Smiler Cuthbertson - Mountain Guide

March 18th

 

It was a long shot - a one-day ascent of a gully on the Ben followed by a romp around the Carn Mor Dearg Arete.

Nothing came off. The weather forecast was awful for the west coast, so as Steve could manage it, a change of location was agreed.

Walking into Sneachda was pretty horrific as well, and we both struggled to compete with the deep snow and the incredible wind. At one point I was actually lifted over 10ft to my left before being deposited, thank goodness in the deepening snow. Steve wasn’t faring much better either.

I had some idea of what to go for, but on reaching the corrie floor, all ideas of a gully or buttress waned.

We had just started to walk out when the West Coast boys appeared. Mike’s first words..”Why is it always so windy in the ‘Gorms”, gave some indication of concern, but true to his strength and nature, he forged past Steve and I and headed for some horrow-show day.

I couldn’t let the East Coast down so about turned and followed his nice tracks until we caught his party up.

“What are you going for”, I asked.

“Not too sure. Fluted Buttress Direct is worth a shot” he said and then added,

“Andy (Nisbet) is behind us and coming soon”.

I looked forward to seeing the cheery face of the ice guru somewhere on the crag later, but first it was decision time. What on earth to do? Mike’s military background (and size) meant he at least stayed on the ground when walking whereas Steve and I were being blown about like nobody’s business, and I wasn’t to happy with the avalanche possibilities anyway.

 

We waited for five minutes or so and with AN chomping at our heels, he doing our route as well, I got cracking with the climbing. Even with the shortness, it was still nice and steep, but after a few moves I was over the vertical and soon at the in-situ gear at the stance. While I was setting the belay up,

AN appeared in the centre of the ice, having swiftly despatched the harder line on the front. We chatted, while Steve got established on the ice and by the time he had reached me, AN and I had agreed no-one was going up the rest of the Mirror as planned. It was too serious.

Steve got lowered off and I abseiled, stringing my long ropes back up the easy couloir as we waded down together and we sat behind the largest boulder we could find (very ineffective cover!)

AN and his client, with Steve and I, we battled and waded our way out of the corrie 

in the incredibly soft and deep snow and eventually, all a little weary now, we arrived back to the ski station.

Funny? no skiing? Ha ha!

Steve would catch an early train home instead of spending the planned night in Aviemore. He missed the train and so did spend the afternoon and evening in a pub or two. Ah well?

What of Mike? I read his blog later and saw one picture of Fluted Buttress Direct. He wrote,

‘It was good fun. and a good climb…..’

Ummmm, author’s license I think? Good on him though.

Steve? Next year for the CMD Arete and the north face?

 

 

March 13th & 14th

Winter skills again

The old holes from last week’s course in the snow under the Goat track were not visible on Saturday. But there hasn’t been much snow for a while and yet there was still lots to play with.
Euan and Steve arrived from London and Edinburgh respectivly and were keen to get aquainted for the first real time in crampons and winter techniques. Saturday was pretty awful weather so I was pleased we could get cracking through the course with the minimum of delays.
As this snowcraft course was quite light of clients, we were able to take a rapid learning curve and endless slides of ice axe breaking and holding leader falls on snow belays of all kinds. The avalanche tests were very educational as well. Because of the repetition available, the lads produced some excellent performances by the end of the first day. We all retired (a bit damp) to Aviemore and reunited in the bar to watch almost the whole of the Scotland - England Six Nations match. Honours were even by the end of the game but neither Euan or Stuart were very happy with the draw. I was relatively impressed with what I thought was a good game? What do I know abour Rugby?
Sunday dawned and with reasonable (but a little cloudy) weather, we took the chance to put into practice what had been learnt the day before.
Aladdin’s Mirror gave the lads their first winter snow climb, enabling lots of snow anchors to be used, as well as the more secure rock belays, using slings and nuts.

 

 

 

 

especially with the characteristic Cairngorm wind now at full pelt and the clag right down. It was time to call it a day and the boys sped off to Edinburgh with plans to come back and do more winter stuff if possible, and some intensive rock climbing with me in the dryer times ahead.

 

 

 

11th March

I suppose 07.15 at Dores is not quite early enough for a Ben Nevis route with the magnitude of something on the Minus face, but there again, we had planned to go to the Cairngorms. A good route for David would be worthwhile, although he did point out it was to be the least good weather day of the week.
Driving over to Annoch Mor we pondered on how the car park track would be, but we tried it anyway. Needless to say, the ice on the track proved too bad even for Dave’s new 4 X 4. We reached a high point just below the middle gate, turned the big car around with some difficulty and parked unabtrousively off the track, and set off with heavy sacks to the CIC Hut.
Passing Nick (Bullock) and partner some way below the hut, he told me it was a lightnIng visit for him from Chamonix but the previous two days’ weather had been great and conditions had allowed him and his pal to make ‘a couple of good Routes’ on the Ben. I dreaded to think what they were?
It must have been around 10am at the CIC Hut and at least an hour later at the foot of the gully. The ice looked steep but also good and I soon was on the move. No large icicle over the roof at 30 metres so, as I had done once before, I angled left and approached the break which had been pretty serious last time.This time it was all different, good ice, plenty of activity signs from previous ascents and soon I was traversing back into the overhung gully directly above the start of the route. Photos were too complicated to get done on the whole route, with the snow falling and spindrift problems, and Dave said he hardly ever saw me on each pitch after the first 10 metres, so I was grateful for at least one shot of Dave has he finished the first pitch.

The old pegs looked poor but backed up by a good Deadman I felt secure. David made short work of the pitch and we prepared for the second long pitch. This turned out to be fabulous climbing, a steep bulge to get over but with good placements and hooks, it went quite easily. A long stretch of easier gully followed until I was able to belay below the final (also long) runout.

By now we were motoring and although the snow had started, I guessed it was about 2.30pm when I reached the big in-situ rope belay, the signal that a leftwards traverse would bring us back onto the North East ridge and our way off. It was a  little too late to even contemplate continuing up the ridge, with the dreaded Mantrap still to overcome, so we edged our bets and made the traverse on the ridge. Different conditions result in a different perspective. I located the big block anchor from where I’d abbed easily down onto snow and an easy zig-zagging access down to the Alt a’ Mhullin a few years before. Today was different. All over the flanks of the buttress were glistening ice bulges interspersed with snowy ramps.I could tell the descent wasn’t going to be as easy.
No real need to abseil from the block today, we pitched it down to the crest of the ridge on our left and spent the next (possibly) two and a half hours carefully front-pointing down ramps and traverses until, in worsening weather I concluded a way off onto easy ground was possible with one long abseil. Leaving one of my many (Chamonix purcashed) ice screws in place, we swooped down and then traversed across and even slightly back up, all on easy ground until, on cresting a ridge, we saw the way out. The light was only just fading.
It looked easy, but still a long way. David was however soon on safe and easy soloing ground well before the 60 metre rope ran out. We were soon reunited and taking coils we short-roped quickly down to the CIC Hut in the now distinctly gloom. It was just a quarter to six. A splendid outing.
You couldn’t say the remainder of the day was as good? Trailing down the Alt a’ Mhullin was hard going in our wet states and heavy sacks. Then we had to reverse our approach walk from the dam car park (we were reasurred that no-one had managed to get up there all day). Very dark now,  it was clear just how far we had had to walk that morning. Pitch black by the time we reached the car, but that old saying came back to me. ‘One hasn’t had a good day on the Ben unless one gets back in the dark’.
I’ll settle for clear skies, dry ice and a ice-free car track any day.
It was 9.30pm by the time Dave unloaded the gear and our day out was over.