UKC

Dave Macleod and Adam Hughes have recently made the first winter ascent (FWA) of Orient Express, a summer E2 5c on Ben Nevis. The route has been in Dave's sights as a possible winter route since 2006, but due to the slopey nature of the rock, and poor protection it required very special conditions to allow an ascent at a grade of IX,8...

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=68734

In reply to UKC News:

Well done chaps - it must be horribly slopey and insecure because the big picture of the whole route makes it look about grade III! Is it tilted to make it look easier?

In reply to TobyA:

Haha, looks like a Wintery Jack's Rake to me!

In reply to TheseKnivesMan:

It does indeed look a benighn line. I'm interested what 'very special' conditions were needed for the accent. Dave himself says "There was some cruddy snow sticking to the ramps, but it was useless for the tools" so if the snow was cruddy, what exactly were these 'very special' conditions??
Congrats to Dave and Adam anyway

In reply to wilkie14c:

the cruddy snow was from a previous attempt,

my reading was its crucial to have snow that will hold an axe

In reply to UKC News:
Nice one Adam and Dave, looks first class

In reply to UKC News:

I can't help thinking how good this looks as though it would be in summer!

jcm

In reply to TobyA:
lol, it does indeed look quite easy - maybe I'm ready for my first winter IX ?

Looks a great line anyway (maybe in the summer too).

In reply to Skyfall:


IX,8 and peckers for gear sounds horrific!

I didn't mean to take anything away from the route - it's just interesting that normally routes this hard, well, look really hard! Whilst this looks like Number III Gully Buttress just going the opposite way.

In reply to TobyA:

Climbing in crampons and axes/gloves a slabby sloppy ramp that gets E2 in summer with rock shoes... Give me an overhanging crack every time.

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Sure, but it doesn't look like it would be E2 in summer either; it looks like a path. I suspect a bit of reverse camera tilt.

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

"Uh oh, the guidebook says E5 but it looks more like E1. I'll be fine, it'll be a romp"

Been there done that. Learnt my lesson

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

Crux pitch from above... Lol

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RhV-drAI3k/UwSlTbDnewI/AAAAAAAADW8/arVWJUHFrSA/s...

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Oh, absolutely. I'm sure it's just as hard as DM says; it's just interesting that it strikes the eye differently.

jcm

In reply to Mr Lopez:

Now that looks grade II!

In reply to Mr Lopez:

!!!

That looks like I could climb that!

What a crazy route. The mind boggles. It must be a real horror show for gear, foot and axe placements with an absoloute hoor of a camera tilt.

Although I still can't see it...surely if that ramp was bomber neve you could just hammer up it! haha.

We need a bit of a challenge going on here, just so as to bring a bit of motivation if you know what i mean.

I propose a prize pool, and the first person to disclose the intent here and then do a repeat of this route gets the prize and first dibbs to downgrade it to III/4 or Scottish VS

I'll start the prize pool with a Kit-Kat bar expired in 06/11. It's been up and down some hills and that's taken its toll, but is ideal to mix into that morning porridge.