Any Winter Climbers? (Scotland)

Metcheck is forecasting gusts of 71 mph in Ambleside at the weekend!

I just looked at the met office and Friday is the best day! I think we're going to try to do a route on the crags below the Bealach na Ba provided the road is open. Its a day for something with a quick approach and descent. Actually it's probably a day for the pub but I'm on dry January! 😉

I sacked it for today. Just too much going on with roads/weather/avalanche risk.

Looks like that's things ****ed for a while, 6 degrees on the Bealach na Ba through the week.

Waheeeey

In before the floods!

Well chuffed. First proper winter climb in a decade I think...
Really enjoyed it.
Brown Cove on Helvellyn. Lots of spindrift but relatively sheltered from the gales.

Love the new axes.

https://flic.kr/p/2ptmXdD

Didn't see your post Generalist, what route is that? Looks good. Been pretty shit up here, we had a cold and breezy day on the rock at Logie Head today.

That looks awesome. Praps not your first choice for February, but still...

I think the pic is Stepped Buttress. Really fun grade 3

Had a brilliant day today funnily enough. Again, not exactly highland magic but great day scratching around some scabby peak quarry.

https://flic.kr/p/2pwdGS7

Did a couple of D6s and failed on a 7

I see the classic winter knee on that Brown Cove route!

Should we ask the mods to change this to a general climbing thread? Might get a few more folks contributing.

Nah. Just climbing with spikes.
But by all means we could have a rock thread too

Ey up.

Got the weekend free and possibly a couple of days holiday to extend it. Up till yesterday the forecast was looking epic but now not so much.

Was thinking of maybe some combination of the following, depending on weather/ partners...

SCnL for a few solos. Had a stunning weekend camped there 30 odd years ago and would like to do a few easy routes.
Aonach Eagach perhaps, if it gets back in.
Perhaps some touring with my shiny new touring setup. Assuming the Harscheisen arrive by Thursday.
Perhaps something on Aonach Mor. Sacrelidge to say but I might contemplate shunting some stuff if nothing else.
Would love another crack at Savage Slit if I can find a partner.

So, tell me what you reckon to the forecast.... Is Friday or Monday a better add-on?
Is the snow going to be iron hard neve for climbing, or dreamy powder for skiing?

Will SC gully be in nick?

And last bit not least, tell me if you need a partner.

PS: @spin since I know he has a life and probably won't se this until he logs in on Monday to post pictures of him on Dr Deaths's latest 9 🤩

Some great photos in this thread, thanks for taking the time to take them while in the mountains and also for posting them on here.
I've done a fair bit of good weather walking/hillwalking but only once in Winter, 1992. Went with 3 'experts' and we started on Ben Nevis. No issues. The next was to do Buchaille Etive Mor. We pakred and walked in and I knew then it wouldn't be plain sailing, 2 of the 3 'experts' were arguing over who should carry both the map and the guidebook...they didn't resolve it so we ended up going up the wrong part of the mountain and hit a bit of a snag that they couldn't get past. A feller climbing behind stopped and we had a quick chat. He laughed when I told him I'd made the mistake of doing my first proper winter climbing trip with 3 ####### idiots. He carried on passed us and pretty much skipped over the icy slab the 3 stooges couldn't get over. Apparently, it was a chap called Alan Hinkes...meant nothing to me at the time. Bottom line was that we had to abseil off into a gully. I'd never abseiled before. Then they got that rope stuck and used their 'old rope' that really should have been cut into 100 parts and binned....we got back to the car at 2130hrs....5 hrs of darkness. I didn't go with them again for the week but on the Friday, after having been out cycling, got back to find them already back and half cut. They were celebrating getting off a mountain in daylight...a first apparently. I stuck to mountainbiking after that.

Perhaps some touring with my shiny new touring setup. Assuming the Harscheisen arrive by Thursday.

I'd go even if they don't arrive, I've never felt the need of harscheisen much in Scotland.

It doesn't look like there's much difference between Monday and Friday and MWIS aren't forecasting much change.

PS: @spinsince I know he has a life and probably won’t se this until he logs in on Monday to post pictures of him on Dr Deaths’s latest 9

That must be some other Spin, 9s are way beyond my pay grade! My winter has actually fizzled out a bit. I'm really focused on getting out on the NW and it's been really poor there. My wife is away this weekend so I think I'm going to load up the van and disappear for three days bouldering and soloing. Coigach, Torridon, that sort of thing.

Can't help you with nick in Glen Coe, haven't been following what's happening there at all.

Have you tried Savage Slit before? It is good but the crux seems to be finding it with no one else on it!

Planning to be out on Sunday with a pal for something easy, possibly SCNL. Haven't climbed with him before so slightly loathe to extend an invite formally. If you're soloing in the area let me know.

Had a 3 day trip to Rjukan last weekend, but I don't think there's much of a season left there.  Raining in a lot of sectors and everything with running water.

Seems the same story pretty much everywhere this year.
Winterhighland forecast not looking promising.

Glenmore Lodge have released a new skills video...

Well, finally in the lifetime of this thread, I got out and headed for Dorsal Arete to repeat what was my second winter climb 16 years ago. Unfortunately the dubious forecast went the opposite way than expected and closed in  instead of breaking right at the crux. With the very loose conditions it made for a much more intimidating prospect than a grade 2 suggests. We bailed off having already got the hit we both needed from the day. Great fun.

Great That you got out Jimmy, and thanks for the mention earlier. Which bit did you bail on? Dorsal has always struck me as a weird route since the bottom buttress is patently way harder than 2.

Once again, I bailed due to forecast & distance. Haven't even bothered pencilling this weekend as a replacement as the weather looks even worse. Hoping to take a couple of days around 22 march, and if not then that's this "season"over for me as we're off to ',bleau for Easter.

Had another excellent DT session at Masson Lees on Saturday. Managed to scratch my way up a D7, which was great fun

Dorsal has always struck me as a weird route since the bottom buttress is patently way harder than 2.

It's only II if you start it from Broad Guly. The lines tackling the bottom section are recorded as variations up to grade IV I think.

We bailed at the actual dorsal fin. The "entrance" up on to it wasn't obvious - or more like in the howling wind by that point it wasn't appealing, especially having poked by head over the other side. I had a scratch about in the piles of loose snow on the left hand side for a couple delicate moves feeling more like III+ but wasn't committing to getting on top a cheval at that point.

A wee teaser from the new Scottish Winter Climbs North guide. Don't get too excited it's still a while away!

Glas Tholl, An Teallach.

Was up skiing at the weekend and had Monday free so I nipped into the lodge and asked if any of the staff happened to have the day off and want to climb.
Did the standard " who are you and what's the real reason you don't have a partner to climb with " dance with some random and then met up Monday morning.
Had a lovely chilled day in an t Sneachda doing a combo of Haston Line and Hidden Chimney. Really nice climbing and insane amounts of gear. She was exceedingly quick and competent and the ice was pretty good where needed. The cracks had been stripped of ice by the bright sun on Sunday evening, but the ice in the gully/ chimney was fine. Made for an excellent morning. Came down Jacobs and was back in the car driving home to Manchester by 14:15. Unheard of.
https://flic.kr/p/2pGY2Jg

Apologies for the crap picture...

I might have missed this earlier in the thread but who are you and what’s the real reason you don’t have a partner to climb with?

)As in, what's the answer I need to give to try that next time?)

Snow on Wyvis this morning. Just sayin'.

Very keen to get out this year....

Me too, fingers crossed it's a better one than last year. Give me a shout if you make it to the NW or Gorms.

Thread resurrection time! Going to head out for a poke around on something non-turfy in Coire an Lochain tomorrow. Not holding out too much hope but it's good to get the kit together and get used to the heavy bag.

If conditions come in this week I can take a day off should anyone need a partner. Not looking at serious grades, probably 4 tops.

I'm working all week unfortunately.

Just in and no more on the highest bits of Coire an Lochain today. Should improve over the next week though.

@spin Those photos are terrifying and inspiring in equal measure! Superb.

Fantastic photos, but honestly, looking at them lying on the couch, my stomach was trying to go into freefall!
I don’t mind heights, it’s being somewhere high with a big risk of an abrupt stop at the bottom! [img] https://emoticons.datahamster.com/thud.gi f" target="_blank">https://emoticons.datahamster.com/thud.gi f"/> [/img]

Watched Ephemeral on Prime at the weekend. Great inspiration for the winter.

Watched Ephemeral on Prime at the weekend. Great inspiration for the winter.

Guy Robertson's book is out at some point in the not too distant future. I think it's called 'Great Mixed Climbs of Scotland'. It sounds like the modern version of Cold Climbs, wee essays and inspirational photos.

Maybe, just maybe some scratching around this weekend

Not the best photos but an entertaining day in the NW. Not really in brilliant nick but we were rather limited in time and options.

Looks like lots of temperature fluctuations through the week so could be interesting by next weekend.

And a few slightly better shots...

slightly better shots…

Is one of them the Nose of Sg Chor? ( Spelling)

Anyone got any good video recommendations?

Watched some great Danni Arnold ( his accent is just amazing, could listen to him talk all day long!)

And a few from the godfather ( whose name escapes me, but he's redbull)

But so many of the videos on YouTube are just shit. Morons who don't understand that both the visual and audio bit are of great importance. Or even worse, photo albums to music.

So tell me

I finish work at 1.20 on a Tuesday so we went and did Hidden Chimney Direct. Turned on torches half way up the first pitch, 4hrs car to car. Splendid fun! Excellent nick too, the wee thaw over the weekend and refreeze put some excellent neve on the ledges. All going a bit mild from Friday though.

Is one of them the Nose of Sg Chor? ( Spelling)

Yes, the Chioch Nose on Sgurr a'Chaorachain. We did a VS to the left of the classic Severe.

Looking like a great start to the season, good work

All going a bit mild from Friday though.

Agreed. I was thinking of taking Friday off and doing the weekend, but warm 🙁

Agreed. I was thinking of taking Friday off and doing the weekend, but warm

Met office saying 5°C on summit of Cairngorm over the weekend then colder again from Monday. Might end up doing another Tuesday hit next week!

Had wee wander around on Cairngorm yesterday. Went up the Twin Ribs and was going to do Fiacaill Ridge but it was black so I wandered over to Coire an Lochain and did The Couloir. Back down into Sneachda and did Goat Track Gully and Crotched Gully. Excellent neve in all the gullies but it's going to get humped by the temperature rise and rain tomorrow.

I'm in Aviemore with the family, fearing the FOMO.

Nice photos of conditions as usual @spin. Forecast looking a bit bleak for the next week unfortunately as you say - I'd hoped to sneak a day out before Christmas and doesn't look like too much will survive.

I think it'll be pretty much back to square one after this thaw.

Ditto southern norway . Plan to go out tomorrow but not optimistic

Ditto southern norway . Plan to go out tomorrow but not optimistic

Ooh wbo. Whereabouts are you? Bought the Setesdal and Lilliehanmer guidebooks to try to work out where to go in January. Setesdal looked too hardcore ( and unreliable) so we're heading to Lilehammer.  Have you ever done Lettis , Godis or Hardis?

Looking for access info in case the hire car doesn't have chains.

@spin Did you see a skier yesterday? Someone is reported missing and they we're in that area yesterday

I saw the police thing about the skier. I did see one but I've managed to confirm it wasn't him. Very poor conditions for skiing yesterday.

I'm on the west coast.  I haven't done anything round Lillehammer, Hemsedal I'm afraid - I have a guidebook as well :-).  Conditions there are a lot more consistent, predicatable than round here .  You could come here in January and spend all your time bouldering in plus 5 degrees

Setesdal looks as hardcore as you want to make it.   I'm planing a couple weekends there in the New Year as it's just inland enough to make booking accom anything but a random guess.

Your hire car will be on winter tyres, but I don't know if on studs or not (piggdekk or piggfrie).  Ask and if possible request.  Very few people carry chains

Every time I hired a car during winter for Norway it had studded tyres.. Tbh I cant see how it would be possible without. Both rjukan and Tromso areas, rjukan was just ice roads

Every time I hired a car during winter for Norway it had studded tyres.. Tbh I cant see how it would be possible without. Both rjukan and Tromso areas, rjukan was just ice roads

Hmmm. When we've been in winter there has indeed been studs but the guidebook and various posts specifically mention that the Bomweg to the climbs is very steep and very icy and often needs chains. I think it's an order of magnitude trickier than standard Norwegian roads