East Buttress, Beinn Eighe - 30th April 2011

We were up in Torridon again, on an amazingly dry, sunny weekend. Our goal for years had been a route on the Triple Buttresses of Beinn Eighe and finally the conditions matched our availability! Unfortuantely this was also the weekend of a horrendous fire in the mountains which caused much devastation in surrounding areas.

After a long walk in, the Triple Buttresses loom up above the lovely Corrie Mhic Fhearchair. While a lovely day, the buttresses are north facing and, together with the high wind which had buffetted us around in the corrie and sent up large waves in the loch, this lent  a somewhat forbidding atmosphere

The crazed appearance of the rock (quartzite above an optional first pitch of Torridonian sandstone), while providing wonderful holds, also meant a lot of loose material on the ledges. Great care was in order...

We chose the 'Ordinary Route' on the East Butress, climbable in big boots. A highly satisfying 200m at Diff grade. Climbers to our right, doing a VS, sent a block crashing down - without harm. We were keen to move fast on this route as we didn't want any climbers going above us! 

Below in the boulders are the atmospheric scattered remains of an ancient aircraft

I somehow managed to end up with the most satisfying pitches...sorry Stuart!!

And the climb just went on...and on...

What a fabulous view, looking down into the corrie and loch below the hulking Sail Mhor

Up on the plateau the moss was like a tinder box. We went on to do the munro tops (Ruadh-stac Mor and Spidean Coire nan Clach) before a long descent to the south. A BIG day, but what a day!