May Crack, Buachaille Etive Mor

New potential LMC club member Matt and I opted to take a trip up to Glen Coe to get on some mountain rock. At the same time Brian and Luca had also decided to go up to Glen Coe as well with their own plan.

Matt and I left Glasgow at a lesuirely half 9 or so and drove up to Glen Coe with a view to climbing something on The Buachaille. The forecast had been suggesting a possibility of lots of low cloud and fog, but this was unfounded as we drove with blue skies above our heads the full way.

As we came through rannoch moor and rounded the bend, that familiar view of The Buachaille came into view, looking magnificent against blue sky but as we approached the car park the error of our late start became apparent as the car park and laybyes were mobbed. After debating whether to go climbing on Aonach Dubh we decided the car park down there would likely be just as busy so we drove up to the car park for the Little Buachaille.

Parking at the car park for the Little Buachaille means a longer walk in, but gave us time to warm our legs up before hitting the hill itself. As we passed the hut we traversed off to look for the Great Gully and Broad Buttress area as I had never been on that part of the face before. Eventually as we hit the large stram at the bottom of Great Gully we could see the way up.

Looking up into Great Gully towards the lower Great Gully buttress it was all in shadow, and looked slimy and wet and we decided that with the late start we would head straight for the upper great gully buttress, where broad buttress runs flat and merges into Great Gully. The scamble up Broad Buttress was broad, wantering and open to variation and we just chose the line as it cames as we chatted about the club and climbing.

As we reached the top of the buttress and came onto the wall of the upper great gully buttress we came onto the line of our chosen climb. May Crack (VS, 5a, ****). A long single pitch which has 4 stars and touted as one of the best VS pitches in the country.

As we approached a couple of climbers were on the route already so we sat back and eat some snacks and enjoyed the views, and just as I was enjoying the sun on my face and the chocolate in my throat Brian and Luca topped out onto the ridge with hard shells and all, looking like they had just emerged from the Mines of Moria and our earlier suspicions were correct that it was all a bit cold and damp down in the depths of great gully, hemmed in by opposing ridges and faces on all sides.

Luca and Brian also had their eyes on May Crack after just coming up July Crack (HVS, 5a, ***) but we were already in the queue so they decided to go for the next climb up. Yam (E1, 5b, **).

Matt called dibs on the lead which I agreed to. He asked first and it is only one pitch so we would need to compromise. Matt lead up well and with the sun dropping further down the other side of the mountain a dark and gloomy shadow started racing its way up the wall and as it did the legions of midges started appearing out of their hidey holes and biting eye balls and all.

As Matt led well up the wall, Luca was making simultaneous good progress on the E1 fighting a wet crux and hidden holds on a horrible looking overhanging roof.

By the time Matt topped out and set up the belay Luca had brought Brian up, and I was ready to climb.

The face had fallen into complete shadow by now and the rock had got quickly chilly on the fingers and I had to don my long sleeved top. The rock was impeccably grippy with good friction, and the crux was slightly overhanging which made for interesting fun as I felt gravity pulling me away from the wall. A good few of the holds also had drainage on them and several times I had to dry my fingers off before making a move, however a couple bits where the rock was particulaly water worn, was also incredibly grippy and positive even with wet hands and a couple of moves I was able to do confidently without drying them. I topped out back into sunshine and a grand view across Rannoch Moor and joined Matt at his belay.

We scrambled back down off the top of the buttress, packed up and headed up great gully where we eventually broke out on the ridge into sunshine, blue sky and wonderful view down Glen Coe, to The Ben and beyond. We walked back down through the coire, to the road and then back along the road to the car and had a leisurely drive back home.

A great day on the hill, and some fitness back in preperation for winter coming and hopefully a couple more summer mountain days like this would be perfect before the end of the season.
 

Curved Ridge, Buachaille Etive Mor

With the weekend promising a band of high pressure and ensuring sunshine it seemed like a nice time to make the first outing to the Glencoe area of the year. The team comprising of myself and Craig decide to attack Curved Ridge on the North East face of Buachaille Etive Mor on the corner of Glencoe and Glen Etive.



Curved Ridge was first ascended on July 1896 by G. B. Gibbs, and since then has been a popular route to the summit of Stob Dearg. The following picture I have borrowed from the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal Volume 5 Number 5, May 1899 shows several of the common routes which had been documented at the time. Curved ridge is shown and can be compared to a closer photo of the NE face.






The two of us left at 8am and enjoyed a nice drive up past Loch Lomond, where the shores were starting to busy with fishers and picknickers, and others who planned to spend a nice sunny day on the waterside. After some more driving and breakfast at Tyndrum we were passing the Kingshouse and nearly at our destination at the Lagangarbh hut.



After some discussion about the need for crampons and ice axes we decided to take them to the disadvantage of the extra weight in the searing sunshine as there is almost certainly still snow cover on the top. Trying to keep as light as possible and knowing that the weather is going to hold for a few days we dumped our waterproofs and heavier gloves. From Lagangarbh hut we take the path which serves as the "tourist path" up the Coire na Tulaich, although the Coire itself is not without its dangers having been the scene of several accidents and fatalities over the years. Before getting to the foot of the Coire, the path forks off to the left and skirts the base of the mountain to the NE face.

Craig looks at the face and is sceptical about us getting up them and I assure him the ridge will take us up without much difficulty.



We are both very hot now in the sunshine by the time we reach the Waterslide Slab and I think it would be great to just jump under the water and cool down. I am labouring pretty hard under the heat so I decide to dump some weight and pour out my flask of lunch tea and stick with my water supply.



From the Waterslide Slab we make our way up towards Crowberry Basin which sits at the bottom of the similarly named Crowberry Ridge. We cross a lot of loose scree which goes sliding and bouncing everywhere and feels like we make more downward progress than upward.

On reaching Crowberry Basin we climb up to the left and start moving up the ridge. At one point we climbed up too much to the left of the butress and find no usable holds so descended a little and then skirted more to the right and the tell tale sign of crampon scratches tells us that traffic comes this way so we commit and move onwards and upwards. The views down and across Rannoch Moor reminds of us of how exposed we are and make us happy this is a nice weather day.






On moving up the ridge we can get a great view of the Rannoch Wall, which is the scene of some summer rock climbing. Routes here were put up by legends such as Himalayan and Alpine climbers such Chris Bonington and Hamish MacInnes. Moving past the wall we approach the Crux of the ridge which is a wall which appears to be devoid of any apparent holds. The dry rock makes this much easier than if they were wet. We managed to get to the top where a small cairn has been built to mark the end of the ridge. We stop for a break here to enjoy the views onto Rannoch Moor and beyond before heading to the summit.










After a small refreshment we move onwards to get to the summit, from the foot of Crowberry tower there are a few different visible routes, but we decide on the small gully behind the tower which takes us to the top of Crowberry gully which runs down the other side of Crowberry Ridge to the basin. Some final climbing over some tricky icey rocks brings us to the final summit slope. The snow is quite soft and loose under us with a big drop behind us so we carefully pick up with our axes and top out to the summit in beautiful sunshine.



This is the first time Craig has had a view upon reaching the top in all the times he has came out with me. The views down Glencoe, Glen Etive, to Ben Nevis and beyond and also to the south is brilliant.





Having completed our task for the day, and had a brilliant ridge climb in glorious weather we drop down to the bealach and contemplate walking on to the other summits, but decide that we are absolutely starving and can always do that some other time, and instead put our minds to the task of getting back down again. The quickest way back down for us is down the afore mentioned tourist route, but this is not particularly easy as the Coire headwall is steep.

We face in and kick steps back down the slope using our axes. A party are just in front of us doing the same. After getting down steepest part of the slope we move off the side onto a rib of rock which leads us down onto the scree below.

We move partly down the scree but this sits above the snow gully and the loose rock starts sliding the moving about everywhere and rocks fall onto the snow in the gully and start hurtling down towards the other party. Luckily the rocks come to a stop on a level part of the snow. We make the decision to move across to the gully again and pick down the snow so as not to launch a landslide down upon the other people.




Once on the gully I can not miss the chance for some Glissading, and launch myself down using my axe to control my speed of slide. Craig follows suit and somehow manages to loose his balance. He spins out of control and looses his axe and is thrown into the scree and rock at the side of the gully and comes to a halt. This serves as a stark reminder that winter dangers are not fully out of the way yet. Craig is badly grazed and bruised but has not hurt his head or sustained any other injury, and luckily he never slid down the full length of the gully where the inabilty to stop himself could have resulted in some worse injuries.



We made the rest of the way back down the Coire admiring the Glacial features on the rocks, and descend back down towards the hut and back out into brilliant sunshine.




Injury aside, Craig has had his best day out yet. I have had a brilliant day as well. In true Glencoe mountaineering fashion we finish the day off with dinner and a drink at the Kingshouse before making the long journey back home again to the concrete jungle of the central belt.