Number 3 Buttress Stob Coire Nam Beith

Some blue on the approach

The conical mass of Stob Coire nam Beith has always been an attractive objective but I have never climbed on this face in either winter or summer. I had visited the summit of Stob Coire Nam Beith many years ago whilst walking with some friends. Today we were eager to climb up the face. Number 3 Buttress was our passage. Given that Alan has climbed almost every classic mountaineering route in the area, we are now seeking out the more esoteric options, the lesser travelled, the ones with no queues. Unfortunately it rained all day yesterday so the route was pretty damp, especially the crux wall/slab at the bottom. Given that this is protection-less and slimey, we opted for an slightly easier passage to the left to bring us back in on the route, given the conditions this was a much nicer option. Number 3 Buttress is a steep scramble and nicely sustained from bottom to top with plenty of grade 3 scrambling to keep the interest. We did find protection a little sparse but our half set of wires, 2 cams and slings seemed to do the job. Care is required on some areas with loose rock but this will be fantastic area to climb in winter. I can't wait to come back with axes and crampons and explore all the existing routes here like Deep Cut Chimney, Central Gully, Arch Gully and Summit Gully.
After we topped out of Number 3 Buttress onto Stob Coire nam Beith we were met by a cold wind so we made most of our descent before we stopped, de-kitted and finished our sandwiches. Another brilliant day and a nice bit of Alpine training for me....back in a week! ;)