Today was another cracking day with very little wind and plenty of blue skies. Campbell and I opted for heading up into Stob Coire nan Lochain in Glencoe for a look at the crags. On arrival there was lots to go for so I suggested doing Chimney Route (VI,6). A route that neither of us had done didn't disappoint. I led the route in 3 pitches to get us onto the crest where we bumped into John and his mate who had just done Twisting grooves. A soloist climbed Dorsal Arete and another soloist on Boomerang Arete. The whole crag is looking great for the mixed routes. We descended Broad Gully.

Today John and I headed up into the North Face of Ben Nevis to have a look and see what has been left over from the thaw. We saw very little, visibility was very poor with all the falling snow. We headed up to Comb Buttress and climbed Tower Face of the Comb (VI,6). The route was fantastic, excellent climbing and best of all it was in perfect condition. Plenty of good neve, solid turf and not too much snow! The mountain was quiet today with very few people venturing out. A team of lively french men had climbed Mercury (V,5) but reported dry tooling on the lower pitch as there was no ice. Mixed routes are in great condition. Gully's are getting there but now have quite a bit of snow in. We avoided coming down number 4 gully and walked down the red burn. Just back from a dry tooling session at the Ice Factor so very tired arms. All packed for more climbing tomorrow though!!

This weekend was meant to be spent snow holing but as the weather has created a rather substantial thaw, we opted for a bothy. We went to the Lairig Leacach bothy below Stob Ban in the The Grey Corries. It rained constantly for the two days with winds up to 90mph! At one point Izzi was crawling up the hill. On arrival to the bothy there was smoke in the chimney which was a pleasant surprise. Two guys from the lakes were there for the weekend so it was very sociable. On the first day we attempted to walk up Stob Ban but at the 800m line we couldn't fight the winds anymore so we headed down in to the valley and did plenty of navigation practice before heading back to the bothy to dry off in front of the fire. Day two consisted of a walk up two Corbett's, battling the wind, rain and occasional snow flurries. We did pleanty of navigation before heading back to the car so Izzi could catch the train back to Essex. A tough week with the current weather conditions but still productive. No photo's of the rain, forgot my camera.

Today Izzi and I donned the full waterproofs, sealed our dry bags, cased our maps and braved the weather in Glencoe. We opted for the Zig Zags on Gearr Aonach which, as predicted, was completely stripped of snow. We made a quick ascent onto Gearr Aonach and then buried our heads in our maps looking at navigation skills. We navigated ourselves up the North East ridge in very strong winds, gusts up to 60+mph. We battled our way down the north ridge and navigated our way back in the corrie floor. Time was running away from us as was any dry stitching in out clothing so we headed back to the car. Heading out for a little 2 day expedition into the Grey Corries for the weekend. Feel free to bring more fire wood up to the Lairig Leacach Bothy!

Today Izzi and I were keen to find some ice to climb before everything is stripped away. We headed up to the CIC cascades to see what was left of them. On approach it didn't look hopeful, especially when a large amount of ice fell off the steepest line! Fortunately we were able to climb the next line giving good but wet climbing at grade III. Axe and crampon placements were great as the ice was so soft and even the ice screws seemed to be pretty reasonable. We abbed off the block at the top and made a hasty retreat back to the car. Lots to dry out tonight! Think I'll leave my gear to the radiator and go for a climb at The Ice Factor.

Despite the bad weather Izzi and I got up to Aonach Mor for a little run around in the snow. Temperatures were high and snow was thawing rapidly. We found patches of ice here and there to use our crampons and the wet snow was great for sliding on. We spent the day over at the Nid area, eventually working our way up the ridge and had a dig at bucket seats and snow anchors. Not a great day for hanging around.

Today Emma was out for her first winter walk and we just wanted something small and sweet. We headed into Glencoe and took a wander up Buachaille Etive Beag. On the bealach we decided to just go up onto Stob Dubh (958m) and catch the nice views over onto Glen Etive. We talked about avalanche awareness on the move, looking at hasty pits, walking ruchsblock test and identifying visable signs of snow transportation. Several other walkers were out enjoying the spectacular views and great weather.

Today Graham and I headed up to Buachaille Etive Mor. We got on North Face Route (V,6), a route that rarely sees traffic in the winter. It was brilliant. Quite a bit of snow to clear but turf was bomber and cracks were clear. Every pitch had a tricky bit on it and I found it quite tiring. We abbed down from the top of the route back to the start in 3 full 60m abseils. Great day. Several other teams on Curved Ridge. Time for a take away!