Monday 14 January 2013

Back east again.


First day of 4 with students from The University of The Highlands and Islands in the Cairngorms. Nathan, Callum and I went for a warm up day into Coire an t Sneachda. After a bright start it turned wintery (a nice change) and cooler as the wind veered to the NW. After watching hordes of people heading up Jacob’s Ladder we headed onto the buttress to the right which gave us a good mixed line at Grade II with a bit of everything: ice, rimed up rock, frozen turf and cm thick verglass!
We topped out and headed across to windy col where we dug snow bollards and abseiled off. Walking out into the wind.
Lots of students
 Ummmm don't think we'll go in there...
 That's more like it... a line to ourselves
 Taking in
 3 on a stance
 Chopping a good ledge
 The top
A bit of rime
Parties on the Mess of Pottage were reporting a good deal of verglas but the Message was popular as ever and one of our teams climbed a very rocky Hidden Chimney. I think today everyone had made a beeline for The Mess of Pottage to avoid the potential avalanche hazards but looking into the Coire on the walk in the isolated patches of fresh soft slab were visibly very obvious and there was a great deal of older hard snow still exposed.
Thanks to Adam for the pics. He was out watching me at work today.

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