Last week I headed up to Fort William with a good friend, Gareth, hoping for some good conditions. We had one perfect day, in perfect conditions, on a great route, in a week which was sadly filled with tragic accidents in other parts of Scotland.
A leisurely start on Tuesday saw us tramping up towards Curved Ridge on Buchaille Etive Mor. Sunshine and hard snow, plus 2 great ice pitches, and a detour into a nearby gully to leapfrog a bigger party, made the route so enjoyable, and the airy moves on the ridge with views to Glen Etive were fabulous. At the top, we stopped to savour the view and those feelings of elation and a sense that the world is a wonderful place, as well as to eat a much needed butty!
After carefully negotiating our way down, we planned for a trip to Ben Nevis the next day to try a route called Green Gully. We got a great early start (5am!) but when we got to the CIC hut, the wind was howling, with spindrift avalanches cascading down the face, and reports of small slab avalanches up ahead of us. We decided to leave the mountain alone, and headed back for coffee at Fort William. A good decision as it snowed for 24 hours solidly, and by the end of the afternoon, the wind was very strong, making conditions very unstable.
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