In November 2017 the club meet was at the famous Steall Hut in Glen Nevis.  It was a popular meet with the hut completely filled with folk looking to take advantage of the good winter weather. 

Here's the best of the photos from the weekend.

The famous wire bridge

The Steall hut

The Ring of Steall:

Scuz's Last Corbett

Long-time club member and cider enthusiast Sarah "Scuz" Wingrove achieved her last Corbett on the 4th November 2017.  This pointless and misdirected milestone was marked by an ascent of Sgurr na Feartaig via Meallana Bhuidhe followed by a short overnight stop in the salubrious Bendronaig Lodge Bothy accompanied by a party of retrobates including her tame goat Mr Edward Smith, Alex, Linda, Carl, Richard, Chris, Mark, Judith and Joe.

The club would like to congratulate Scuz on her achievement although it cannot endorse corbett bagging as a healthy activity for the sound minded.

???

Sgurr na Feartaig

Looking cool on the summit

Bendronaig Lodge Bothy

Northern Norway and Lofoten Islands

 Lofoten Islands August 2017.  Skye on Steroids?

 Lofoten - view from Hermandalstinden

 Stetind - Norway's national mountain. 1400m straight out the sea.

 Stetind - summit ridge.

 Stetind - the exposed climbing pitch.

 Stetind sunset

Worlds Slab - a 2km long 1/2km wide smooth slab. Amazing walk (or a head banger bike ride?!)

Summer climbing says goodbye!

Little bouldering session before a social BBQ at the last tuesday evening outdoors with the climbers of the AMC. It has been a rich summer of climbing at the cliffs. 

This summer brought to the club some new good climbers so the group has been growing. 

Thanks to all the climbers who attended the summer outdoors climbing sessions for the cheerful time and the effort put in climbing every time more and better. It is the best feeling one can share with other climbers!

Lewis trip

A few of us ventured over to Lewis last week to see how Holly was getting on and to enjoy the island.  With Juliette and her mother Morag and Rae along to provide a local perspective we had a great time.  Based at Kneep campsite at Reef Beach in the Uig area we explored the area and indeed the whole island from Ness in the north to Leverburgh in the south and took in some walks, climbs, swims, relation visits (for Juliette and Morag) and provided some evening distractions for Holly from her work in Stornoway. (we even avoided dropping rocks on her, although did force her to abseil towards an angry looking sea!)

                                            Holly enjoying (??) Lewis seacliff climbing

                                               Stuart and Juliette's van and Morag's tent

                               The view across Reef beach with the campsite on the right

                                                        Bhaltos beach looking great

          Butt of Lewis lighthouse and Judith looking pleased after spotting a pod of dolphins

Stuart, Melba, Rae and Judith enjoying the views of St. Kilda coming down from Mealaisbhal the highest point on Lewis

                                           the spectacularly located bothy at Mangurstadh

                                                             inside the bothy - space for 2

                                     the dogs enjoying another amazing beach at Uig sands

                               Stuart leading one of the 6 pitches of a severe on Griomabhal, if this was in the
  Cairngorms and south facing it would be mobbed!!

                                      Looking across at the 300m slabs we had just climbed

            The weather couldn't last forever but at least we had Losgaintir beach to ourselves.  This was followed by meeting up with Holly again and supper and a ceildh in Tarbet, Harris.  A a visit to the new distillary where large amounts of gin were purchased was also included.....

Lovely evening for bouldering at an unrecorded cliff. The boulder problems are mainly easy grades and slabby, partially tidal.

We had low tide in the evening, so we could climb EVERYTHING!

... and since there was anything more to climb (this obviously a joke, there is ALWAYS something more to climb!) we then enjoyed a good BBQ all together, with professional tools and an invasion of burgers.

 

See you at the next climbing-social. Bye!

Good fun and little satisfactions

     From Bob Elder:

A successful AMC visit to Pass o' Ballater on Wednesday evening with a variety of good routes climbed on the Western Section lower and upper tiers.

The highlight being  a return to Dod's Dead Cat (E2 5c) for Manu after a previous unsuccessful attempt. Good lead Manu !  Some pictures of a happy Manu, and Keith seconding the route.

Skipped the rain

Good fun at Clashrodney in our Tuesday climbing. 

The AMC has literally infested the cliff!

The showers in the afternoon did not scare us. We were rewarded with reasonable conditions and a good evening's climbing. Emma climbed trad for the first time, Rob lead his first trad route (well done!) and Manu and Keith ended the climbing session in the darkness.

We are good climbers, aware that the good equipment can really change the quality of the climbing.

See you next Tuesday somewhere else!

Rock climbing season 2017 has started!

Back on the rocks!

First social climbing at Alan's cliff. 

Nice to see someone starting leading with confidence.... 

Happy to have back the most photographed climber of the club...

...and honored to have two loved guests amongst the climbers!

See you next Tuesday!

Snow Holing Exploits

After a sociable Friday evening at Holly's leaving do, a sunny Saturday morning saw Ed, Scuz, Joe and Mark heading to Linn of Dee to try and find enough snow for a snow hole.

After a quick cycle into Derry Lodge we went up Derry Cairngorm in hot sunshine and with little sign of snow.

But as we approached the main Cairngorm plateau the snow levels increased and with Ed's previous experience we located a good bank of snow in a hanging corrie above Loch Etchachan. and the digging began at 2 points

Within a couple of hours of hard digging and a broken spade (who buys snow shovels at Costco??) we had a deluxe abode for the night, with Ed and Scuz on the ground floor and Joe and I on the mezzanine floor

Once the digging was done it was time for supper in the gathering darkness

After a good feed we went for a starlite wander up Ben Macdui to get Joe the tick.  Our return saw us tucked up in the snow hole with the candles on and the whisky out.

With the sun streaming through the snow hole door we awoke to another stunning Cairngorm day

Due to Joe needing to be back in Aberdeen we had an easy walk out via Loch Etchachan (literally) and the Hutchinson Hut