Winter Mountaineering Course - February 2015

Course report: Dave Fisher
Course: Winter Mountaineering

Jenifer recently completed a Winter Mountaineering course and was a very quick learner, keen to progress onto more technical terrain. She certainly enjoyed her weekend and inspired to do both more rock climbing at home and come back for more winter climbing.

Day 1
We practiced basic winter skills – kicking steps, using a single mountaineering ace, self belay and ice axe arrest, using crampons on ice snow and rock, some steeper terrain technique including daggering and front pointing. All covered during a journey on Buacheille Etive Beag (Glen Coe) and , achieving its two summits of Stob Dubh and Stob Coire Raineach. Good conditions under foot, light wind and mostly sunny with the odd wisp of low cloud hitting the summits, and great views of the surrounding mountains.

Day 2
Today we traveled to Curved Ridge, Buacheille Etive Mor, Glen Coe (Grade 2). Building on the winter skills from day 1 and on Jenifer’s past rock climbing experience we ventured onto Scottish grade 2 terrain – we covered using a pair of climbing axes, setting up to rope for  moving together taking coils and tying them off. Moving together, pitching and changing from one to the other. We moved over snow slopes, patches of snow ice, some steeper rock steps, and mixed ground. The route tops out on the summit of Stob Dearg. Relatively sheltered on the climb but stronger winds today when exposed and sadly no views as the cloud level was low.

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