New Blog and Website

We now have a new website at Mountain Circles

Our new Blog will be updated with all the usual information at Mountain Circles Blog

I'll leave this Blog on-line as an archive but will now put all updates, news and winter condition reports through the new Blog only.

For a printer friendly and updated version of the guide notes for The Works Dry-tooling Venue, see our Resources section on the new website where it is included as a Pdf to download, see Resources Section - Mountain Circles

Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower, Buachaille 21-01-14

Great day on Curved Ridge today... Plenty of wind and snow above 500m, some accumulation in Coire na-tuillach but still OK.  Shelf Route was also climbed today.  Good hard snow and winter condition throughout on Curved Ridge.  We took a short diversion onto the Crowberry Tower also.

Definitely winter today and looking colder tomorrow and a bit more settled.

 Crux of Curved Ridge

 Gaining the Crowberry Tower

 Rannoch Wall behind

Snow bollard practice into Coire na-tuillach

SCNL 20-01-14 Mountaineering Course

We had a great day 1 to a 5 day winter mountaineering course today in Lochan, perfect snow and weather for it.

Looked over snow bollards, bucket seats, buried axe and simple pitches..

Many routes looked good despite the freeze line being around the summit.  Scabbard, Dorsal, Twisting, SC and Central Buttress Ordinary route all climbed..  The Unicorn looked white if anyone's been waiting for that and other steeper routes in that area in particular.

Colder tomorrow which should help improve conditions a bit as well.

 Abb from Bollard

 Dorsal Arete etc..

Central Buttress Area

Ben Nevis, Ledge Route 09-01-14

Great day on the Ben today, freeze line was down last night so damp snow was generally solid. Lots of snow cover, we did Ledge Route looking at some mountaineering rope-work. Teams on various routes, Green Gully I think, some routes on the Douglas Boulder climbed, Tower Ridge etc. Loads to go at if the freeze line stays down, harder mixed routes looking good as well...

 Douglas Boulder

 No.5 Gully debris!

 The Comb, notice big crown wall down and right...

Ledge Route

SCNL 08-01-14

Big depth of snow in Lochan today, all needs good freeze then many routes will be good fairly quickly... We did Dorsal Arete which was good, Scabbard Chimney climbed also today.  One team bailed off Central Ordinary Route perhaps due to unfrozen turf...  No one else in the Corrie today.

Looks a bit colder tomorrow and weekend so could be worth a look?!