Petestack Blog

To get straight to the point, I’m back from Glenmore Lodge (as I posted on Facebook last night) ‘relieved beyond measure to be home with a WML pass when I thought I’d maybe blown it!’

It was a gruelling five days… physically OK for a fit guy (although Thursday’s post-holing round of Loch Avon, ‘all the zeros’ et al. was tough with just a litre flask of melted snow to drink), but mentally one of the most tortuous and demanding weeks I can remember. No photos because I took no camera when even thoughts of using it would likely have impaired my concentration, but you’d be looking at some stunning scenery from that one stunning day if I had. No Northern Lights seen from our snow-hole site NE of 1082 (above Stac an Fharaidh) either because the brilliant moonlight quickly turned to total clag after we got back there, but at least that let us turn in ready for an early final-day start without feeling we were missing the show. Have to say I made enough mistakes to keep me worrying (doesn’t everyone?), but know I also got some things spot on (my best moment being declining to take my group up a suspect slope to ‘all the zeros’ that the other group had descended maybe half an hour earlier and my assessor agreeing with me!), so believe the happy final outcome reported here to have been in the balance up till the ‘bitter’ (nay, sweet!) end. But that doesn’t matter now, even if I’m feeling something of an impostor staring at a pass certificate stating that ‘the candidate fulfilled the requirements of the syllabus and demonstrated the technical and leadership competence to lead and supervise groups hill walking the mountain areas of the UK in winter conditions.’

Must just sign off by thanking various Lochaber people (notably Mike Pescod, Kenny Grant and Jamie Bankhead) for help along the way and say how nice it is to keep meeting my previous Glenmore Lodge instructors (some of whom I’ve not worked with for years) and finding them not only remembering me (though some might say I’m hard to forget!) but interested to know how I’m doing and wishing me well. It’s a very special place and I’ve made many friends there! :-)

Yesterday I was out with Kenny Grant on breezy, icy Cairngorm ground to go through as much of the WML syllabus as we could. So we headed up by Coire an t-Sneachda and the slope left (north-east) of the Mess of Pottage before continuing over 1176 towards Cairn Lochan to make a tricky descent into Coire an Lochain, dealing with realistic scenarios for rope work, anchors and security on steep ground along the way. And what a contrast to my ‘soft-snow’ training week on much of the same ground, with the unforgiving scoured slopes and vicious wind contributing no end to the technicality of an otherwise bright and pleasant day, and Kenny no doubt glad of his brand new crampons as well as greater experience where I was struggling to flat foot in places with my not exactly blunt older pair! A most worthwhile day, with hiring your very own personal instructor absolutely the way to go when you want to cover your very own personal agenda, and Kenny striking just the right balance between making me think for myself, offering useful feedback and dropping in some great little tips (including a nifty variation of the stomper he got from Alan Kimber). So it might still have been tricky to identify a safe site to practise self-arrest in the conditions, but we managed to find a slope with just about enough length in less than rock-hard snow before Coire an Lochain levelled into self-braking terrain, only for me to promptly start decorating it with a red polka dot pattern by taking a Glasgow kiss from the icy surface when boldly attempting to drop into a slide from an almost standing position (NB don’t try that on assessment)! However, all’s well that ends well and some minutes later (with nose bleed staunched) we were able to continue with a pretty thorough look at my own arresting in conjunction with teaching points for ‘skills’ days.

Spent much of today on my WML home paper before heading out for a late-afternoon run up the Lairig Mor. Which leaves just next weekend for any last-minute practice but, with a ticket for Saturday night at the Fort William Mountain Festival and a planned arrival at Glenmore Lodge on Sunday, I’d be looking at a short day (or days) if I do go out. So maybe time to recognise that I’ve done what I can, am as ready as I’m going to be and (short of looking up books and slowing up a couple of evening trail runs to try yet more pacing) heading up for better or for worse as I am now! :-)

Trying just to knock up a quick (?) weekend report to accompany some photos here, so afraid what you see is what you get…

Spent yesterday on Sgor na h-Ulaidh because it’s local (but one of the very few local hills I’d only done once before) and I was struggling to get myself up to head off any further after running two hours a night from Tuesday to Friday! So settled for the short drive, took the scenic route via Aonach Dubh a’ Ghlinne and Stob an Fhuarain and thought the clouds from the temperature inversion stretching away down to Mull prettier than the ones that kept blowing in to blot out the sun. No snow low down but some good, crisp stuff on the ridge, an awkward, icy descent down steep, broken ground to finish and thoughts of returning for Red Gully (III) sometime when the lower pitches are looking a bit fatter.

Now, today’s visit to Creag Meagaidh might only have been my fourth, but they’ve all been quite productive with the first (many, many years ago) giving me my first taste of technical ice climbing, the third bringing my first Grade V (The Wand) and every Munro and Top of the massif bagged between the second and fourth. But it’s such a fabulous venue (with Coire Ardair boasting some of the mightiest cliffs in the country, an atmosphere all its own and a comparatively easy walk in) that four is still way too few and I found myself musing today that I might be falling in love with the place! So today’s trip took me to the summit by Raeburn’s Gully (chosen to get close to the harder gully lines of Smith’s and Ritchie’s as well as being a fine Grade 1 trip to the plateau in its own right), then round the south-western tops of An Cearcallach, Meall Coire Choille-rais, Puist Coire Ardair, Creag Mhor and Sron a’ Choire (requiring some proper whiteout navigation at times, on which note I’ve yet to find myself on that plateau when I could see!). And I’m guessing Raeburn’s was in as good, safe shape as it gets, having already deposited much of its former self as avalanche debris below and the remaining snow so nice (with great, kicked steps leading most of the way up) that my axe and crampons seemed largely precautionary until presented with a slightly icier top-out. Saw some activity on the way with a team clearing snow from the first pitch of Smith’s and noted that the entry pitch to Ritchie’s looks just as steep (at good value for IV?) as all the photos I’ve seen, but the most spectacular sights were probably the cracked-ice mosaic on the lochan below and the huge, impressive umbrella/canopy of thick, blue ice on the gully’s west wall above Ritchie’s. ‘Twas a proper pea-souper on top of Meagaidh, with some welcome visibility returning as I made my way back from An Cearcallach to take the sting out of traversing the Coire Choille-rais rim (massive cornices on the south-west side!) but the veil never lifting from the reigning peak (which seems to attract it like glue).

Took the GPS to record my track and double-check any really gnarly completed nav. legs to be sure I was starting the next from where I thought I’d got to, but nearly forgot to switch it on (see map, 1) and know it got confused in my rucksack pocket when it lost signal coming up Raeburn’s (map, 2).