UKC

With the weekend weather looking pretty good but avalanche risks still quite high I'm looking to get a couple of ridge routes in.

I'm thinking Cobbler traverse on Saturday before driving a bit further north on Saturday evening.

I've never climbed or walked in the NW region so it would be good to try a route there. Out of the two main ridge traverses does anyone have any opinions on the best one to go for? In terms of most interesting, technical pitches (if any), difficulty and lower risk of avalanche slopes? It's unlikely I'll get the chance to travel that far north again for a while.

Open to any other route suggestions at II/III that are relatively low avalanche risk.

Cheers

Euan

In reply to EuanM:

They're both great, flip a coin!

In reply to EuanM:

As Steve says, both great. I think An Teallach is a bit harder (do it clockwise, much the better way) but Liathach is more sustained. I prefer Liathach myself, partly because of the more "above the sea" feel, but I'm biased where Torridon is concerned.

In reply to EuanM:
An teallach looked plastered with powder today and probably hard work. Liathach may be better.

In reply to Captain Solo:

Mate of mine turned back on Liathach today due to the volume of snow.

In reply to DaveHK:

Did An Teallach yesterday - LOTS of unconsolidated powdery snow, but at least there are some good tracks in now! Liatach was in amazing condition two weeks ago, I don't think it would take much to bring it back in once this wave of snow has consolidated.

I thought that An Teallach was harder (might have just been the conditions), we ended up doing 5 little pitches taking the pinnacles direct, where as we soloed all of Liatach. But perhaps Liatach is less of a slog to get to the interesting climbing.

In reply to EuanM:

Did Liathach yesterday. Lots of deep snow on the ridge, I was hoping it would be a bit more scoured. There's a good track on it now though

Thanks for info and pointers!

I couldn't get the day off work on Monday so settled for a day on the Cobbler on Saturday and Golden Oldy today.

Both great days out!

In reply to Ryan23:

was very grateful for your track today! stunning conditions up there! Blog post - http://mp-m.uk/zIBSa

In reply to alastairbegley:

Lovely blog post. Thanks

In reply to alastairbegley:

Great pics, looks like an amazing day!

In reply to LJC:

It's Liathach, please!

In reply to Pero:

Actually the proper Gaelic spelling is Liaghaich, the middle "th" in Liathach is an OS mistake.
My landlady, a local Gaelic speaker, told me this when I was a kid, and there was something about in on Radio nan Gaidheal a couple of years ago.

In reply to Iain Thow:

Do you have a reference for that?

From what I can glean from the Internet there seems to be, perhaps not surprisingly, variations in the pronunciation across Gaelic speakers. From Leea-ach to Leea-tach to Leea-chach. But, I can't find a reference to an original spelling and/or pronunciation or to an OS error being the cause of the variations.

With that in mind, perhaps Liatach is as good as any other spelling!

In reply to Pero:

Interestingly, too, seeing your spellings is how it's correctly pronounced by the locals, which, very roughly, is: lee-a-Ha[ch], with the stress on the last syllable.

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:


That's an excellent representation of the local pronunciation, Gordon. But with spellings and interpretations varying so widely, the mystery of the name adds extra magic to a magnificent peak, wouldn't you say?

In reply to Pero:

On reflection, the stress is really on the first syllable. It's all very soft and musical, really three vowels without any consonants, but quite guttural. My 'expertise' on this is based purely on talking to an elderly local in the bar of the Kinlochewe Hotel about 25 years ago. He got me to repeat it about two hundred times before I'd got it right So it is quite well engrained in my memory.

In reply to BnB:


Absolutely. This incredible, majestic, singular, massive mountain, arguably the finest on the British mainland, referred to by one glorious, mysterious sound rather than a name.

In reply to Pero:

Yes.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jxthw

As well as my Gaelic speaking landlady donkeys years back mentioned above, I also used to knock around with a couple of the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve staff who said the same thing, as did Greig, the painter who lives in Torridon village and has been up it a couple of hundred times. All pronounced it Lee-a-hach, emphasis on the first syllable.
Regardless of spelling/pronunciation it's a fantastic hill.

In reply to Iain Thow:

Sorley Maclean, on the Munro Show, said (as I recall) something very similar. I've heard the OS typo argument before, but cannot remember where or from who...

In reply to LJC:

You must have been behind me. It was absolutely knackering trail breaking the whole way, but magnificent with untravelled snow. I thought the conditions were immense. I don't think I've ever seen the Scottish mountains looking better with the meringue like snow crest. I was certainly glad I took the second tool. I've uploaded pictures to https://johnfleetwood.smugmug.com/Mountainsfolder/Scotland/NW-Highlands/An-...

In reply to alastairbegley:

Lovely photos, obviously a great day out but PLEASE it is Munro with no "e"!

<pedant/>

In reply to inboard:

I'm pretty sure Sorley Maclean also said it was pronounced locally as Lee-a-gach on that programme.

In reply to Joak:

I've heard that one too and have a feeling it may be correct. The trouble is everyone seems to say it differently, usually either Lee-ach or Lee-a-tach

In reply to Full moon addict:
Ha yes! We were really greatful for the track, and a bit sorry we didn't catch up enough to say thank you! We only took one axe each, and that icy step definitely needed two.