It’s been pretty windy up here in Scotland for the last couple of days.
We still managed to get out climbing despite the high winds and high avalanche danger.
A good grade III called fawlty towers on the douglas boulder was mondays climb, which was sheltered from the wind and had handy abseil stations allowing us to retreat the same way.
The mixed second pitch of Fawlty Towers
Yesterday there wasn’t any shelter to be found because the wind was swirling around so much. It wasn’t snowing but there was so much spindrift it felt like it was.
The wind was loading the slopes with snow so we were very cautious just getting to the foot of the climb, and ended up pitching the easy snow slopes – better safe than sorry.
We climbed the SW ridge of the douglas boulder, a heavily snowed up mixed grade III. Three or four short pitches followed by a quick abseil and a down climb on the east side and we were back at the CIC hut for a late lunch.
Heavy Snowed up conditions on the SW ridge, Douglas Boulder
The final pitch in proper Scottish winter weather.
Scottish winter climbing has a reputation for some pretty bad weather, which is a little unfair sometimes, it’s just that we end up climbing in pretty much any weather rather than sitting in the cafe like you would in the Alps.
I think you always learn a lot in bad weather like yesterday, it exposes any chinks in your armour and as long as you learn those little lessons you’ll be improving all the time.
I went and got myself some new goggles as soon as I got back down.
Better get back up there, I’ll try and get some photos online soon.
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