Yesterday I made the long drive back down to Devon after two weeks of early season Scottish climbing.

I’m annoyed my camera died halfway through, so may good photo opportunities missed but I’ve learnt my lesson – better packing next time.

So four trips to the Loch Avon Basin and some good battling in dodgy weather in the northern corries as well. Lou and I climbed Afterthought Arete on Stag rocks on Sunday which is a great route for grade III and a aesthetic line. We didn’t start the route until three o’clock so it was quite dark by the time we topped out and followed the compass back to the carpark.

Scorpian on Carn Etchachan was a highlight as well, although it could have done with some nice neve snow rather than the unconsolidated stuff we found. The finish really did give a sting in the tail with some steep snow/ice climbing and then a tricky aid corner that we free climbed in a strenuous fashion. Tim put a little news item on the BMG blog.

The following day I headed into Coire Lochain with local climber Kevin. It was a stunning day and I was inspired to try something tricky despite feeling a little wasted from the previous two days climbing.

We started up Ventricle, VII 8 before realising that the arms weren’t quite up to the task so switched to the excellent Ventriloquist, VII 7. This had a great middle pitch which took us to a nice spacious ledge below the main crux pitch.

A strenuous, verglassed crux pitch probably wasn’t wise but my enthusiasm to get stuck into something tricky got the better of me. The next forty five minutes or so saw me climbing and battling to get gear to stick in the icy cracks. I ended up down climbing from the crux twice and sitting on my gear, something I’ve not had to do in winter before. After backing up the gear at about half height (with a blue camalot in the icy crack at 2/3rds height) I committed to the runout to the top. A hook on a flat edge, the other axe caught on something in the crack itself and I made the move that had stumped my earlier and got an axe tip in the ice at the top.

I was pumped silly at this stage, and bringing my other axe level I struggled to get another placement, my feet now about a body length above the blue cam. Reaching up with the second tool a bit higher searching for something to hang on my original tool ripped, and I was taking the fall.

It was so instant and without warning that I had no fear what so ever, and found myself angry and annoyed that I had climbed badly and been spat off. I guess I went about ten or eleven meters, what with some slack, rope stretch and the run out. The blue cam had held.

I was pretty “boxed” so Kevin lowered me the three meters to the ledge and I untied to pull the ropes through. I thought enough was enough, so leaving my gear in the route I climbed the neighboring “Auricle” whose crux VI 7 pitch was next to us as well.

That went pretty quickly, mainly technical bridging and chockstone hauling and we were both soon at the belay and rigging some jiggery-pokery to get the gear back off Ventriloquist and continue up Auricle to the top.

I’m still annoyed I fell off, something that I don’t want to make a habit of in winter. All those sharp pointy things to get caught, and ledges to hit. Not a wise move.

The following day was a write-off. My body forced me into a rest and I ended up doing practically nothing. Reading, eating and watching a film on the lap top. Quite an unusual day for me and it made me realise how much the three days had taken out of me.

But learning lessons the hard way is good, as long as you survive the learning process! I’ll be more tactical in the future, and get some more training done whilst I’m here in Devon…

Here are a couple of photos from the camera that I couldn’t upload last week.

Lou seconding the first pitch of "Pot Of Gold" V, 6.

Climbers on the Classic Mixed route, "The Message"

Lou and Tomas on the Second Pitch, Pot of Gold.