I headed up to North Wales with the Avon Mountaineering Club for the autumn north wales trip, a trip which often has really good weather. Unfortunately this year it was not to be and the weather was awful. We made the most of this by exploring the slate quarries in Saturday morning in between the rain, and on Sunday we went for a low level walk around Bedgellert. It was great to photography some of the autumnal colours with the moody clouds due to the poor weather.
We had planned an Autumn trip up to Scotland with the hope that we would get an Indian summer and enjoy some nice settled weather with some of autumnal colours. Unfortunately this was not the case, so our plans were changed to head to the east because it had by far the best weather forecast for the whole of Scotland. After much debating on the way up we elected to spend two nights out in the Cairngorms staying in Bothies, which are old buildings in remote valleys which were originally built by the estate, but are no longer used. A change in the weather forecast yet again changed our plan, but somehow the weather forecast getting worse meant that we planned an extra night out… Neither of us had been to Scotland in the autumn before, and the array of colours that were on show in the valleys were spectacular. Unfortunately in the mountains the was not quite the same display of colours. Day 1 – Walk in to Corrour After a disorganised morning packing our bags (which were far too small) we were eventually ready to set off. To. Read the full article…
I spent last weekend catching up with friends from University in North Wales. Thankfully we were treated to some excellent weather on Saturday. As were were a large group we decided to stick to grade 1 scrambling ground so that we could stay together as a group. We elected to avoid the classics which we have all done before, and we headed around to the back side of the Carneddau to climb the Llech Ddu spur which is a *** grade 1 scramble. The walk up towards the black ladders was lovely and very warm in the morning sun, and were soon at the start of the steep climb up to the start of the scrambling, and into the cold wind. The scramble was brilliant, there were outstanding views out towards Anglesey and there was just the right balance of interest to keep everyone engaged without terrifying anyone. After the scramble we walked over to Carnedd Llewelyn, before descending back down to the hut we were staying in. After an enjoyable evening with chilli and games we awoke to a less favourable forecast on the Sunday. So we enjoyed a mostly dry. Read the full article…
After traversing the Zinalrothorn we headed to Saas Fee where we met up with Rich, Ben, James and Lucy. As James and Lucy had just arrived we decided to start with the Jegihorn via ferrata as it is a great day out and it gets you fairly high. I have previously climbed the via ferrata, however when I last climbed it the exposed bridge near the end was in the gully rather than attached to the rock so we were not able to climb it. Becky, Lucy and I caught the first lift up from the valley and enjoyed a cool walk to the base due to some mist. Thankfully by the time we arrived at the base of the route as the mist had cleared. The via ferrata gets interesting quickly with excellent scrambling on mostly good rock, it is really enjoyable as it mostly a protected scramble up a mountain, rather than just pulling on lots of metal. We soon got our first view of the bridge with someone on it, and it certainly looked fairly impressive. After a series of ladders and some down climbing it was. Read the full article…
Having discovered that the hut for the Dent Blanche was full we developed a new plan, to traverse the Zinalrothorn from Zinal to Zermatt via the north ridge. To get to Zinal we had to get a number of buses, and due to the timetables we ended up in Zinal very early in the morning. This enabled us to have a leisurely stroll up to the hut before spending the afternoon relaxing. The start of the walk was in the mist which we both appreciated as it kept us cool during the majority of the ascent. Eventually the sun started burning off the morning mist and we were greeted with a stunning view of the Grand Cornier, the Dent Blanche and the Ober Gabelhorn. Due to the ever changing views the walk in was one of the most enjoyable I have experienced to date, this combined with relaxing all afternoon at the hut made for a very enjoyable day. All too early the next morning ours alarms woke us up and we both struggled to eat anything for breakfast as our bodies definitely wanted to still be asleep at 2:45.. Read the full article…
After being evacuated from the campsite in Arolla due to landslides we headed down to Les Haudères. Due to an unsettled forecast we spent a few days doing day walks rather than heading up to the big mountains. The first walk was the ridge directly above the campsite, we walked up to the Col de Torrent and then aimed to walk along the ridge over the Pointe du Prélet and along to the Pointe du Tsate. The walk up to the Col de Torrent had lovely views up the valley towards the Pigne d’Arolla and down the valley towards some mountains north of the Rhone valley. As we were leaving the col we were treated to a close flypast by a bearded vulture which was stunning. The ridge was fantastic, with great views in every direction, some good scrambling and plenty more wildlife. Unfortunately we got to within 100m of the Pointe du Tsate and had to turn back due to a climb and some loose rocks which we weren’t willing to do without ropes. Thankfully the forecast thunderstorm did not arrive! The next day we planned on climbing the Pic d’Artsinol but decided to turn. Read the full article…
After arriving in Arolla we decided to make the most of a weather window by heading straight up to the Cabane des Vignettes with the aim of climbing the Pigne d’Arolla on the next day. The weather on the walk up was stunning but it was very hot, and with the combination of the excessive heat and altitude I really struggled on the ascent. Thanks to some encouragement from our friends we continued, and thankfully as we got onto the glacier it clouded over which provided some respite from the heat. After an excellent evening in the hut, followed by the best hut breakfast I have experienced (bacon, scrambled egg and pancakes) we started the climb up the Pigne d’Arolla the next morning. The route is meant to be an easy snow plod, but due to the very hot summer there was a short section which was steep, bare glacial ice. As we were four on a rope we pitched the ice on the way up and down to ensure that we were safe. After the icy section the rest of the route was straightforward snow where we were able to. Read the full article…
With tired legs and a less good forecast we decided to climb Beinn Sgulaird, a single munro above Glen Etive. Despite being a single Munro it was still a fairly long day, as the climb followed a long ridge line with plenty of undulation. The morning was beautiful which provided us with great views towards the Glen Coe hills, and south towards the Cruachan range. The ridge itself would have been very enjoyable had it not been so cold in the wind, and my legs not having been so tired. Unfortunately as we approached the summit bad weather started to come in, and despite our summit not being in the cloud our views were restricted due to the Glen Coe hills and Glen Etive being in a snow shower. After quick stop at the summit, we made a hasty retreat to get off the high ground before the weather deteriorated. As were were descending the weather progressively got worse, but we mostly stayed out of the precipitation.