Gwilym's Adventure Blog

Today was spent with Marcus and Jamie looking at all things snow climbing. We managed to make 8 pitches up one of the remaining snow ribbons in Corie An t'Sneachda and used bucket seats backed up by snow bollards, a deadman and  a buried axe as well as a rock thread, a bit of rock gear and a rock spike. A lack of winter did not mean a lack of learning opportunities and as with most Wet and High Adventures courses, coffee and cake at the end of the day

On the first day of a Wet and High Adventures Ltd Winter Mountaineering course we had a look at all things snow starting with footwork and axe before moving onto snow anchors - bucket seats, bollards and buried axes. We did some testing on these anchors at different sizes and depths and with different axes. We then had a look at some stomper belays. As always, safe travel and avalanche awareness was a theme throughout the day and coffee and cake for the post day debrief.

Out with Jamie and Juliet today for the first day of a Wet and High Adventures Ltd Winter Skills course. We battled the wind into Coire an T'Sneachda to play around with different footwork technique and crampon use. To keep us warm we moved lots of snow around digging sheleters and making blocks. On the way out over the Fiacaill of Coire Cas we had some true winter weather with strong winds and limited visibility that blew use back down the hill for coffee and cake.

I was working for  Wet and High Adventures Ltd  today in Coire an T'Sneachda with 4 clients on a Winter Skills course. We looked at safe travel techniques and avalanche awareness, using crampons on the flat ice before finding some steep snow to look at secure foot work and use of axe. The was even time for a little bit of sliding at the end before walking out in the sun for coffee and cake back in Aviemore.

What a day in Coire an T'Sneachda today. Blue skies and low winds. Mandy and I walked in to have a look see and ended up climbing a very lean Aladdin's Mirror into Central Left hand which was sporting some very nice ice in the final section. Pygmy Ridge was too much for me today but is something I will be back to do in the future. Always good to bump into friends on the hill and we had a nice chat with Swifty as he belayed his clients who were having a great time with him.