Curved Ridge, Buachaille Etive Mor - 22nd January 2011

We had a great day on the Buachaille. The weather was much better than forecast and the day was well worth the early start. Simply stunning. There didn't appear to be much snow from this angle, but appearances can be deceptive!

Jeanie above the first steep section of the ridge. In the far background the sun is shining over the Mamores and the Grey Corries. A beautiful day.

As we continue up the ridge the exposure increases.

Jeanie arriving at the 'lunching spot' on Curved Ridge. In the background is Beinn a'Chrulaiste where Elke was compleating her round of the Corbets along with other members of the Ochils Mountaineering Club.

Stuart contemplates the next steep section ahead. If you look closely other climbers can be spotted 2/3 of the way up.

Stuart working his way up the steep section, this part is perhaps the crux of the route.

A view over to Beinn a'Chrulaiste. If the picture is expanded you can just see the last Corbet party for Elke's compleation.

Looking down the ridge to Jeanie. Other climbers can be seen just below Jeanie and also further down the ridge.

Nearly there. On the final slopes leading to the summit of the Buachaille.

Jeanie on the summit of the Buachaille. The clouds are starting to thicken up but still superb views all around.

Stuart looking towards the Ben and the Aonachs whilst on the descent down Coire na Tulaich.

Dumyat - 9th January 2011

We were up early and our intention was to climb at Ben Udlaidh. However, the roads were in a poor condition with snow and ice particularly from Dunblane northwards. We turned back at Callander and headed home. It was a lovely day so we salvaged it with a walk up Dumyat in the Ochils. The picture below shows the view North-West from the summit of Dumyat.

Can you spot Jeanie?

The view South-East over the Forth Estuary.

Goat Track Gully, Coire an t-Sneachda - 2nd January 2011

Sunday was a much colder day than the previous Friday, everything was well iced up. This picture was taken close to the entrance of the coire. As you can see the rocks are well iced up with hoar frost and visibility poor, the climbing crags should be visible behind me (Jeanie on camera as well as belay duty!).

We had problems locating the routes after gearing up. Our intention was to climb Spiral Gully, but I couldn't identify it so went for Goat Track Gully hoping to locate it and also hoping there would be no queues as the crags were very busy. The picture below shows me heading up to Goat Track Gully, a grade II winter climb.

Suddenly the weather clears and all becomes apparent. I'm in the right place thankfully and no queues. Lots of other climbers suddenly become visible on a variety of routes, particularly busy is Fingers Ridge.

On the first pitch of climbing. The ice was solid though a little brittle in places. Not as much build up of snow as I was expecting, but great climbing conditions. The crux at the top of this pitch gave me some exciting moments as the rope got snagged in some ice. Thankfully Jeanie was able to unsnag the rope.

Heading up the second pitch.

On top of the plateau and coiling the rope after a great climb. Some good views to the south over Coire Domhain.

Fiacaill Ridge, Coire an t-Sneachda - 31st December 2010

We were on our way up to mum's in Buckie for the new year when we decided to go for a climb in the Cairngorms. It turned out to be a windy day with poor visility. The snow lower down was well frozen on top but with soft snow underneath the frozen crust. Higher up the snow was soft and thawing. We decided on climbing the Fiacaill Ridge as seen below. However, due to the strong gusting wind we didn't climb the ridge direct and skirted past the narrow sections. Great to be in the mountains again.

The Cairngorms skiing was proving very popular with large numbers on the slope. The picture below shows some of the main runs and also the busy funicular railway, this was late afternoon. In the morning we were too late for parking in the upper car park and had to park lower down, but at least there were shuttle buses which saved a walk up the road.

West Gully, Beinn an Dothaidh - 12th December 2010

A fantastic day out in the West Highlands. We were based at the OMC club cottage for the traditional x-mas party. On the frosty Sunday morning we headed up to Beinn an Dothaidh. There had been a rapid thaw the previous two days so conditions for climbing weren't great as a lot of the snow had gone and the ice was still thawing during the day. We reckoned there would still be plenty of snow in a grade 1 gully to give a fun day out. So, we headed for West Gully on Beinn an Dothaid and weren't disappointed. Unfortunately our camera had been left overnight in the car and it's battery failed to work when we approached the climb. After some warming in my pocket and after the climb was complete it came back to life again:

Stuart on top of Beinn an Dothaidh. The view is looking north west.

Can you spot our shadows? Looking towards Beinn Achaladair.

On the descent down Coire Daingean. The snow and ice was now very frozen.

Looing up towards the buttress of Beinn an Dothaidh. West Gully is the obvious gully above and to the left of Jeanie.

A good view to the north from Coire Daingean. Ben Nevis can be seen on the left. The snow covered peaks continue along the Aonachs and the Grey Corries.

Looking back towards the Beinn an Dothaidh and some of the climbing areas. The line of Taxus is slightly to the right of the highest point of the crag. Hopefully a route we will do later in the season when there is a better build up of snow and ice.

Costa Blanca: 19th - 26th November 2010

Jeanie leading Pesahombre at Callosa, Orihuela.

Jeanie relaxing below Sector 1 at Callosa.

Lots of birds, mainly swifts, flocking around La Cueva at Callosa. There's lots of caves and pockets for the birds to nest in and later in the day they are very active.

Stuart on the 1st pitch of Puente Aereo, Marin.

Jeanie enjoying the 2nd pitch of Puente Aereo. Good moves through the overlap.

Stuart on the 1st pitch of Maika, one of the best routes at Marin.

Stuart on the 1st pitch of Jhonny, one of the classic routes of it's grade in Costa Blanca.

Jeanie leading Anda que no Andas na on Paisaje Lunar, La Panocha.

Stuart leading Placa de la sinfonia at La Panocha. It's a soft 6a+ so worth doing in order to tick a climb at this grade. Note the colours & patterns of the conglomerate rock.

The crags that comprise Salinas. It's a lovely quiet area, unfortunately the weather was cloudy and chilly but at least it was dry and there was no wind.

Jeanie onsighting No te lo pongas at Salinas. This proved to be a hard climb for a 4+, very slabby with shallow pockets.

We discovered a wee hoose high up in the woods. Don't know if it's someones holiday hideaway or hill-billies or a small finca.

Tarmachan Ridge - 14th November 2010

Jeanie heading up to Meall nan Tarmachan. A really good winters day with plenty of snow and a lot windier than forecast.

A brief glimpse of more distant hills, Ben More and Stob Binnien.

Lovely fresh snow, great fun.