After a very wet summer there has been an increase in natural erosion on Creag Dubh. One of the more dramatic events occurred in the area to the left of King Bee, right of Men Only. The middle left hand section of the overhang at the start of pitch two of Run Free has fallen down. This was a significant stonefall event which has severely damaged the tree at the foot of Men Only. It is unclear how this stonefall has affected the climbing on Run Free. If you are climbing in this area beware of further stonefall from the same section.

There are also several other abseil points, using trees, where climbers should exercise caution before committing to an abseil. Some of the soil around the tree roots has eroded exposing more of the root system. Although there are none that are immediately suspect its best to make decisions based on your own assessment of the stability of the tree 'anchor' before committing to abseiling etc. In addition a great deal of the old abseil tat (mostly around Tree Hee, Mirador, Brute etc) has been replaced recently by local climbers, but it should be borne in mind that the existence of 'tat' is no guide to the inherent strength/safety of the actual tree or peg/bolt anchor In this vein there are also concerns regarding the in-situ peg belay at the top of King Bee. All of the pegs are in varying states of ecrepitude. Although the pegs could be replaced there are concerns about the inherent stability of the block they are in.

Photo: Climber is on Erse (E3). To his left is the pillar of King Bee (VS) and the roof left again is the area of the rockfall.

The large roof of Run Free, clearly visible here after the collapse, with the remains beside the tree below. The roof section of the route is now completelty changed. King Bee, to its right and which belays at the visible blue sling below the roof, before traversing right and up, is unaffected.     Crag diagram