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Climb Scotland
Winter 04/05
By Esmond Tressider
As the winter season starts its timely to look back on the main events from last year
It would be a glaring omission to write a review of last season's winter climbing without mentioning the 'bolts in winter' debate. You will probably recall how angry people were when Scott Muir developed Birnam quarry as a dry tooling venue. You can imagine then the fuss caused when he bolted a series of lines on the side wall of the entrance to Organ Pipe wall on Beinn Udlaidh. The right hand of these was climbed at M6 and named "Crossroads". Before the other lines were led, the bolts were chopped by Dave McGimpsey.
You can read Dave Macleod's views, and my own, in the Talking Point feature in this issue. It remains to be seen what will happen in the future, but those keen on developing sport mixed climbing in Scotland may well wish to add more elsewhere.
So, outside of this debate, what other routes were climbed? It was a great season, remarkable not because of long periods of good conditions, but because of the number of talented climbers around when the conditions were good. The best conditions of the year coincided with the BMC/MCofS International Winter Meet at Glenmore lodge, resulting in what Simon Richardson called "perhaps the greatest ever week of Scottish winter climbing"! For that one week in early March big repeats and new routes were flowing thick and fast.
The big news on the new routes front was Bruno Sourzac (France) and Dave Hesleden's ascent of the great wall between the Fly and Smith's gully on Creag Meagaidh. Extacy (VIII,8) solved this much eyed 'last great problem', and had been tried eleven years previously by Dave. His joy at completing the route after so long was understandable - the climbing looked and sounded superb. The stats; five of the seven pitches weighing in at technical 8, and the stylish solving of such a well known unclimbed wall make this the stand out route of the year in my eyes. So much so that I was prompted to make two visits to the crag in the next week. The first, the following day, with Primoz and Guy Robertson, was to add the excellent Eye Candy (VII,7), a series of icy corners and ramps in the right arête of Smith's gully.
I felt the perfect host when chance dealt the Primoz the best pitch; delicate torqueing and thin ice in a fantastically exposed position overlooking the gully. Impressed with the potential for Meagaidh mixed climbing, Guy and I returned the following weekend to investigate the twin wall to Extacy, in between The Fly and The Midge. This didn't disappoint, and we came away with The Moth (VII,8). The finish had a somewhat epic feel to it, as the day turned into storm and darkness as we were slowed on poor ice high up. After that I hung up my tools for another year!
Big news in a different sense was Dave MacLeod's winter ascent of the 30m E4 crackline of The Hurting in Coire an T-Sneachda. Two pre-inspections by abseil, chopping ice from gear placements, a fall metres from the top on the first attempt and some crucial beta from Scott Muir, who had top roped the line, coupled with MacLeod's skill, strength and stamina added up to produce a desperately technical and bold route, coming in at a whopping grade of XI,11! To top it off he climbed the route in a storm!
Dave is clearly pushing the genre of short hard mixed routes, and it is refreshing to see him being honest about the style in which he is approaching them - such practices have gone on to a greater or lesser degree before, but been conveniently omitted from descriptions. Whether there is anyone else ready to take on such technical climbing with ground-fall potential remains to be seen. Please form an orderly queue!
Early in the season, also in Coire An T-Sneachda, Dave and Scott added a winter ascent of Babes in the Wood at VIII,8. This was climbed at the second attempt, after the first ended with a fall for Dave on the thin top crux of the route.
In the north west there were two repeats of Snoopy (VII,7) on Mainreachan buttress of Fuar Tholl, by Dave Hesleden with Bruno Sourzac (France), and Sam Chinnery with Steve House (USA). This route had developed a bit of a reputation amongst north west devotees. Described by Andy Nisbet as one of the best routes he's ever done, it had seen failures from at least two strong teams, both of whom ground to a halt at a curious "brown wall" (read verglassed nightmare!). Interestingly when I spoke to Sam about this wall it didn't seem to have made much of an impression. Perhaps there was a bit more ice on it than when I was there? Elsewhere on Fuar Tholl, Ben Wilkinson and Robin Thomas added Sandblaster (VIII,7), which apparently features "the thinnest hook ever pulled on above gear in Scotland"! Guinness has yet to officially confirm that claim!
On Beinn Eighe Guy Robertson and myself climbed a direct version of West Buttress Direttissima. That sentence may sound ridiculous, but the original direttissima actually had a significant traverse left half way up the crux corner. I didn't know this and carried on up, adding another 50m of technical 7 and 8. This made a superbly sustained few pitches through the sandstone tier, to join the original for the upper quartzite tier.
The standout route in the North West however was undoubtedly Guy Robertson and Alastair Robertson's (not related!) ascent of the big wall to the left of Ice Bomb in Coire Ghranda on Beinn Dearg. Final Destination (VIII,7) sounded tremendously harrowing. Complex and long, with intricate belays and hard climbing it would have been difficult to retreat from. This must have made Alastair's 15m fall from the third pitch even more worrying. Stoically, he got straight back on with the job and finished the pitch! They finished in the dark. Incidentally, Ice Bomb is still unrepeated.
Elsewhere in the North West, Erik Brunskill and Gareth Hughes added Prohibition (VI,5) in Garbh Choire Mor on An Coileachan. This took an excellent and unlikely S-shaped groove in the buttress right of Burdock. With Daffyd Morris and Gavin Mcfie, Erik also added the deceptively hard and bold Beagbie (V,6) on Cul Beag.
On Ben Nevis several routes of note were climbed. During the international meet Steve House and Sam Chinnery climbed The Shield Direct (VII,7) in very 'sporting' conditions (read thin cruddy ice ribbon). Steve admitted that the first pitch was one of those where you realise half way up that setting off was probably a bad idea, but by then it was too late! On the castle Simon Richardson paired up with American hotshot Kelly Cordes to climb the excellent looking Godspell (VII,8). Kelly was so impressed with the climbing that he said that this one route more than justified his trip over from the States!
In the middle of January Erik Brunskill and Gareth Hughes made the first winter ascent of Strident Edge (VI,7). This is a steep VS on South Trident Buttress and is very rarely in condition. Erik and Gareth made good use of the big storm that swept Scotland in the middle of January to find it well plastered. Erik was mega chuffed with this, what sounded like a superb new route. He also let me in on a route he had spied from his perch on Strident Edge; Sidewinder (HVS) he said would make an excellent and hard winter route. This information was stored away in my mental "little black book". Erik's prediction was right, although I hadn't acted on it - Simon Richardson and Iain Small did the business in early April and came away with a superb route coming in at VII,8.
Earlier in the year, Simon had teamed up with Chris Cartwright to climb the line of steep corners to the right of Darth Vader to give Archangel at a scary VIII,7. This one had, understandably, been on their list since first experimenting with Nevis snowed up rock (Cornucopia, Darth Vader) back in 1997. I imagine everyone who had been to look at those routes had noticed it, so they must have been pleased to bag it; it looks a corker! They also climbed the steep corner system to the right of South Sea Bubble to give The Madness of Crowds (VII,7).
In Glencoe several significant repeats and new additions took place. I went to do the 2nd ascent of Un Poco Loco on Church-door buttress of Bidean with Ian Lewis. We came away having added a direct to the crux pitch. This was a stout pitch with an excellent finale - through the hole in the very apex of the church door! During the international meet this buttress came under attention from Sam Chinnery and Steve House (USA), who added a route up the steep flake line between West Chimney and Kingpin. Crusade came in at VII,8 and sounded superb, confirming this crags growing reputation for high quality mixed climbing of all grades. Elsewhere on Bidean, Rab Anderson and Rob Milne climbed Koh-I-nor (V,7) on Diamond Buttress and Flake Route Right Hand (V,7) on Church Door Buttress. Sadly, Rob died on June the 5th while ascending Everest, the last of his seven summits.
In Stob Coire Nan Lochan Pete Benson and Guy Robertson climbed a direct version of East Face route which looked absolutely amazing. It went at VII, 8 and was said to be comparable in quality to uber classics such as Central Grooves and Blood, Sweat and Frozen Tears.
Simon Yearsley and Malcolm Bass added Dog Day Monday (VI,7) to Stob Coire Altruim on the Buachaille, a superb line of hanging chimneys to the right of Cerberus that they had been eyeing for some time.
On Ardgour, Erik Brunskill and Gavin Macfie added Voodoo Buttress (V,6) on Maol Odhar. Erik described this as one of his best days out in Scotland ever, praise indeed!
On Beinn Udlaidh, in addition to creating the storm of controversy outlined above with the creation of Crossroads, Scott Muir was also involved in the addition of the excellent looking Fontinalia (VIII,9) with Dave MacLeod. This accessed a hanging fang to the right of Cut Throat's second pitch by a thin seam. Most of the gear was placed on lead by Dave on an early attempt, from which he managed to down-climb in darkness. He then returned to lead the pitch with Scott, who also led it.
No winter route report would be complete without mention of activity in those newly discovered crags that you haven't ever got round to visiting - but always mean to because they're probably a lot better than anything in Sneachda - and you always seem to end up there when you're short on imagination. Two such venues are Ben Cruachan and Stob Coire an Laoigh in The Grey Corries. On Cruachan, Chris Cartwright continues to add quality routes. The best of this year's was Pussy Galore with Dave Hesleden (VII,8), taking a left slanting line of cracks on the front of Noe Buttress. Chris also added Fat Lip Fandango (VII,7) with Iain Small on the left side of the main cliff. On Stob Coire an Laoigh Andy Nisbet squeezed in a final new route (there were no doubt many more-see SMC journal for details) at the end of the season with Sandy Allan. Pentagon (VI,7) takes a steep line up the wall forming the left side of the rib left of Taliballan.
No doubt I will have missed some significant new routes in this report, and for this I apologise-it was written at the last minute after the news that your regular winter correspondent, Guy Robertson, had slipped a disc in his back. I don't think any Chapattis were involved, and hopefully he will make a speedy recovery in time for the coming season.
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