cairngorms so a mountaineering round of Coire an t-Sneachda taking in the Fiacaill Ridge seemed a good choice, not least due to the level of digging required on most of the routes.  This gave a great chance to assess our challenge for the following days and take in the hulking Cairngorms and their deep troughs in all their splendour.

The striking lines of Savage Slit and Fallout Corner in Coire an Lochain

Walking down, as pastels shaded the snow clad hills, it was a night in the Aviemore SYHA to rest up for the walk in to Coire an t-Sneachda and the challenges it was to hold for us the next day.

The torrs of Ben Avon and Beinn Mheadhion

Fresh snow sapped at the legs and was driven in to our faces but as we entered the depths of the coire conditions seemed to ease and we waded our way up to the base of Fluted Buttress to take on its direct ascent, a widening chimney line.  This was to be easier with ice but, as we were to find out this would be in short supply.  Harry took us across the powder clad slabs to the base of the initial, steep, v-groove chimney.  I then took the lead.

Person on the plateau surveying the fingers and a climber forming a slug trail towards the top of the lower chimney pitch on Fluted Buttress Direct

The route had been cleaned off the previous day and the lack of ice was immediately evident but blebs of turf offered encouragement.  Progress was slow and the climbing felt a bit thin but protection came along when needed.  As the chimney narrowed and steepened in to a v-groove of more limited options a smear of ice lining the back of the crack in which the groove terminated forced some delicate work but eventually allowed the beckoning turfy ledge above to be gained with a breath of relief that the reassuring thud of axe in turf provides.

Getting established in the initial chimney of Fluted Buttress Direct

Here the chimney widened and contained a number of snowy steps before I could 'relax' at the belay where the chimney branched.  Harry came up and led through a series of steep, right slanting corners before cutting back left over a number of tricky steps.  It then fell to me to move up to the left in a lovely gritstone style corner which lead to the crest of the buttress and then on to the top and a fine belay.  A great route and a challenge in the conditions presented.  The plateau was less hospitable than the previous day and we struggled back down in intermittent whiteout to the shelter of the car.  Legs were now truly tiring from the deep soft snow but one more day beckoned.

In the upper grooves heading for the crest of Fluted Buttress

A cunning plan not to end up breaking trail in to the coire again saw a later start and following the tracks to whichever buttress they led.  As it happened we caught up the trail breakers in the mouth of the coire and offered to share the work up to the Mess of Pottage and for us, Yukon Jack, now getting a taste for ice routes with no ice.  This route had seen no recent ascents and I offered Harry the meaty first pitch and with it cleaning duties.  From below the corner line looked attractive but I was only to appreciate its difficulties when I seconded up behind an exhausted Harry, having taken a decent fall off the last corner, below which he had taken a belay.  The route so far had relied on thin hooks, some blind, and horrifically sloping 'footholds'.  I was mildly shaken just seconding the climbing.  Now, I was below where Harry had taken his fall and contemplating how not to give him an impromptu acupuncture session.  First prospecting an escape on to The Hason Line, I realised that wasn't an option and so started a tentative investigation of the hooks, for what they were, in the corner which loomed above.  One good hook allowed me to reach up and prospect further.  No protection didn't inspire confidence and the old adage that the leader doesn't fall was ringing in my mind.  A few strands of grass seemed to break the snows surface above.  Pulling up on the one good hook and at full reach with my free arm I swung my right axe only to have it bounce with a spark off the bare granite hidden below the snow.  Now, more tentatively, I swung my axe into the area just above where the angle eased and was thankful to find some thin turf.  Now it was time for contemplation.  Were my placements solid?  What would I find above?  What in the hell are my feet to do?  With that I muscled my way up, scraping my left foot on the wall in front of me and swinging my right foot high to a reasonable ledge.  Pushing away and up from my axes, in a semi-mantleshelf move, and rocking over on to my right foot I reached balance and started looking above for safety.  No protection presented itself but cleaning off the snow revealed a line of turf following the continuation corner and negating the worry of the slabby granite which had to suffice for my crampons.  Joining The Haston Line and a convincing turf peg allowed a break in concentration and some relief at having made it up the line as a team.  Taking a belay on The Slant Harry and I decided we had had enough climbing for the day and took advantage of this fun way off the crag which always gives something of a mountaineering feel despite its position on a fairly diminutive crag.

The team

So, once more, round the coire rim and down to the ski car park again with some discussion of what grade we had actually climbed.  This time though it was across the Lecht and back to Dinnet for me and back to the Lakes for Harry.  Definitely time for a rest but hopefully for not to long before out in the hills again.