Over the past few decades winter climbing in Scotland has been changing. Leading exponents have been occasionally delving into new territory with ascents on lines that were previously regarded as purely summer climbs, for example, The Needle (E1) on The Shelterstone, in part as 'Winter Variations' (1985), as Bad Karma (1998) and almost fully in 2000; Centurion (HVS) on Ben Nevis's Carn Dearg (1986) whose ascents have employed aid, pegs, and recently an 'aid climbing' device called a 'golo'!; The Duel (E1) Coire nan Lochan; Mort (E1) and Rolling Thunder (E1) on Lochnagar, the latter employing a copperhead (?); and in 1999 Steeple (E2). Reports in the climbing press of such routes vary as either great achievements or out of condition ascents. Are they great advances? They seem in part to mimic dry-tooling ascents which have become popular in America and Europe, but transported to quality summer rock climbs here in Scotland.

There has also been increasing evidence of dry-tooling on popular lowlying rock crags which have left unsightly scarring. These include The Whangie near Glasgow, Aspen Crag in Strathconan and this past winter in Glen Nevis, near Fort William and Traprain Law near Edinburgh.

In Nevis, Storm (HVS), Resurrection (VS), Heatwave (S), Tear (S) and Clapham Junction (VS) all now sport ice axe and crampon scratches. At Traprain ascents have been made of Great corner (S), Staircase (VD), Flake route (S), Falseface (S) and Deception (VD); all quality lower grade climbs. They were climbed because they were reportedly "in nick" and the climbers responsible had been unable to get up north. True, the nature of the rock lends its self to hooking and torqueing but the Great corner is now well scratched. Such a low-lying, almost coastal crag may see the turf freezing and the ground being snow covered at times, but not to the extent it does on the Ben, Cairngorms, the Cobbler, or the Coe.

Simon Richardson, responsible for many hard new winter climbs across Scotland, would like to think that winter-only lines are the future for Scottish winter development, "I don't believe that classic summer routes make the best winter climbs. The hard modern classics of today (Messiah, Neanderthal etc) are winter-only lines. They receive far more ascents than comparable-difficulty winter ascents of summer routes simply because they are more logical winter objectives". But he recognises that summer routes will always be targets for those looking to climb new winter routes because many of the great summer classics follow powerful lines and are easier to identify from a guidebook. They may also act as a benchmark for standards – a direct comparison between winter and summer technical grades.

Simon makes a distinction between the climbing of classic summer routes and the recent modern sport climbs achieved in Scotland of Logical Progression (M9) on Ben Vorlich and The Tempest (M9) in Coire nan Lochan, Glen Coe. He feels "a refreshing aspect about these winter sports climbs, is that they do not follow summer lines". He concludes, "Whatever type of winter route you are climbing however, the underlying principle is that it must be frozen. This provides the most enjoyable climbing and ensures minimum damage to the environment".

And it is this damage to the environment that is also a key factor in the future of our winter climbing. There are two sides to this, the ethics of marring otherwise pristine rock climbs by the scratching of tools and the overuse of hammered protection (pegs and other devises) and the wider environmental issue that we can no longer ignore - the impact winter climbing has on rare botanics (many crags such as the Mess of Pottage on Cairngorm and Creag nan Cat on Ben Lawers are home to rare alpine flowers). As responsible climbers we must make the effort to minimise our impact on both these fronts or else others may impose restrictions in the future to safeguard the natural environment. This is particularly important in relation to the debate on access legislation where 'responsible' access is the key argument and the proposed 'Access Code' may prove to be vitally important.

Repeated use of axes on unfrozen vegetation can strip it away and so the conditions under which they are best climbed becomes very important. It also directly corresponds to the argument about whether an ascent is legitimately 'winter'. Regarding the ethics of damage to the rock itself, perhaps there is scope in a compromise which makes greater distinction between future potential summer and winter climbing, which not only helps the conservation of each of its particular botanical interest, but defines the ethics of the sport more closely. The occasional 'cleaning' of vegetation from rock prior to an ascent in summer is accepted practice, but nature quickly takes a hold when the routes remain infrequently climbed. In Glen Nevis, some of the harder climbs now require re-cleaning as do some of the harder routes in the Arrochar Alps area.

If a potential new rock climb is so vegetated and lichenous that it takes a major effort to 'clean' it, then perhaps it is best left alone, particularly if it is doubtful whether it will become popular (and if the crag is north facing and is that 'mucky' it probably won't!). There is ample unclimbed 'clean rock' for summer development and the vegetated and lichenous lines would be much more suited to winter ascents. They would encompass the need for future development of winter climbing and would be preferable to climbing established or future quality rock climbs. But ascents of these routes need to be done in 'Full Winter Conditions' to minimise crampon and axe damage to that vegetation.

To help bring all these interconnected strands together we have drawn up the following guidance. This is only a draft idea and we would welcome comment from all climbers.

Definition

Winter Climbing in Scotland traditionally takes place when the hills and watercourses are under snow and/or frozen conditions. The 'season' can extend from October to April (and sometimes beyond on the higher cliffs). However, there is no set date limit, but rather the definition of a winter ascent concerns the conditions encountered on the cliff during climbing. What constitutes a winter ascent is an ethical question.

Conservation

Many of the best winter climbing venues in Scotland are north-facing cliffs, which hold considerable amounts of vegetation. At some of these venues can be found rare alpine flowers, which are not to be found elsewhere in the UK. Hence it is important for conservation reasons that vegetation is well frozen to minimise damage.

Climbing styles

Since great variation is possible across Scotland, from almost snow free to a heavy covering and with variable degrees of frost when low-level watercourses to high-level mixed routes are frozen, winter climbing involves the following different styles:

1. Traditional Gully climbing (either frozen watercourses or snow/neve)
2. Ice fall climbing (frozen watercourses over rock buttresses)
3. Snow/rime ice on buttresses (peculiar to Ben Nevis)
4. Mixed climbing (on rock buttresses with varying amounts of snow/ice)

Discretion should be exercised as to choosing the best style and route for the prevailing conditions. The following voluntary code is a guide to allow for an accepted ethical ascent that has minimum impact on the natural cliff environment:

1. For maximum enjoyment, the optimum overall conditions for winter climbing would be under frozen and snow covered conditions.
2. The cliff should have a 'winter' appearance with snow, hoarfrost, rime-ice or verglass covering rock, not just snow covering ledges.
3. The climb should be more practical and easier in winter climbing equipment such as crampons and ice axes, than without their use.
4. Turf (vegetation) is an excellent climbing medium and is best when it is well frozen or well covered in snow/neve and then unlikely to be dislodged.
5. Most of the easier to higher grade gullies require more snow and ice than buttresses of a similar grade. Whilst still harder groove and chimney lines require similar conditions to mixed ascents.
6. It is the view of the overwhelming majority of Scottish climbers that bolts are not to be used in winter ascents in Scotland.
7. Summer routes that are of good quality and in particular classic climbs, often have little vegetation or even ice. They should only be attempted in winter when fully coated with snow and ice in order to prevent damage to the underlying rock.
8. During the winter ascent of summer rock routes there should be a presumption against the use of pegs. All attempts to find protection on such routes should mimic the summer equivalent.
9. It is common practice to place and remove ones own peg runners and belays on a winter ascent. Repeated use of this sort will ultimately damage the rock and the use of pegs should therefore be kept to a minimum with all options for natural gear utilised first. It should be pointed out that camming devices are of limited use in winter and are useless in iced cracks.
10. Considering the above conditions, Dry-tooling, as practiced in the USA and Europe is not common in Scotland. It would be considered unethical to dry-tool rock climbs, established or future.

Es Tresidder wrote:
My response is simply to point 7: "Summer routes that are of good quality and in particular classic climbs, often have little vegetation or even ice. They should only be attempted in winter when fully coated with snow and ice in order to prevent damage to the underlying rock"

I think this is fuzzy logic for justifying the "only when the cliff is plastered" argument. It is important that summer rock routes should only be claimed as winter ascents when they are truly that-covered in snow or ice, but this is surely to prevent claims for winter ascents being made when there is so little snow about that it is not wintery and the route may be considerably easier. The damage argument is not valid as full winter conditions often result in more damage to the rock. If a rock climb were attemped in crampons and axes it would be possible to climb with hardly leaving a scratch as placements for feet and axes could clearly be seen. When such placements are hidden more damage results from scratching, clearing and general desperate scrabbling.

This is an important point but don't confuse conservation of style with conservation of the rock.

Pitch-In