Today was another fantastic day in Lochaber and I was back out with John for the second day of his 5 day climbing course.  He was keen to see how he faired on a grade IV.  We opted for Ordinary Route on Central Buttress of Stob Coire nan Lochain in Glencoe.  He faired up very well.  A clean ascent.  After the last few days of snowfall there was alot of swimming and clearing to do on the route but the approach was easy thanks to Blair, Matt and Adam.  Great tracks.  We climbed the route in 7 pitches and the route was nicely sustained at the grade.  A brilliant route.  Must be even better with bomber neve!  The turf was superbly frozen, every swing was a sinker once you get through all the snow.  Light winds and cold temps mean the snow is firming up nicely.  Blair, Matt and Adam were on a tricky route, not sure how they got on as the were still having fun on it as we left.  A team also on Twisting Gully, Dorsal Arete and Crest Route.  Cant wait for tomorrow!

Today was the first day of John's 5 day sending program.  The aim is to climb lots of routes around grade III and hopefully at different venues. Today was a last minute change of plan as John's friend Colleen joined us.  This was Colleen's first time in crampons outside, all she had done in the past was a couple of session on a artificial ice wall.   A quick introduction was on the cards.  We opted for a short route, which was low down and had an easy descent so we jumped on the South West Ridge of the Douglas Boulder (III).  We put fresh tracks in up the route, used a little bit of front crawl and breast stroke but generally we had some good climbing on the route.  Still quite a few loose blocks so care is needed throughout.  We made a swift abseil into the Douglas Boulder gap where I lowered the guys back to the first stance.  A really stunning day today, shame I forgot my camera but the snow really made Ben Nevis look magical.  I'm sure Mike got some good photos from Tower Ridge.  I saw teams ascend Ledge Route and North Gully...?

Plenty of snow had fallen over night and continued to do so all day which meant we had a winter wonderland to play in.  This enabled us to practice some ice axe arresting back on Aonach Mor, which we didn't do yesterday as I didn't find an ideal place with a nice run out.  Today we got some serious speed and mastered the art of ice axe arrest with plenty of 2nd, 3rd and 4th attempts.  The guys put in a good show today and were really keen to throw themselves down the slope like rag dolls.  Not bad considering the average age was 65!  After filling every crevasse with snow we headed up on to some steeper slopes and did some digging, slashing and kicking (all important skills to learn...honest!) and made our way onto the nid ridge again where we got stuck into some navigation.  From the ridge I manufactured a route which aloud the group to practice their newly honed navigational skills and they got themselves back to the top station in one piece.

Today I was out running a Winter Skills Training course with the Austrian Alpine Club and as a shake down day we headed up the gondola at Aonach Mor for quick access to the snow.  After our discussions at the car park it was clear that the group of 3 had similar needs and aspirations and all wanted similar outcomes.  Casper was also out to shadow me as he is starting his Winter Mountain Leader Assesment on Monday.  With limited snow cover we navigated around to the Nid ridge and found the most amazing snow patch in the world which aloud us to practice many of the skills one would need to safely move around the mountains in winter.  After mastering many skills we proceeded up some steeper ground to allow access onto the Nid ridge where we navigated up to the Summit tow before making our descent to the top station.

Next week I am out with John for a 5 day climbing course and he wanted to use today to blow away the cobwebs and have a good journey through the mountains, going over some summits he hasn't been over.  We agreed the Ring of Steall in the Mamores would be good option as its a big day, covers some interesting terrain and John gets a good view of Kinlochleven which is where lots of his family live.  There wasn't great snow cover along the route, we never put crampons on however we uncounted some verglass which nearly saw us both on our backsides several times!  We also managed to find a great slope for a fast and uncontrolled bum slide which had a perfect run out.  Quite in the Mamores today, we only saw one other team and unfortunately the cloud kept coming in to obscure our views.

'Winter' on Skye?

Somewhere in Great Gully

Up to the Summit

Wee bit damp

Today I was back up on Skye but this time it was quite different to my last visit (See HERE).  Temperatures were in double figures and there was no sign of snow as we walked in.  Fortunately there was some snow in the Great Gully which splits the two tops of Blabheinn so I headed up there with George and Corson close behind.  The snow was generally OK, lots of holes were appearing and some of them would have been very unpleasant to fall through.  When we reached the summit, the rain came in fast and hard and stayed with us for the whole descent.  It was great to climb a new mountain that I haven't been on before and I have now done all the Munros on Skye.  Looking forward to getting back on Blabheinn in some visibility.

What a difference a day make.  It was quite impressive to see how much had changed from yesterday.  Many ice smears from yesterday had disappeared  snow had retreated and plenty of water running in the river.  The Curtain had fully fallen down, Point 5 in now incomplete, Smiths route looks like it could barely take bodyweight, Hadrian's is in a coffin. Whilst we were climbing Tower Ridge, I couldn't see any obvious climbable routes except the usual's like some of the numbered gullys, and the ridges.  The thaw is doing some damage.  But not to worry, it will go cold sooner or later and it will be amazing again.

We still had a great day on Tower Ridge.  We donned our crampons half way up the Little Tower finding plenty of snow and ice which gave a reasonable purchase or came off very easily to expose the rock.  We were able to make good progress and reached the summit just as the forcasted rain came in at 3pm.  There was a team coming up Glovers Chimney which looked like a summer rock climb, a team climbed Number 3 Gully and lots of people having a wander around in the coire.  I'm going over to the East coast tomorrow to see what's going on (or falling down) over there.

If I'm honest with you, I was rather reluctant to return to work today for several reason...  I have spent the last two week over indulging over the festive period with my family and friends which was mostly sponsored by several different alcohol brands.  Sleeping patterns disrupted, only two days out in the hills in the Lake District and a couple of sessions in the wall had led, or so I thought, to a tough day on Ben Nevis.  The weather was most unpleasant today, freezing levels were above the summits and it was pretty much raining the whole time.  All of the previous factors meant that I didn't spring out of bed like I usually do.  Anyway, we ascended Ledge Route and despite the conditions being poor I had a very enjoyable climb.  I gave the rope and rack to Thomas and Mirjam so they could practice safeguarding each other whilst I soloed just above them.  I realised that as I was teaching the guys how to select good anchors, use good communication,  when and where to place gear, route choice, snow pack conditions and all the other bits and pieces associated with winter climbing, I had forgot how utterly horrible the weather was and had an enjoyable day.  Despite enjoying the day, we left the summit for another time and returned to the car at 2.30.  I wonder if I'll be springing out of bed tomorrow...

Tower Ridge

Looking up Number 5.  Avalanche debris and the Curtain suffering

Feeling the exposure (and wetness)

The wet snow was very accommodating to climb on.

 From what I could see today, which wasn't very much, the thaw is hard at work.  Still lots of ice streaks around, Hadrian's still had a bit of ice on it and I suspect Point 5 would too but not something I would like to be climbing in current conditions.  The thaw has set up camp and is going to hang in for a while, all we can do in the mean time is go out and get wet!