Rock Ness rules
I had a bit of a break after Hoy. Running up to the alpine season each year, I’d like to go rock climbing in Scotland. There is one event I can’t avoid though.
The main stage
Mid-June, The annual transformation of my little village of Dores (population circa 300) into a seething mass of young (some older) people, to a tune of 35,000, needed me to be there just now, as Clare, my wife, says each year “Just don’t think of going anywhere this weekend, you’re on duty” while our children (now 17 and 15) hit the concert for three noisy days. In reality, I love mixing with the crowds and festival-attendees anyway, and over three days in June, the Alps is a no-go area. OK. The music (dance) is not quite my taste, but hey? one day they’ll put Rod Stewart or Bon jovi on? “It’s my life….” Come on.
Rock Ness-2009
You must know that track?
Back to work on Monday, Richard arrived for four days climbing before we re-join for the Alps. After he had driven most of the night, I took my car to let him recover and we wove our way through the festival departees and hit open road beyond Inverness (here devoid of the thousands of exiting concert people) . Jetty Crag in Gruniard Bay was our target. I set the SatNav to just beyond the crag and drove.
Anne and I had been to Jetty Buttress (my first visit) a while ago but it had been a damp day. Though we’d done four good routes, I recalled how I had struggled on slippy VSs that day, avoiding the suggestion of the superb-looking but poorly protected arete, the sight of which can’t be ignored as one approaches the crag.
Today was different. Lovely sunshine basked the left-hand side of the crag and it would be only an hour or so before the sun moved around onto the main face. We warmed up on a severe, then a couple of VSs. Great climbing. But that arete still kept looking at me.
North West Arete Jetty Buttress
It’s called North-West Arete and is graded HVS 5a but I could see there was a steep and fingery section which looked protectionless. My old pal Norrie turned up with his young partner, and George, who looked like the official photographer. I asked Norrie what the arete was like, but he didn’t know? Oh well, no option but to have a look.
The crux was certainly ‘run out’. At first I got what I thought was a good RP2 below the steep arete, but after stepping back down to test it with a tug, it landed at my feet!
I knew there was little way back after committing myself on the crux, a fingery layback with several consequtive and hardish moves before a good hold and a rest. I climbed back up to the nut slot and noticed a different-angled crack might be better? In went a Rock One and that felt much better. Committment is all in the head. If you are going to do a move, don’t talk about it, get it done! With the better runnerI cruised up the arete and the difficulties were over. Another fifteen metres or so and I was lashed to the rock and feeling good!
Richard found it hard but was well pleased to do it. We thought anything else would be an anti-climax so we called it a day and drove home.
The forecast was still good for one more day, so I persuaded Richard, for reasons of the
on the Liatach ridge
coming alpine trip, we should get some ‘footage’ in. The full traverse of Liathach has been on my list since arriving to live in Scotland and it seemed a great choice for the day?
And so it was! Glorious ridge traversing, nowhere hard or even
Richard on Liatach
tricky, and the famous ‘Pinnacles’ were a stroll (maybe different in poor weather or winter?).
We even just managed the low time in the books - five hours car to car (well, car to road at least) and were soon cruising back along these wonderful open north-west roads back to Inverness.
The tide had turned. heavy rain was with us next morning and a poor forecast. With the intention of a route in Glencoe, and then one on the Ben, we ended up cranking it out at Kinlockleven on the indoor ice wall at first, and then the superb and varied indoor rock wall. Just what we needed for the alpine rock routes ahead? Not much choice with the weather.
Stac Polaidh
Our final training day together was also going to be in poor weather. To maximise our training, I choose Stac Polaidh, better to be soaking wet for a short time as opposed to other ventures which we’d planned but these would last eight to thirteen hours each trip! Richard also had a long drive ahead of him.
The mountain is superb. It gives you the option of climbing or by-passing all or some of the tricky buttresses when traversing from east to west. I tried as much as possible to
great shapes all around us
stick to the crest of the rocks all the way along the traverse, only being defeated by one short buttress in the slippy conditions. It did rain, hail and blow, most of the day!
However, the sun did come through every so often which
Sunshine on Stac Polaidh at last
My concern was not needed. The boys were virtually behind us, arriving at the car park few minutes after us! Nice work.
Richard sped east and bade farewell at Inverness, and we were left looking forward to our forthcoming alpine climbing. I’ll let you know how we get on?