Gwilym's Adventure Blog

  Ben    Boarders skiing under the Gondola With the avalanche forecast still up at high and with walking and climbing options pretty much no go, I headed up to Nevis Range with Ben (the landlady's son) who has never skied before to have some sliding fun. As I am not a ski instructor I was very relived that Ben was able to pick it up quickly and more importantly would laugh if he fell over. By the end of the afternoon he was able to ski a green run in control and without falling over. I have heard reports of avalanches on Ben Nevis and in Glencoe today so the snow pack is still hazardous and needs to be treated with care

  The snowy walk in    The route    Me on Pitch 2 After being defeated by snow for the last two days, Campbell and I made a last minute decision this morning to head for Eas Anie IV 4 on Beinn Chuirn near to Tyndrum. The drive through Glencoe was OK though there is still drifting snow. On arrival at Tyndrum we walked up through the forest in knee deep snow and up past the mines into thigh deep snow! However the route was OK and we completed it in two pitches and a third 3m pitch just to get off. It was busy with 5 teams on it and with the current avalanche forecast it will probably be busy for the next few days.

  Diffiicult driving conditions in Glencoe The snow has been falling since yesterday morning and is making access to the mountains difficult. My climbing plans for the last two days have been scuppered and the current snow falling on the exisiting pack had led to a high avalanche risk in places. Today I turned round in Glencoe just before Rannoch Moor as the road conditions were becoming very difficult. Not wanting to waste the day, I headed into the forest at the bottom of Nevis Range for some ski touring. The snow was wet and deep meaning I was averaging 2km an hour and at times it was quicker and easier to walk. This has to be one of my more physical trips out this winter.

    Me on Quartzvein Scoop IV 4     Gary on the 2nd Pitch of Quartzvein Scoop   View after topping out Today Gary and I headed to Beinn Udlaidh for some ice in the sun. We climbed Ice Crew III with a variation finish at about IV 4, Quartzvein Scoop IV 4 and Sunshine Gully III. The ice was great and the screws were going in perfectly once you found somewhere amongst all the old screw holes.

Today I had to spend the morning doing domestic stuff but once all the washing, shopping and cleaning was done I grabbed the opportunity and the board I have been lent and headed up on the Gondola for some sliding action on the slightly icy slopes. As far as I see it, snow boarding is very easy to learn. Moving and turning is relatively easy (maybe because I can ski) but the stopping without falling over is somewhat harder. The main issues for me was having to keep taking my back foot in and out of the bindings for the tows. Although I don't think this will take over from skiing I am likely to go and give it another go soon.

  Looking up at Nevis Range Me, Dom and Julie on the Summit Runs Today I took Alex, Dom and Julie skiing at Nevis Range . Although I am most certainly not a ski instructor I know my way round the slopes so was more than happy to take them to all the best runs both on and off piste. The mornng was fantastic and particular credit to Dom and Alex who before this weekend had only been on dry ski slopes. The afternoon started well but took a less pleasant turn when I came across a snow boarder who had taken a fall and needed treating for a spinal injury. Fortunately ski patrol arived shortly afterwards and evacuated him from the hill. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery

    The back corries T Bar     Skiers dropping in     Alex and I on Aonach Mor  Today I was supposed to have 3 clients but 2 opted to go skiing instead (not a bad choice in the current conditions) so I took Alex, the remianing client up onto Aonach Mor for an introduction to Winter Walking. We looked at foot placements, using crampons, an ice axe and self arrest before continuing up Nid Ridge to the summit at 1221m. On the way across the hill we saw a large number of skiers and borders making the most of the extensive off piste skiing and dropping into the back corries by Easy Gully (a grade 1 climb).