With high winds and a murky outlook it was no surprise we had Dorsal Arete all to ourselves. One team got an early start and were up and down before we were even half way on the route. On the walk in there were many cars and mini buses pulling up but none of them were following us up Dorsal. Result! Ivon and Giles were keen to get on the sharp end today, so after i led a couple of pitches to get them started, I gave them the rack and ropes and off they went. Giles led a pitch and then Ivon. Giles went on to block lead through the arete and Ivon finished with a pitch to the top. A great effort by both. This was Giles first winter lead and Ivon's first climbing lead! Well done! The winds were not a problem and it was never too cold until we topped out on the route. We descended down Broad Gully which is well stepped and a little soft in places and got to the car just as the drizzle hit us. Top effort guys! Lets try and hide from the wind tomorrow too! All the rock is black up there. Twisting got climbed and said to be 'very rocky'. Forked and Boomerang Gully got climbed and were looking great.

Today I was back out with Giles and Ivon for their 1st day of a week long mountaineering course. As its been two years since we last went out, we spent the day refreshing some basic winter skills. A reminder of stepping, slipping and stopping as well as moving on some steep terrain without the aid of a rope. One aim of the day was for Ivon to get stuck into her navigation so after moving up the Nid ridge we went through and practiced various strategies that can be used in the winter environment. It was helpful navigation weather as the cloud was in and visibility wasn't great. We navigated over to the Summit and then Ivon and Giles navigated us back to the comfort of the gondola. A good day, set us up nicely for the week to come! Looks like its going to be a windy one!

Today was Matt and Alex's final day out with myself, working for Abacus Mountaineering. With tired legs and a drive to the airport tonight, Aonach Mor was the suitable option. We jumped on the 1st gondola up and had a swift up-lift on the chair. We were the first to arrive at the top ski hut where we geared up as the vast numbers of climbers flowed in. A quick stomper down Easy Gully (I) saw us traversing the bottom of the crag to find our route of choice free for taking, Siamese Twin (IV,5). So after the guys built a belay I headed up the first pitch finding nice ice and good runners. Matt and Alex flew up too, both climbing really well, I could only just keep up with the belaying! The main pitch was brilliant too, good ice for axes and feet and ok for screws. Again Matt and Alex dispatched well! One final pitch saw us on the top for elevenses! Another stomper and traverse later we were building more belays on the bottom of White Shark (IV,4). This route was fantastic! Having never done it, it was hard to tell who was more excited to do it. On the approach the guys saw a climber swinging through the crux and they wanted to be there! So 3 pitches and some great steep climbing saw us at the top to see a rescue going on somewhere above the twins area. I hope everyone involved is ok. So over the last 3 days we climbed 810m of grade 3 and above ground, ticked off 12 stars, one Cold Climbs classic and climbed at 3 different venues. Not bad for some mild weather! Well done to Matt and Alex!

It was another mild day in the Scottish mountains, woolly hats were not needed for today's Abacus Mountaineering team consisting of Matt, Alex and myself. With several teams around the mountain this morning, we were lucky enough to find Green Gully (IV,3) free for taking. After yesterdays outing the guys were super keen to get a little pumped. The route was nice and soft taking good sticks all the way up, ice screws were good to and the Ice was a little stepped here and there but still great fun. On the last pitch I took the guys up a steeper finish which really gave them the most pump of the day and also Alex reported a good stint of disco leg! Big smiles all around on the top and a leisurely walk down the Red Burn. I don't think we hit the freezing level today until we reached the top of the route, there was a slight crust forming on the snow but it felt pretty mild today. Comb Gully was reported to be in good shape. Castle Ridge, Wendigo, Ledge Route and others were climbed. We just need a good cold spell to freeze everything up.

Today was the first day for Matt and Alex's 3 day climbing course, I was working for Abacus Mountaineering. With a wet and mild forecast on the west coast we decided to head a little further east to Creag Megaidh to avoid the dampness. It paid off, we were in the cloud all day but it never rained on us. Our plan was to head up Staghorn Gully (III). On the approach we passed some avalanche debris from the base of the gully however once we got into the gully the snow was wet but stable. It was nice and soft all the way up so we were able to move up most of the way un-roped. On arrival to South Post Direct (IV,4) we could see that the ice looked continuous and good enough to climb on! The guys were well psyched! They were happy to put the Cold Climbs classic off for another time and climb something a little steeper. The route was brilliant, a really cool cave half way up too! Mike was on the Pumpkin (V,4) which sounded very brilliant fun.

What a wild day on the East! The forecast was due to be warm in the afternoon on the west coast so Kenny and I decided for an early start to get over East. On arrival it was very windy and it was clear that it was going to be hard work. Not what we wanted on our rest days. Anyway, heads went down and we battled into Coire an lochain to have a look. On arrival the upper parts of the crag looked great, so we planned to head round to number 3 buttress. On crossing above the great slab we came across some spooky wind slab so instead we headed straight up to the base of number 2 buttress. We decided to climb Central Crack Route (IV,5) which was a great little number. Good boulder problem start into some nice steady grade 4 climbing. We were relatively sheltered from the southerlies but got blasted on the top and coming down the goat track. Many teams in T-sneachda, mostly all suffering in the foul weather. Lochain had survived the Strong winds much better and was looking much whiter! A great day to be back at the car at 1pm. Unfortunatly no photos today.

Today's weather was fantastic compared to the weekend so Craig, Graham and I decided to head East to the Cairngorms for a nice short walk in. Whenever I go climbing with Graham, I usually do most of the leading so today Graham and Craig guided me up a route. As the route went on they had done enough leading and I led 3 pitches, Graham led two and and Craig led one. The route was in great condition with a good covering of snow. There were reports of good climbing on Hell's Lum with Tim climbing Brimstone Grooves with his client and other climbing Deep Cut Chimney. Fiacaill Buttress looked great however getting to it may be tricky as there was a reasonable amount of spindrift lingering around the bottom of the crag. A great day out in great sunny weather.

Today was our second and final day of the winter meet and fortunately it did feel a little more wintry. Our original plan was to traverse the Aonach Eagach however a last minute decision saw us heading towards the Lost Valley heading for the Zig Zags on Aonach Dubh. With the mixed abilities of the group, this was a good option as some members took the lead and others were happy being on the other end of the rope. After topping out on Gearr Aonach, we then proceeded to the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochain. The weather was a little better than yesterday but still quite blowy. The buttresses were starting to look black, people were out in the gully's and also Crest Route got an ascent. A great finish to a nice weekend.