On Friday Alec and I headed off to Beinn Dearg for another winter climb. Despite (or maybe because of) weeks of cold weather, the top ice section of Emerald Gully (the best looking and most famous climb) wasn't formed, but we had a great day out on one of the few routes that Alec hadn't done before - Archway. Very atmospheric rock architecture, thin (therefore hard) conditions, and great weather made for a memorable expedition, probably Grade IV on the day.
Alec contemplates a short ice step on pitch 3.
The hardest pitch escaped out rightwards from beneath a huge semi-detached rock archway. The moves to exit the cul-de-sac visible above proved to be quite trying, as was the short step below which Alec is attacking here.
Here Alec has time to savour the final pitch of the climb. Note the belay anchor, two titanium ice screws in a thick patch of solid ice. This is often the only method of attaching oneself to the mountain when heavy snow and ice accumulations mean that rock outcrops are buried. Unusually for the Keith-Matthewson team we reached the top with plenty of daylight left for a leisurely amble back down to the car at Inverlael. My only worries now were how to placate Lesley, as I had abandoned her for another man on the day of our 10th wedding anniversary!
Twilight on Beinn Dearg - the descent.
RSS Feed