Colmcille Climbers

And Sho to Shcotland.

 A wee starter for 10, and an early morning romp up from Polldubh found Noble Sister Caoimhe Gleeson and myself travelling through an immaculate winter wonderland to the 700m contour on the NE face of Stob Ban, above us was the superbly atmospheric South Gully route in perfect winter condition and so we ascended the perfect neve. The last 100m of this gully was a tad on the full on side as the early evening NE screamer arrived in earnest mid afternoon, the resultant 100km/hr winds, violent spindrift, windslab runnels cascading down our route and a summit top out onto and into a wall of white bedlam made for a Winter journey to the Edge of the Realms of Chaos. Composure and a tad of uber micro nav through the maelstrom and we were back on green at the 200m contour as darkness descended. HURRA!

 The following day a superb ridge traverse of Beinn a Bheithir again in absolutely perfect winter conditions, clear blue skies and a 100 km vista.

 And sho, to the mighty Buachille Etive Mor, joining the fray was Noble Brother Aaron Byron and an ascent of Curved Ridge in what can only be decribed as perfect conditions, clear blue skies, 10 km/hr wind and immaculate neve covering the entire face. HURRA! Roping up for the 10m corner crux high on the route and both struggling to retrieve the brand spankers 1.0 tech friend jammed in the flake by a previous party, alas it remained! Of course climbing the snow slops above the ridge and finding a brand new tech axe more than made up for the abandoned lonely friend! DOUBLE HURRA! A romp of the ridge and descent down The Great Gully made for another perfect day at the hands of Jack.

 The following day Noble Brother and Sister combo Aaron and Caoimhe And myself did the anticlockwise horseshoe traverse of Sgor na h-Ulaidh, following the monster Hoar frost formations, sastrugi and finding a classic example of grade 5 unstable windslab on the ascent. Standing on the summit in perfect blue skies we watched in awe as a wall of black menace approached from the south and arrived as we continued the ridge traverse. A wee 100m section requiring buried axes, a pendulum traverse and other such shenanigans to allow safe passage through the White Rage. HURRA!! The day was topped off nicely by a 300m glissade down virgin snow. HURRA for childish behaviour. :-)

 The following day we climbed "THe Weep," a 250m ice fall on the North Face of Sron na Creise. Excellent!

 An so to Beinn an Dothaidh with Noble Sister Beth Reed and a superb ascent of Taxus, with Beth leading the two steep sections and me leading the easy banked snow slope pitches. HURRA!! :-)  

 And Alas our final day of the trip was an ascent of Ben Challum to the North of Crianlarich. This normally benign mountain on this occasion required the upmost respect as a windless pea-souper combined with immaculate virgin snow created the perfect white-out and so handrailing a series of monster corniced biggies for several KM's and moving at perhaps 1KM/year we arrived on the white-out summit. Descent was by retracing our steps and Glissade races down the superb steep gullies and snow fields to almost the 100m contour!

 A superb trip the the White world of Brother Jack, and quite simply, Scotland is in Perfect condition!