Cairngorms 27-01-13

Yesterday I was back into Coire an t-Sneachda with Ivan on the 2nd day of his 'Intro to Winter Climbing' course.  Having climbed a mixed route on Saturday we were keen to try and include some ice on Sunday.  We headed for the Mirror Direct IV / 4** which was in great condition.  The ice was good and gave us a chance to look at ice technique and protection.  Ivan also explored his technical limit on the steep ice!

We headed up and climbed one of the variation finishes on the buttress at the top of Aladdins Couloir at about III / 4 which gave a great finish and a bit more mixed climbing.  The day was much better than forecast and was actually really nice most of the day though the wind did go wild in the afternoon with fairly full on gusts, one flattening us both on the plateau.  It felt as though it was still freezing at the crag for most of the day however this seems set to change with the incoming weather....  A brief rise in temperatures on Saturday night stripped some of the lower rock but will have helped the pockets of slab that were present consolidate a bit.

Thanks to Ivan for another great course and welcoming the full Scottish experience!

 Aladdins Buttress

 The Mirror Direct IV / 4**