UKC

Would like to thank Izzy and and her climbing partners for being acomadating and letting me get on the route first, good day out and your a dieing breed. Hope your day went well.

Cheers Peter

In reply to soloclimber:

http://alanhalewood.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-6-gully-aonach-dubh.html

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In reply to soloclimber: If that was the Peter out on Friday it was a grand day out and you're welcome. (And I only work part time at Glenmore Lodge in the winter........ I'm researching portable snow ploughs for next month on the east...... and I'm not a Guide, merely a lowly Mountaineering Instructor
Happy Climbing
Al
And if its a different Peter.... glad you enjoyed your day too!

In reply to AlH: hello alan. it was me and my mate that were the aberdonian team on the route that day. nice video on your blog. drew.

In reply to AlH: Yip a different Peter and a different day.I saw your Blog so decided to go up today.Was climbing the dark art{solo}. The guides let me go first which does'nt happen often.

In reply to soloclimber:
An odd coincidence that there was another Izzy and another Peter in a similar situation on the same route a few days apart... Strange old world

In reply to soloclimber: UKC.... everyone meets here sooner or later, or in No.6 Gully. And I have to say... this winter I've come to the conclusion that soloing rocks (cheers to Patrick Roman for the articles and the awesome winter we are having).
If a soloist comes up behind you and is moving quicker it usually makes sense to let them go ahead: They are probably happy on the ground, they are probably going to move quicker than you, You'ld probably would rather they weren't tangling with your leader's rope, you'ld probably feel (at least a little) guilty showering them in ice. Worst case and they come off and hit your leader- you have gear and a belay(er).
Happy soloing and if you come climbing by me say hi and climb through.
Al

In reply to AlH:
best case, they show you the right route

In reply to AlH:
Worst case and they come off and hit your leader- you have gear and a belay(er).

yes i'm sure i would be perfectly ok if someone landed on me whilst i was leading

it all depends on the circumstances of course, but i'd be pissed off if I had chosen a route with no other parties on to avoid having crap knocked down me, to have someone overtake and do just that.

In reply to soloclimber:
Sound mate, hope you had a good day! It was me, izzy, and nick you climbed past on sunday.
This debate goes round in circles, but on a route like number 6 on aonach dubh, why not let a solo climber pass you? The pitches are separated by easy snow/big ledges, so after they are a pitch ahead of you nothing will land on you anyway. Id be a bit offended if i was soloing and a slow party of 3 wouldnt let me past on a route like that. On that note sorry to the guys behind us
Malcolm

PS no we're not guides either, or anywhere close, but Im flattered that you thought we were!

In reply to Jim Hamilton: No, you wouldn't be happy and it wouldn't be a good situation. All I'm getting at is that the chances of them coming off MAY be fairly low, they MAY be moving a lot more quickly than you and out of the way rapidly, the route MAY (like No.6) actualy suit it as when they are a pitch ahead they are unlikely to be a problem. I'd rather not have a Soloists beneath me when I'm swinging at an ice route as I MAY knock ice onto someone unroped (ok they've chosen to be there but they may not have known I was abovw when they started).
Most of the soloists I've seen are moving fast and competently. Every route is different but a bit of common sense often makes it work ok. Unfortunately none of us have proprietal rights on a route, even if we have already started up it. I understand you don't want to be showered in stuff from someone above and often just a quick word ('would you mind waiting until I've reached the next belay') might solve th problem.
Al

In reply to Malcolm: Me and the surf-boy (out of climbing retirement for a special day in the hills) were directly behind you. Great day - I think everyone enjoyed the social climbing.

In reply to AlH:
Hello Al, I think it was you that passed us on Tower Ridge on Saturday, I shudder to think how early we got up to do the route compared to yourself, you passed us on the first steepening after the Douglas Gap on the flanks of the ridge, I never saw you again after the Little Tower. I kept a keen ear on what you were telling your client, it seemed good advice. I remembered you from a visit to the Ice Factor a few years ago, me and my pal spent the day with JB, I think you did NE Buttress that day.
Saturday was a fantastic day but not quite what the weather forecast had suggested, though good conditions on the ridge.

In reply to drmarten:
was the snow of the usable type on the ridge?

In reply to CurlyStevo :
Yes, I would say so. The Douglas Gap was a bit bare but good snow/ice when wanted above that. I did it last year in March I think and the conditions were better this time round. Good stuff on the Little Tower although the Eastern Traverse seemed narrower than I remembered, snow there was a bit looser, also good snow/ice on Tower Gap which eased progress up out the Gap.

In reply to CurlyStevo: Snow ice was very friendly making fast progress possible.
In repoly to Dr Marten: Was a good day wasn't it- many thanks for the friendly, helpful attitude to being overtaken on the ridge- happy climbing!
Al

In reply to Chato Fan Club: hahaha...was a good day with good ice and great to get some banter....doles run out now however, so homeward bound i am! lol