New Year - new route, 1-1-13

Coire Mor Bothy with the gully line of The Great Escape (our route on to the plateau for the next day) in the distance

Mixed weather forecasts and packs already weighed down with the supplies required for a Hogmanay bothy trip had meant an unwillingness to cart in climbing kit, but crampons and axes had sneaked in to our packs.  Coire Mor, below Seanna Bhraigh was our choice of remote spots for our Hogmanay celebrations and the bothy lived up to expectations, a choice of five rooms and two stoves or an open fire greeted us on arrival and the whole place to ourselves.  A blazing fire, bottle of whiskey and the visitors book provided the Hogmanay entertainment, particularly the grave warning of the inescapable nature of Coire Mor.

Creag an Duine of Seanna Bhraigh looming above the bothy in the bright hogmanay moonlight

The new year was seen in with a lowering snowline and periodically moonlit peaks.  A relatively slow start the next morning, and streams offering little chance of crossing to get to Seanna Bhraigh, had us heading up Coire Mor towards Carn Ban, hopeful of finding an escape from this deeply scooped corrie.  Coire Mor is around 5km long running to the SW with a line of four corries to the south and steep slopes plunging 400m to the corrie floor in the north.  Admittedly, the wet snowy turf on the steep slopes to either side of the corrie offered only the prospect of a hellish day out and the potential icefalls were a bit to mobile to consider but a deep cutting gully cutting directly up the back wall of the corrie provided an obvious route.

A fine easy line for New Years Day (The Great Escape)

With the next band of showers racing up the glen we climbed up to the base of the gully, hoping to get snow rather than rain.  Over a short rocky step, with a small waterfall causing some discomfort, and we were attaching crampons (the first time for Audrey) and having a quick sandwich before starting up the gully.

On our way up The Great Escape with Audrey getting used to crampons on grade I ground

Initial soft snow gave way to harder neve as we wound up the gully through impressive bounding walls with remnants of icicles hanging from the ledges.  Views out to the west distracted as we gained height with the glacial scoop of Coire Mor opening out to frame Cul Beag and Stac Pollaidh in the west.  After a pause for a halfway Tunnock's Caramel Waffer we pushed on to the top happy with our climb.  On up in to the cloud and some compass work to the summit of Carn Ban and then down the north west spur, eventually through the slush zone and back to the bothy and reflection on a great first day of the year.

The spectacular glen of Coire Mor with Stac Polliadh and Cul Beag appearing in the distance

So much potential for new climbs in the remote northern corries of Carn Ban and the corries on the south side of Coire Mor, only two if which contain existing climbs.  And as it later turns out our route for the day was also a new addition: The Great Escape, 300m I/II, S. Andrews, A. Decou & J. Howard, 1-1-13.

A few unclimbed lines????