UKC

Hi, I am heading up to cairngorms on sat and was wondering if anyone has information on the conditions of the mixed routes around grade 4 in the coire an t-sneachda. thanks

In reply to nigel pearson:

Should be good, if a bit plastered. Might need digging. The rockier and more exposed the better. Fingers Ridge say.

In reply to Andy Nisbet:
Thanks for the feedback. There was a lot of snow, with some of it becoming consolidated. We tried to do fingers ridge but had to abort as the team in front of us took the wrong line on the first pitch and then had to downclimb.

Went up red gully instead which was surprisingly good, although took quite a while to clean the rock to find any gear. Fantastic snow and ice formations and lovely weather on Sunday.

In reply to nigel pearson:


Very funny, I think!

In reply to nigel pearson:

Folk often go wrong on Fingers' Ridge although the topo marks it clearly and the description does mention being close to Broken Gully. Folk often go up right up an obvious groove but it leads to a dead end (though it has been done in icy conditions). I know I tend to look at the book before I start the route and then not again, so I wonder if it might be worth saying in the bext guide, " don't go up the obvious groove!" That might stick in folks' memories.

2In reply to Andy Nisbet:

The start is not that obvious from the guidebook and is much much much further left from Red Gully - did I say much!.
I think mentioning "following the right edge of Broken Gully from the large belay ledge with the massive block" or traversing to the extreme left from Red Gully" or even "start just right of Broken Gully" might help!!
I often see folk taking the wrong line at the start and did this myself the first time I climbed it in winter!

In reply to Ron Walker:

I saw a team come a right cropper from starting in the wrong place... we were queued up behind when a grumpy old fella said "That's not the right place to start"...

I loved that grumpy old fella

E

In reply to Andy Nisbet:
yes, they went up the grove. Easily done I suppose, particularly given the amount of snow cover, but it was a bit frustrating as I was keen on trying the route. But after waiting for a while we thought it prudent to change our plans given the short hours of daylight and it was getting cold.

In reply to Ron Walker:

Confessions time The fool that went wrong way on Sat was yours truly...
In my defence, under serious volume of rime it's tricky to choose between two (not one) right facing corners to left of slabs a short way above the belay. Both looking similar grade, I took the right one which had a peg in it. After some steep moves, this leads to the dead end and a difficult retreat. Another time. Sorry to the guy who waited - it was a nippy day for queuing.

Was much easier following the semi-cleaned line of grooved rib (RH)on sunday, although someone seemed to have retreated from this too on sat the crux on sat so crux was still plastered. Very good route.

D.

In reply to Ron Walker:

Isn't the first pitch just up the obvious leftward-slanting ramp?

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

I remember making that mistake in summer, soloing in trainers having not really read the guide, when younger and stupider than I am now. (Well, younger anyway). Quite exciting.

In reply to DannyC: That's ok, we had a good day, and the route will be their for me another time. The top pitches of FR looked amazing with all the plastered snow on them. I have a couple of photos of you and your mate on the route if you are interested.

In reply to Michael Gordon: I think the first bit (initial traverse)was obscured as it was totally banked out with snow.

In reply to nigel pearson:

No bit we're talking about was second pitch for us. First involved fairly a fairly straightforward diagonal leftwards traverse over slabs.

Pictures would be great, thanks v much.(Even if just to rem where not to go!) It's daniel_cardenAThotmail.com

In reply to Neil Adams:

Ha, snap. Though I'm still fairly young and stupid. Isn't there a peg in the groove? That doesn't really help.

In reply to Andy Moles:

Definitely a peg in the groove still. An eyecatching decoy!

In reply to Ron Walker:

It's difficult when the start varies according to the build-up. I have started near Red Gully or further left when lean. But the description does need rewriting. First time I did it in summer, I went somewhere more direct and scary, but since it was 1974, I can't tell you where.

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

I managed to send someone up that right-hand groove despite having done the route twice before! It's obviously easily done.

In reply to nigel pearson:

Conditons: if today was anything to go by, don't go there unless you have snow shoes. It took us 5 hours to walk (swim) in, climb 1 pitch before bailing and then swimming out.

In reply to nigel pearson: Some shots of the Corries over the weekend and monday on here

- http://www.mountaincircles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/cairngorms-01-03-december...

In reply to DannyC:

It might have been my old peg form my first winter ascent and retreat almost 30 years ago. If so I wouldn't trust it and I'm to blame - sorry!!!!

In reply to paddy cave:

It looks like someone has gone up the middle on your photo at http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QpdwdsoJznU/UL0yS1OtKAI/AAAAAAAABMo/rxl3f7S02go/s...

In reply to Ron Walker:

Only to the dead-end perhaps?

In reply to Ron Walker:

That will have been me and my mate on Thursday, although others might have followed the cleared rock on friday/saturday... After the second belay, we stepped up left into a small snow bay and then drifted gradually rightwards up the grooveline, past the peg and onto some much harder ground... We eventually ground to a halt at some bare slabs and traversed off to finish up Red Gully... Now have to go back and do it properly!!!

In reply to Ron Walker: Im sorry... but that photo is hilarious in the context of this thread..

In reply to Erik B:

It looks like this photo was actually taken on Sunday. I think that is me and my mate doing red gully and the others on fingers ridge. very funny coincidence.

In reply to DannyC: yhm