Glen Tanar and Baudy Meg

Last Saturday saw Ann & John finally get back into the hills after a 2 month absence. The forecast for high winds and fairly dodgy avalanche conditions, plus lack of leg muscles, meant we headed for the Glen Tanar area to see how it went. Luckily the car park had been cleared and a short walk across the road was all that was needed before the skis went on. The estate had been driving around in a small tracked vehicle that made the skiing much easier and more fun than it would have been otherwise, and we got caught in a photoshoot for the ranger service’s website:

http://rangerglentanar.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/nordic-ski-ing-in-glen-tanar.html

Starting out

In Glen Tanar

We headed up the Glen which was very pleasant in full winter wonderland mode. After a few km we got a bit tired of the limited views so we headed up onto the extensive high undulating ground east of the glen. This gave us some good views especially towards Lochnagar and felt a bit Nordic with the scattering of small pines. The only downside was that the wax on the skis, which had done a fairly good job so far, started balling up in the colder conditions.

Getting towards the treeline

Heading up Baudy Meg

Cautious descent

We soon reached our high point of the day, the mighty Baudy Meg (488m) and it was time for the descent, often the hardest part of any tour on skinny skis. With variable snow and intermittently sticky skis we picked our way down slowly using cautious but effective steppy turns and before long were back on the forest tracks and easier going. All in all a good first outing of the year.

NOT THE CIC HUT

Due to a very poor weather forecast for the Lochaber area, it was decided not to go to the CIC Hut last weekend. Instead Ed, Mark and Linda planned to head into the Hutchinson Hut, due to better weather in the Cairngorms.

Come Saturday morning Linda pulled out due to feeling unwell, which left Ed and Mark heading for the hills along with a procession of skiers. Along the way Big Mikey and Rod were spotted with skis on their back heading for Lochnagar from Invercauld.

Pretty in Pink? - Ed in Glen Derry

Bypassing the skiers who were stacked up in Braemar waiting for the snow gates to open, we made it to the car park at Linn of Dee. On a lovely sunny morning we skied along the Derry Road making the first tracks of the day. After a quick pit stop at Derry Lodge we continued at valley level along Glen Derry until finally reaching the Hutchinson Hut after 5 hours of slow going through deep snow. By the time we reached the hut the weather was turning for the worst.

Hutchy Hut

The recent refurbishments to the hut had included a new porch, wood lining and the ubiquitous bothy stove. After an early visit from an RAF Helicopter which briefly landed by the hut to say hello, we were then joined for the night by 2 young instructors from Glenmore Lodge. Once the new stove was lit the hut quickly heated up, although the supply of wood left over from the building works is now fairly thin.

An evening of chat, whisky and Ed's bothy food (smoked salmon and brocolli pasta) passed quickly before bed time.

In the hut

Sunday brought another fairly bright start and although we didn't make the earliest of starts we planned to head back over Derry Cairngorm. We skinned up to the slopes above Loch Etchachan until the wind became too strong to ski (we kept being blown over!). We continued on foot up the slopes of Derry Cairngorm, but again before the top were stopped by the wind, which was almost constantly blowing us to a standstill / to our knees. We decided to retreat down into Coire Sputan Dearg and the Luibeg Burn. Again due to the wind and our poor skiing ability we made slow progress with a lot of falls (at least on my part). Eventually we made it back to Derry Lodge where a much needed break was had (I had totally bonked by this point). A final ski along the now slushy and churned up Derry Road took us back to the car just before dusk – a long and tiring day for myself who hadn't been out in the hills for a couple of months and so was extremely unfit.

Retreating off Derry Cairngorm

Evan, Andrew, Phil and Neomi, who were also going to the CIC Hut, instead opted for a day trip to Glas Maol on Saturday to take advantage of the good Cairngorm weather.

Mark

Slide Show Competition

Tuesday this week was the night of the epic AMC slide show competition.  Members were invited to submit 3 slides for the competition, one for each category below:

1) Landscape.
2) Comedy
3) Action.

The below slides were the winners!

1) Julie Black with a shot of the Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve (landscape)

2) Mark Moynagh with Foghorn Ardnamurchan peninsula (Comedy)

3) Duncan Blake with descent from Mont Blanc via Gouter Route (Action)

Special mention to Ed Smith too for highest number of votes without actually winning any of the categories!

Cheers to all who took part!

Stu

Sunday walk 3rd Dec 2012

The walk was organised by Malcolm and Susan.  From Glen Cluanie we

ascended Carn an Tuirc and Cairn of Claise

Carn an Tuirc

 

 

A bit of a slog in deep snow

but it sparkled with frost crystals

and extensive views in crystal clear air

Victorian fenceposts and boulders transformed by ice

From the second summit heading down into the dwindling daylight

Susan was freezing in the van but heat, light, tea and cakes revived everyone

John’s Last Munro (again!)

The reasonable forecast for last weekend was enough to get John into action to go and bag the final Munro of his second round. The hill of choice was Sgurr Mor in Knoydart, a tricky little beast to get to at the best of times. Sadly it wasn’t the best of times and the walk-in to Kinbreak bothy on Friday night was a bit more epic than we had planned for. Despite the almost full moon the path was elusive, leaving us with the choice of bog or semi-frozen argo tracks, which have proliferated hugely in this area since our last visit. Wet, cold and fed up after 2½ hours we arrived to find the bothy in good condition. A swift dram and a cheesy oatcake were enough to see us into our pits.

Sgurr Mor (C) by moonlight

Not our latest DIY - Kinbreak bothy

Saturday dawned fine so off we set, surprised at just how much snow it looked like there was higher up. We had been expecting a healthy dusting but as we ascended the Corbett of Sgurr an Fhuarain we were soon ankle to knee deep, with deeper drifts. Luckily most of it was just powder, but the patches of soft slab were hard going. Elevenses on the summit were a welcome rest and for the first time we noticed that the weather, instead of getting better through the day as expected, was closing in a bit.

Ascending Sgurr an Fhuarain, Gairich behind

Sgurr Mor in sight

A quick but cold scoot down the west ridge got us to the base of Sgurr Mor with just one more climb left. Again this turned into a bit of a flouter through deep snow near the summit, which we made just before the weather really broke down and the showers became a couple of hours of continuous snow. Celebrations were limited to a quick lunch and a very wee dram huddled behind a rock, before heading off the way we had come to get down as fast as we could. Despite the rapid descent we didn’t make it back to the bothy until just before sunset, a result of the slow going on the tops.

Last few steps

Turned out nice again...

Kinbreak bothy

I would like to say that the party then raged until well into the following morning but with just two of us there, sub-zero temperatures and a defective fire log we turned in by 9, just as the snow outside really started falling.

Finally got the fire going

Expecting to wake up on Sunday to deep snow outside we were surprised to see just a dusting. It looked like it had melted for a while before freezing hard. We tromped up the glen for a bit before getting back to the car over the Corbett of Fraoch Bheinn. Being a bit lower than Saturday’s hills there wasn’t as much of an issue with deep snow and it all felt a bit easier in the fantastic conditions. A great way to end a fine and significant weekend away. What next?

Gairich on Sunday morning

Topping out on Fraoch Bheinn

Looking back to Sgurr Mor

Flouter time

The peaks of central Knoydart

Across to Ben Nevis

View east down a foggy Loch Arkaig

The Right Side of the Tracks

Seeing the same forecast as John, Juliette and I decided to head up towards lochnagar on Saturday, as I'd been out over to white bridge the weekend before.  Getting to
 Glenmuick car park  we were surprised by the lack of cars on such a fine looking day!  Walking up the landy track, we got our first glimpse of a wintery looking lochnagar

Lochnagar looking suspiciously white

After a brief snack at the meikle col, taking in the wonderful panoramic of the corrie in light winter garb

                                             
we headed up to the summit, racing a couple of boxer dogs intent of lightening our packs of the heavy weight of our lunch - fortunately we managed to get the sarnies eaten in time!  John and Ann did briefly send across a cloud so that we could sample the weather they had, but luckily it cleared as quickly as it arrived!

Heading down the Glas Alt Sheil, we were back at the car fine and early, and so decided to celebrate a glorious day out with a scone in the Bothy in Ballater, and by buying a a fine treat of Sausages from the local butchers!

Roll on more winter days like this one

Derry Cairngorm/Ben Macdui

The forecast of a fine Saturday and rubbish Sunday got Ann & John out early to enjoy the promise of fantastic views in the excellent visibility. This was looking good for most of the drive there but the Cairngorms themselves were shrouded in cloud. Early-morning clag no doubt so off we set for the grand circuit of Derry Cairngorm, Ben Macdui and Carn a Mhaim.

On the ascent it looked like it might indeed break up and we looked hopefully towards Lochnagar, bathed in sunshine. It was not to be and things just got worse. It was fairly think on the tops with a strong SW wind giving a good wind chill. To add to the suffering we had forgotten that the boulder fields of Derry Cairngorm are really best avoided unless bone dry or covered in deep snow. A thin cover of snow and ice is not recommended.

On the way up Derry Cairngorm

Slithering around on Derry Cairngorm

Nearest thing to a view from the tops - Loch Etchachan

After that it was heads down and bash on, stopping for a quick and interesting lunch (strawberry jam mistaken for chutney) in a sheltered hollow on Macdui. Carn a Mhaim got left for another day as we ducked down into Glen Luibeg for the walk-out.