
Gordon Smith writes about Scottish winter and alpine climbing adventures from the mid-seventies... In my day walking up the Allt a' Mhuilinn to the CIC Hut from the distillery was a horrid, mucky business. Bog-trotting was what we called it and often we wore wellies to keep our climbing boots, our socks, and our enthusiasms dry. There was this one time that I was bog-trotting up the hill and I came across one of those Englishmen. He said his name was Terry King; Terry to his pals but he was Kingy to me from that day on. He was wandering down in the late afternoon with his mate looking fed up after a day of mucking about doing nothing much at all. I was on my own which, being a teenaged climbing vagrant, I often was. I had a vague plan to do some soloing the next day but Kingy straight away made me, an utter stranger, promise to stay an extra day or two after and do some climbing with him when he came back up the hill. And so I did. I promised.
Mountain rescue expert Dave 'Heavy' Whalley recalls a serious incident in the early 1970s, a time when avalanches in Scotland were poorly understood. These days we have far more information to help make safe decisions - if we choose to use it.
With acres of perfect slabs in a stunning island location, the Dubh Ridge isn't only one of the longest rock climbs in the UK, but also has to be among the most enjoyable at any grade. Dan Bailey and Nick Brown load up for an overnight trip to this laid-back...
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It may have been a lockdown-friendly local route he knew well, but a surprise slip on icy ground put fell runner Nick...
There are a lot of strong runners out there, but those coming to winter hill running without a grounding in mountain skills may not appreciate the severity of the challenge posed by snow on the hills, says fell running guide Keri Wallace. Here...
Forecasts are great tools at the planning stage, but once out on the hill you'll have to rely on your own observations and judgement. In the final part of our series Will talks us through the vital skill of staying alert and open minded.
In part 4 of our series on winter weather and avalanche forecasts, Will breaks down the planning and decision making process into a clear, step-by-step system, which can be used whether you're walking, skiing or climbing.
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