Tonight I did it. January Jigsaw with Henry. And the top part of Crowberry Ridge, the Tower and Stob Dearg again. And what a route it is… Agag’s more devious, but equally logical, twin.
So which is better? Can’t say, because they’re different, but does it matter? They’re both brilliant, quite sensational at their grades and the type of routes you should do again and again. And again! :-)
Having spent most of this morning working on a couple of websites and feeling the need for some exercise, a quick visit to Glen Coe for a run up to the East Face of Aonach Dubh and solo of the fantastic Quiver Rib (Diff) suddenly took my fancy, so off I went. And it was good, with the full 150m Lower Bow/Quiver Rib combination taking little more than 10 minutes on bone dry rock and the entire road-to-road round coming in at about 78 minutes (NB I’m so fat and unfit at the minute!)…
Saw teams on Eve’s Arete, Curving Crack and Rowan Tree Wall, but had my routes to myself and was up and down while they were all still there. :-)
This morning I was back at the start of January Jigsaw with Isi Oakley. But everything was damp from persistent low cloud, the sun just wasn’t breaking through to dry it up and, after waiting three-quarters of an hour in vain for some sign of improvement, we headed off up the Buachaille via Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower. It’s sunnier now, but Isi’s working later this afternoon and we had to be back. Oh well…
Three nights on the trot out this week, with not everything going quite to plan: (more…)
This weekend I was marshalling on the West Highland Way Race. Six hours last night assisting Duncan Watson at the Lundavra checkpoint (where I helped to set/maintain the bonfire and saw all the leaders go through) followed by an even longer stint from 5.00am this morning sweeping the course from Kinlochleven to the Fort to bring the tail-enders home. (more…)
Today I was climbing on the East Face of Aonach Dubh with Jamie Bankhead, intent on a ‘smash and grab raid’ before a bright start turned to forecast rain. So perhaps you’ll not be surprised to hear that we did indeed get wet in the end, although just quite how wet was still a surprise to us… (more…)
First sailing post (of what you might expect to be many once I get Fly back in the water) for my blog, but yesterday I was Race Officer for the Glencoe Regatta. The morning started unpromisingly with obstinate flat calm and rain forecast, and it took some juggling of the schedule (postponement of the morning race, early lunch and a proposal to run back-to-back afternoon races if the breeze kicked in) to give the day a fair chance. But luckily we got some reasonably consistent breeze in the end, the sun even chose to brighten up the second race, and everyone seems to have gone home happy after getting what they came for when it really looked for some time like they might get nothing. So I guess we ‘got a result’! :-)
Also took 200 photos which I hope to upload to the site ASAP.
Two contrasting evenings’ ‘climbing’ to report: (more…)
Another fine day with no partner arranged, so I took myself back to the Buachaille and up North Buttress (Mod), which I hadn’t done since soloing it together with Pete Harrop in 1991. With the same huge holds it’s always had and bone dry rock today, it was a joyous romp all the way to the summit, after which a jog down Coire na Tulaich left plenty of time for a late lunch at the Ice Factor (arriving exactly an hour after leaving the top of the Buachaille!) and a whisk round the garden with the mower.
Short of a climbing partner but keen to do something, I took the van to Glen Coe this afternoon and nearly took it straight home again as it started to spit with rain just as I got myself parked. But fortunately I decided that it was still worth a look and set off at a brisk pace for the East Face of Aonach Dubh, where in 1947 the great W.H.Murray had discovered ‘simple and modestly difficult routes [that] all men may climb.’ (more…)
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