Skiing at Aviemore and Drift 1080p HD Camera, 16th December 2012.

At last a break in the weather gave us a chance to get up to Aviemore and try and get some skiing in before we go to Soll on the 5th January next year. Cairngorm Mountain still insisted on charging £32.50 even though it wasn't a full area, but that wasn't the main issue. We probably queued for an hour to get tickets in an almost Alton Towers style affair, as we wound are way up an around the ticket office, finally getting on the train at the end. 
However, the skiing wasn't bad, hard in some places but softening up late afternoon when it seemed to go very quiet on the slopes for some reason? I also took chance to try out my new, DRIFT 1080P HD Headcam.  Obviously, not the most extreme off piste, stunt filled video you'll see on YouTube, but I was just messing with it to see how it works etc. Hopefully, in a few weeks time, I'll get some better shots for Austria!              

Coire an t-Sneachda - Twin Ribs - Fiacaill Ridge, 2nd December 2012.

Crossing burns in Coire an t-Sneachda.

Mess of Pottage and Jacobs Ladder.

First glimpse of Fiacaill Buttress.

Wading up the Twin Ribs.

Fiacaill Ridge.

Away from the crowds.

Avoiding the bottlenecks on the ridge.

Looking over to Breariach.

Getting back on top of the ridge.

Looking back down.

Lots of "down", (that you can't see).

Shelterstone Crags and the Loch Avon basin area.

Looking into Fiacaill Couloir.

Cairngorm plateau.

Spot the climbers.

Osprey Mutant 38+ rucksack -  better than piece of Berghaus crap I have.

Fiacaill Ridge from the plateau.

Spot the climbers!

Climber belaying above the Red Gully-ish (?) area.

Top of Fingers Ridge.

Pygmy Ridge.

Aladdins Couloir complete.

Top of Pygmy Ridge.

Heading home.

Sunset over the Fiacaill Ridge.

360 video taken at the top of the Fiacaill Ridge.

MIC Course - Glenmore Lodge, 24th February 2010

Myself, Bill, Mark and Willy were at Glenmore Lodge in Aviemore participating as "mock client" for the guys doing their MIC (Mountain Instructor Certificate). All we had to do was turn up and pay for food and accommodation and hopefully in return get free instruction for two days.
As usual everything through the lodge is first class, unfortuneatly that couldn't be said of the weather!
For over a week before we arrived the Cairngorms had almost alpine conditions - until we arrived.
Throughout the night of tuesday into wednesday the weather changed, and as we waded into Coire an t-Sneachda towards the Trident Gully we soon realised that it was going to be a hard day. Low cloud, strong wind and lots of spindrift made the MIC candidtaes jobs of trying to teach in front of their assessors impossibly difficult.
The decision was made not to attempt any climbs on the main cliffs, ie The Runnel, so instead most parties headed for the Twin Ribs area on the east side of the Fiacaill Ridge. It was too wild and windy to bother taking photos, but we briefly managed to cover taking coils, moving together, building belays and abseiling off a route.
After the very difficult job of navigating back to the car park (not by us though), it back to the lodge for some much deserved tea and cake.