Keen Beans

The morning after the club Annual Dinner is never a good choice for an early start but given that Saturday morning seemed to offer the only chance to get up a hill without being soaked and flattened the alarm clock was duly set.

Ann & John rolled out of the car in Glen Tanar at 8 am for a bike-assisted bag of Mount Keen. The crisp air and bright sun on the autumn colours did their best to cut through the fug induced by the previous night’s Brewdog Hardcore IPA, with little success. An hour of cycling later things were looking better, with the hill still cloudless, the threatened gales holding off and a clearer head. The final grind up Mount Keen is not the most inspiring hill walk around, but the views were good and assured us that we had made a good choice as most other big hills were in cloud. 

 

Cycling up the glen

Just to prove it was sunny earlier

By now the wind had picked up considerably but we carried on around to the neighbouring HuMP of Braid Cairn just to make more of a walk of it, then back down to the bikes via Gathering Cairn. The wind and gravity assisted ride back down the glen was fast, interrupted only by a few sadly false mushroom alerts through the woods, to get back to the car just as the rain started.

Traversing from Mount Keen to Braid Cairn

Clachan Yell looking appropriately autumnal

Unexpectedly Wintry...

The weekend before last saw Ann & John returning to decent days out after a summer of keeping on tick-over. We headed for the NE Ridge of Sgor an Lochan Uaine, right in the middle of the Cairngorms.

Driving up Deeside we got or first glimpses of how white it was high up, the result of a few cold days earlier in the week. Thinking this was just a usual early season dusting we set off undeterred for the long approach via Derry Lodge.

Up Glen Luibeg to Ben Macdui

Into the Larig Ghru, Devil's Point left

As we got higher up the Lairig Ghru the ridge looked great and the trek was starting to feel worthwhile. We had only climbed it once before, years back in thick weather so the stunningly clear day was welcome. We couldn't remember much except that we had been carrying backpacking gear, so a dusting of snow shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

First view of the ridge

As we got up the steep pull to Lochan Uaine it became obvious the snow was a bit more serious – wind blasted and refrozen, with plenty of real ice around. Suddenly things didn't look so promising and we discussed heading straight up the easier slope to Cairn Toul. This was disappointing after a 3 hour approach so we decided to give it a go and see how we got on, rarely the best mountaineering decision.

 

Looking up the ridge

Cairn Toul (r)

Heading up

Most of the way up was OK taken steadily with any trickier bit being very safe. Above us though loomed the much steeper and narrower top section. By the time we got to this we had been on the route for 2 hours and were staring to wish we were just up it. Luckily it wasn't any worse than the rest, just a bit more sustained and we soon burst back into the warm sunshine and incredible views all around.

On the top bit

 

Austin leaving the summit. Ben Nevis back right

A late first lunch was accompanied by meeting fellow AMC-er Austin, who had come in from the north over Braeriach, and was the first person we had met all day.

Cairn Toul and Ben Macdui

After enjoying the views we headed off to Cairn Toul, then Devil's Point not long before sunset. The long way out was livened up a bit by a very colourful sunset, and we got back to the car after 11 hours. Not had one of those for a while.

AMC in the Dolomites

This year the club organised a summer trip abroad and those keen opted for the sun kissed (s)limestone of the Italian Dolomites.  After last year successful trip to the Cortina area, folk fancied trying a bit further west and so headed to the town of Canazei as a cracking central location.

We certainly weren’t disappointed!  Driving up from Venice over a couple of high winding passes, past the Marmolada a we were greeted by awesome looking walls and spires everywhere!  Hard to keep my eyes on the road, but eventually we did make it to Canazei in one piece.

Luigi had done a sterling job finding us accommodation – we’d recommend these serviced apartments to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in the area.  To make us feel at home, the local supermarket had shipped in some bottles of this:

Can’t top that kind of service! :O)

Dave was catching a bus down from Germany, so we picked him up and headed back to the flat for a bit of plotting and planning (and beer)…..

Weather was mixed on the Sunday so we decided to go cragging nearby rather than head up high and had a cracking day on some water worn limestone slabs in a fantastic setting – appetites were well and truly whetted!

So with great forecasts for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we headed to the mountains.

Monday we decided that a traverse of the 3 Sella towers would start us off nicely.  After a bit of a faff looking for the start of the route, we gave up and just decided to climb.  Following our noses towards the first features we knew to be on our route lead to some great climbing on lovely slabs – more or less approximating to our route.  The upper pitches of the 1^st tower where really good climbing, culminating in a VS pitch – not normally a problem but with a freezing wind blowing over the preceding belay numb hands, polished sloping foot holds and only old rusty pegs for gear added to the “excitement”!  Back in the sunshine on the summit all cold was forgotten as we looked up at the 2^nd tower.

West Face 1st Sella Tower

SW face of 2nd Sella Tower

Dave took over leading for this route and we headed up.  3 pitches with a lovely central groove took us up to the top of the 2^nd tower and yet more basking in the sunshine!  Time was wearing on though, and we decided we’d struggle to get the last tower done and be off the down climbing before losing light so decided to descend after the 2^nd tower.  An abseil and 40mins or so of scrambling saw us back at the car, chuffed to bits at our first mountain route together!!

Dave leading Kostner Route, 2nd Tower

Sitting on the belays on the Sella Towers, you can’t help up notice the Sassalungo group opposite and ideas had been planted for the next day…….

PUNTA DELLA CINQUE DITA

Glancing through the obscene number of guide books we seemed to have, the ordinary route up the 

 Punta Della Cinque Dita aught our eye.  At only UIAA III it seemed the perfect route up onto a spectacular summit for us.

Up early the next morning we were at the foot of the route too early!  And the sunshine hadn’t reached it yet making for a chilly first couple of pitches!  Luigi lead 3 very run out pitches up to easy ledges and slabs which we soloed up into the gap between the “thumb” and the main summit.  I took over the lead here and headed off up steep but juggy rock which after a few pitches took us back out into the (now very welcome!!) sunshine.  Briefly basking in the sun we were amused watching a guide with some clients descending.  The clients nervous on the down climbing, the guide skipping down facing out.  Oh to be that comfortable on that kind of terrain!!

A few more pitches of lovely limestone took us under a massive jammed boulder and hence to the summit.

 

summit of Punta Della Cinque Dita

2nd last pitch of Punta Della Cinque Dita

With a long descent ahead (reversing the route we’d just climbed) we didn’t hang about so while Dave and Luigi sorted ropes I wandered off to find the abseil point to start the descent.

A long abseil brought us down to the start of the first 2 pitches of downclimbing.  Traversing back out over the sunny face was a little never wracking (why is down climbing always so much scarier than climbing up???) but very easy.  More abseils, down climbing and obscene rope fankels in my old ½ ropes eventually brought us back to the foot of the route – just in time to see the last cable cars grind to a halt for the evening.  Damm………..

Dave Abseiling 6th Pitch

Dave on Last Abseil

Oh well, the walk down was pleasant enough, and we were full of cheer after the route so no probs!

Day 3 in the mountains was back to the Sella towers.  Not particularly adventurous, but they are so striking you can’t help but go back!  

The Sella Towers

This time we were looking at the South East Buttress/ chimney.  

The reason for the route choice was pitch 4.  A 3m pitch which involves jumping 1.5m from the top of the buttress onto a ledge on the main tower.  This distance would be an easy leap between peat hags, but with 100m of chimney and another 200m of buttress after than beneath us, it seemed a wee bit scarier……

SE Buttress/Chimney

showing the gap to jump

A worse thought than not jumping far enough, was jumping too far though – with a rock wall on the far side, the over enthusiastic jumper risks an embarrassing face plant followed by drop down into the gap – double embarrassing!

Dave went first, after a few deep breaths and barely a whimper was on the far side secure!  Luigi and I followed with similar noises / expressions on our faces!

 

Luigi making the leap!

The rest of the route to the summit was very fine easy climbing in the sun, followed by a quick descent back to the car and a celebratory beer at the sella pass.

At this point however, the weather broke.  The mountains were forecast to start being hit by electrical storms through the day and rain at night.  Luckily however the forecast was still fine in the glens and we decided on a bit of cragging while the mountains shouted at each other above. 

Day 4 was to a neighbouring valley, with some lovely looking slabby climbs – definitely a nice change after the steeper juggy mountain routes.  And suitably humbling as we struggled up 5’s and a couple of 6as!

An improved forecast for day 5 lead to us planning via ferrata for the day.  Unfortunately the weather didn’t co-operate and we woke up to cloud down into the valley and river levels up significantly.  Loitering about in the hope that it would improve lead to a day wandering up and down the valley and Dave accidentally buying a new pair of rock shoes.

The next couple of days were much the same, bad weather high up meant valley cragging – with us trying some different styles of crags to keep ourselves on our toes!

 

Cragging shot

another Cragging shot

The last day was planned for climbing at Col Rodella, but a roaring and cold wind put paid to that after the 1^st route!  Luckily there was a basic / easy via ferrata nearby so we ran up that, conveniently finishing at a refuge serving tea and cake…….not such a bad result really!

 

Col Rodella Via Ferrata

Walking down, the weather gods decided it was time to get us re-acclimatised for Scotland so 10mins from the car the heavens opened and nicely soaked us for the return drive to the apartment!

Luckily since we weren’t camping, a brew and snack and some lazing about on sofa’s soon used up the rest of the afternoon before we headed off for a luxury night in Venice airport.  Dave then headed off to Venice for the day, before catching the sleeper back to Germany and I caught the morning flight back to Edinburgh.

All in all, an absolutely cracking trip where we managed something everyday and got a few superb mountain days in.  Roll on next year!!!

White Mounth Traverse

Another ski tour on Lochnagar last Saturday for John and Ann. We got dropped off in Glen Muick and skied over to Invercauld. Got the skis on much lower down than we thought and had a good ski up on the healthy dusting of fresh from the night before. Some of the upper slopes had suffered from wind and sun, but it was still good touring cover. We went over onto Carn a Choire Bhoidheach and down by the side of The Stuic. Really nice snow on the descent, quite a lot of powder in places. We got down to within 10 mins of the pony shed, then packed out.

Threading a route up

Lochnagar from Cuidhe Crom

Across the Mounth

Going down...

Lochnagaahhhh...

Well the Winter That Keeps On Giving gave another superb day's ski touring on Lochnagar on Saturday. An early (ish) start got us to Glen Muick by 8.30 where we were greeted by the unexpected sight of veteran AMC member Denis wandering around the almost empty car park. Turned out that in addition to the official club meet to Dundonnell this weekend there was also an outing of the Camper Van Section, who we generally asleep in the upper car park. 

We headed out on the normal route and for the first time saw an avalanche warning for the path around the loch! Skis went on just after the woods and the ascent to the bealach between Little Pap and Cuidhe Crom was straightforward with just a dusting of fresh on a firm base. Even the normally boulders slope above that was easy as everying high up was plastered. It really wasn't like skiing in Scotland - blue sky, warm sun and fantastic snow.

Starting the ascent

Looking SW from Cuidhe Crom

Lochnagar (R) and The Stuic (L)

 

Top of Black Spout left branch

Around on the summit we met another AMC-er, Austin, who was enthusiastically snow-shooing about the place. After a leisurely lunch it was fun time. First a cracking descent down towards Glas Allt Sheil, stopping as the glen flattened out. Then skins back on and up to join our ascent route N of Little Pap. Another great descent right down through the woods and with a bit of creative heather-hopping back to the bridge over the River Muick. Only down side was I forgot the camera so these shots are from the phone.

Skining back up towards Little Pap

Happy Easter

Not being organised enough to get away on the Thursday we were restricted to doing something further east on Friday. The choice was a Cairngorm ski tour that started well in clear sunny conditions but the cloud rolled in as we got to the plateau. Not fancying a navigational test we bailed on the plan to go th Macdui and stuck to the round of the Northern Corries. Great descent off Cairn Lochan but the snow in Lurchers was a bit slabby.

On the way up Cairngorm

Cornices on Cairn Lochan

Ann carving a nice set of teles

We then headed west to camp at Roy Bridge in a chilly -6. Saturday was stunning and we headed off west to the edge of Knoydart for Spidean Mialach and Gleouraich above Loch Quoich. Great day out with fantastic views.

Spidean Mialach

Gleouraich from Spidean Mialach

Gleouraich

Another similarly chilly night in the tent got us to Sunday and a big day out; The Ben by the CMD arete. The slog up Carn Mor Dearg wasn't too bad and the arete was almost easier than in summer – just a snowy knife edge about the width of two feet for the most part. The consequnces of a slip would have been worse than summer though, with pretty hard snow on both sides, a fact happily ignored by the woman we met wandering along in a pair of yak trax and no axe!

 

North Face of The Ben

Heading off onto the CMD arete

On the arete

The final night was a balmy -2 and we were fortified by a fine bar supper. On Monday we fancied something a bit easier so went for the half day of the Corbett of Beinn Bhan south of Loch Arkaig. Not all that interesting in itself but a cracking viewpoint.

Cold and windy on Beinn Bhan