Resistance training!

With no available climbing partners (?) i opted for a short day on the Tarmachan Ridge near Ben Lawers.
It was 5c at the carpark so the chances of firm snow were slim!

Looking along the ridge to Meal Garbh from Meal nan Tarmachan. The climb up was pretty hard going on the soft-ish snow and it was a fine line between "crampons or no crampons". In the end it was slightly easier with them and little safer on the steeper sections.

    

Meal Garbh getting closer and looking much more severe than it really is.

 From the summit of Meal Garbh, a short ridge leads off the west. Again this is not as bad as it looks, although the strong winds made it more interesting!

  

Don't have the sound too loud on the video as the wind was a bit wild!

Looking back east along the sprawling ridge to Meal nan Tarmachan on the far left.

Looking back (east) to the so called "bad step", roughly a rising diagonal line - left to right through the broken ground. I descended to the left of the picture due to the dodgy snow. It didn't look anyone had been up or down that way lately as it wasn't stepped out.

All along the ridge there are short gully sections to play in although nothing over grade I and most about 5-10m high. There are some nice looking gully lines on the south of the ridge overlooking Loch Tay, but I suspect they may have been dodgy in todays milder weather.

 

On my descent back to the landrover track which leads back to the car park I had some friends for company.

 

The view of Meal nan Tarmachan (far left) from the landrover track on my way back to the car. Note the two gully lines, centre and right of the picture.    

MIC Course - Glenmore Lodge, 25th February 2010

Day two of the MIC mock client phase saw a shift in emphasis, ie we were snowed in and no one would be going up the hills today. Constant snow since  tuesday night had dumped a metre plus with more falling all the time. With little chance of doing any climbing we opted to go for a short walk out to Ryvaon Bothy for lunch.
We had hoped to try out snow shoes, but the stores had instructions to keep some back as they were possibly needed in case of a search party being sent out for an overdue team of lodge students still on the hill.
It was also clear that the chances of getting home later today were close to nil as the cars were buried, the lodge track almost impassable and the A9 south closed. So we resigned ourselves to doing something constructive.

The view from our room after the first day of snow.

  

Mark, Willy and Bill outside Ryvoan Bothy, where we came across the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association folks out training with their dogs. See SARDALAKES for more information. 

Note the two Labradors sitting patiently in their shelter.

The Bothty got a bit crowded with us, the dogs and their handlers.

 

The two labs, still waiting patiently.

 

Note how the snow sticks to the collie's unlike the shorter haired labs.

 

When we got back to the lodge, it was time to dig some of the snow out to make it easier for Friday if we got the chance to leave. Here the JCB has shoved some of the snow to on end of the carpark, however there is a car just to the right of the pile of snow.

Unsurprisingly, we didn't get out till friday afternoon, after a nightmare journey via Aberdeen and endless confusing reports of road closures and openings.

         

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.           

No 1 Gully, Red Tarn Cove, 14th February 2010.

Hoping to avoid the crowds at Aviemore, myself and Willy went to Red Tarn Cove, below Hellvellyn. After a blistering walk up to The Hole in the Wall, we dropped down into the cove, passing Red Tarn and some wild campers. Having not done much (any!) ropework this season, we reminded ourselves of the various knots we use especially one handed. We then headed (after a short detour over some broken ground below with some interesting moves) up to Number 1 Gully; a straightforward Grade I in great condition, although not much protection to practice on.
We also went through direcct and semi direct belaying, placing a few nuts and slings, attempting to sort out our rope management and even a buried axe belay and a stomper at the top!
There were a few teams out but not as busy as I thought it would be (slight queue in the gullies but not too bad).
After tea and sandwiches at the summit shelter, we returned to the Hole in the Wall via Striding Edge, which is still in great winter condition.

Willy walking into Red Tarn Cove. No's 1 and 2 gullies can just be seen in the centre of the picture.

  

Straightforward climbing up No1 Gully.

Willy belaying me across to the other side of the gully to avoid the team on the right.

The next belay on the far side of the gully.

Looking down to Willy from the buried axe belay.

 

Difficult to see from the top, but No 2 gully appears on the left of the picture where the climber is, and No1 comes up to it's left (right in the picture).

       

Red Tarn Cove, 31st January 2010

Top day in The Lakes with Lorna today! It was pretty cold, but excellent snow conditions on Striding Edge and Swirral Edge making it possible to keep to the crests most of the way. There was plenty of folk about on the ridges and quite a few teams in the two gullies left of Viking Buttress, the Buttress itself, and the broken ground left of the gullies. There were also folks using the ground left again to gain the end of Striding Edge. This is where we eventually climbed back up the ridge on grade I ground up an unamed (?) gully (maybe II at a push near the top) after descending Swirral from Helvellyn's summit and dropping into Red Tarn Cove and traversing below the main bowl, which no-one seemed to be climbing I assume due to the cornice. We passed below the buttress and the gullies and only came across small patches of windslab.
Once back on the ridge we reversed the route back to the Hole in the Wall and down to Patterdale and the long drive home. 
If only the bloody petrol wasn't so expensive these days! :(

The view from the Hole in the Wall.

Lorna with Striding Edge behind.

Me looking along the ridge to the final slopes up to Helvellyn.

Lorna on the final part of the ridge leading up to the summit.

                                    

The view from the summit shelter of various climber topping out.

                                   

Looking across the cove from Swirral Edge.

                                   

Descending Swirral with Catseyecam in the distance.

360 view from Red Tarn Cove.

                                   

Crossing the main bowl. Note the cornice which some folks insisted on venturing near the edge of!

                                   

From left to right: No2 Gully grade I, Number 1 Gully grade II and Viking Buttress. Hopefully we won't miss the boat with the recent weather and come back, maybe with the rest of the crew (?) and tick these off? 

                                   

Lorna on her way up to the little gully we found near the end of the ridge.

                                   

Me on my way up.

                                   

Me at the top!

Strolling along Striding Edge.

      

On the Edge.

Well it was good to get out eventually after missing the boat a few times recently. As I was solo today, I opted for a trip to The Lakes (same driving time and a bit less tiring?). The Met Office report for Striding Edge was good so I didn't want to miss the boat with this one in case there's a mega thaw. (Apparently cold again at the end of the week).

   
The start of the Edge is a little further on after you pass over Bleaberry Crags and Low Spying How and High Spying How. The snow was pretty much firm from about 600m, just before The Hole in the Wall. (which is still half buried).

Looking back along the ridge, which is possible to cross on it's crest for most of the way.

The way ahead with the ridge rising to Helvellyn's summit at 950m in the cloud.

Looking back at the so called "bad step", just right of centre, which is just a short chimney

easlily climbed down facing in.

                                     

The large memorial to the Manchester artist Charles Gough stands above Striding Edge, close to the summit of Helvellyn. In the spring of 1805 he slipped on ice from a sharp rock and fell to his death from here. The story of his faithful dog, which remained watching over its master's body for three months until it was discovered by a shepherd near Red Tarn, was later immortalised in the poem 'Fidelity' by Wordsworth and by Sir Walter Scott.

The summit shelter didn't provide much shelter today though as it is still full of snow!

The murky view of the descent of Swirral Edge. Later the view improved and I could see several teams of climbers gearing up near Red Tarn, which looks frozen but may be not! Even without a guidebook, I could see plenty of opportunity to find grade I/11 climbs and probably avoid the cornice that is still there.

Soll, Austria, 9th - 16th January 2010.

A selection of photo's from our week in Soll, Austria. This was our fourth time and it gets better and better. As usual we stayed in the excellent Hotel Tulpe, managed by Joe, Linda and Thomas (El Cowboy) the Barman.

The morning view looking out from the balcony over the Hochsoll Gondola station, the "home run", and up to the Hohe Salve at 1829 m.

Halfway down the Hohe Salve looking down the Red run to the Hoch Soll top station. The red gondola on the left is the Hohe Salve lift.

          

            

Skiing down from the Stockl lift.

Daniel and his "class", somewhere in the Ski Welt with the Hohe Salve rising out of the cloud in the distance.

                                    

Inside the bar at the Alpen Igloo Village in Brixen.

          

Martin and me trying to look cool in an iglioo!

                                  

Daniel, Francis and Doreen taking a light refreshment outside the igloo's.

 

Lorna commenting on my 5 Euro Vodka cocktail in a 3 Euro ice glass! You get to keep the glass though.

           

My one and only assisted attempt at the rail in the "funpark" above Soll.

                                    

The Almfreid, tucked away in the trees away from the main runs. The woman that runs it along with her husband are both in their eighties and they cook the food to order whilst you sit in their kitchen!

                                    

The food is amazing but unfortuneatly the toilet (above) is a little basic!

                                    

Lorna and Doreen at the top of Scheffau, with the Wilder Kaider in the background.

                                    

              

Myself, Keefsa, Lorna and Doreen, having "another" drink on the way down to Ellmau.

          

          

Rudi and his band, Insanity Sauce, filmed very badly by me across the bar in the Salvenstadt pub in Soll, Januray 2010.

Salomon - Sexy Boots!

No need for words, just enjoy the photo. Mmm!

These babies, Salomon Impact 8's, will be on show in Austria next week.

Off Piste at Hillend. Januray 2nd 2009.

Another brilliant afternoons skiing at Hillend, with (almost) an alpine feel as we went "off piste".

Looking down the main slope from one of the starting gates.

Myself, filming, and Lorna and Lenny taking the long way down.