Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms - A Climber's Guidebook
Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms
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The major climbing areas in the Cairngorms provide some of the finest winter climbing in Britain. From the remote corries of Braeriach and Beinn a’Bhuird, to the magnificent cliffs of Lochnagar and Creag an Dubh Loch and the readily accessible Northern Corries of Cairngorm, every aspect of winter climbing is to be found. There are long, varied routes and short technical test-pieces; there are pure ice climbs and buttress and mixed routes to rival any in the country. Building on previous editions of the guide, I have tried to make a selection of the best routes in each area. Where possible a selection of routes of all grades have been given with, where there is a choice, a few routes at around the same standard to allow for some choice should conditions or availability dictate a change. Most of the routes selected follow fairly natural lines which, once embarked upon, should be relatively easy to follow, the exception being some of the more recent hard mixed routes which require a more detailed description.
Since this is a selective guide some routes have been excluded, but all the climbs are worthwhile and have some positive features to them. However, a three-star system has been used to indicate quality. This has been done by considering all the features which make up a climb: its length, line, escapability, how sustained it is, whether it is in condition regularly and the quality of the climbing. Most of the climbs have been done often enough to assess their quality, although some are less well known. This is particularly so in the more remote corries that fewer climbers visit. This remoteness, however, may give these climbs a feeling of seriousness and adventure that can compensate for any shortcomings in other respects.
Scottish winter climbing can be a hazardous pastime. The weather is often unfavourable and blizzards can blow up with startling suddenness, transforming a pleasant excursion into a battle for survival. Too many people have under-estimated these mountains and paid the ultimate price. It is essential to be well equipped both physically and mentally before setting off on a winter route. The correct equipment must be accompanied by the ability to use it properly. When weather, conditions and climb are right, the Cairngorms can offer an unforgettable experience.
Conditions
Good climbing conditions can occur in this area at any time between November and April, although February and March are generally the better months. In some years winter climbs can be in condition as early as October and as late as May. Winter ascents have even been made in June! Bad weather, however, can occur at any time, with winds of over 100mph being common as are gale-force winds which may blow continually for days at a time. The Cairngorms in winter can experience Arctic conditions and checking the weather forecast before setting off is an essential precaution. Forecasts can be obtained from most daily papers, the radio or television, or the more specialised telephone weather services. A television monitor in the Day Lodge in Coire Cas gives readings direct from the automatic weather station on the summit of Cairngorm and so gives a good up-to-the-minute picture of the conditions on top, especially the wind speed and direction. This information can also be obtained from the Heriot-Watt University web site www.phy.hw.ac.uk/resrev/aws/weather.htm
Because the Cairngorms are further from the sea than other climbing areas and many of the cliffs are very high, the conditions here do not fluctuate as rapidly as elsewhere. This means that the build-up of good snow-ice on some cliffs takes longer and the snow conditions may remain unchanged for some time. Snow can remain unconsolidated for longer periods, and in these conditions the buttresses often give better climbing than the gullies. The cliffs which rely on seeps and springs for their ice may, however, have good climbing after only a few days of freezing conditions. These routes, along with the steepest of the buttress climbs which hold little snow at the best of times, may strip bare after only a short period of thaw or bright sunshine, especially later in the season. A knowledge of the weather conditions over the previous few days can assist in making the correct choice as to which cliff will be in the best condition and which routes are liable to give the best climbing.
The size and scale of the crags and the approaches make the ability to navigate essential even for a visit to the closest of the cliffs. As much of the high plateau is featureless and white-outs are common, accurate navigation is often needed to find the cliff and more often required to find the way back after the climb.
Routes and Grades
The usual two-tier grades have been used throughout this guide, although some routes have not yet had enough ascents for a consensus grade to be arrived at. The first grade, a Roman numeral, indicates the overall difficulty of doing the route. This gives some indication of seriousness. The second, an Arabic number, indicates the technical difficulty of the climbing.
Grade I
Uncomplicated snow climbs which have no pitches under average conditions. Cornice difficulties can be encountered.
Grade II
Gullies which have individual or minor pitches or high angled snow. Cornices can be difficult. Also the easiest buttresses under winter conditions.
Grade III
Gullies which contain ice in quantity. There is normally one big pitch and often several smaller ones. The buttresses will be fairly sustained. Very roughly equates to summer Severe standard.
Grade IV
Routes of sustained technical difficulty. Vertical ice is expected in gullies and the buttresses require a good range of climbing techniques or are long and sustained.
Grade V
Climbs which are difficult, sustained and generally serious. On ice climbs long, steep and sustained pitches are to be expected. Buttresses will require winter techniques such as axe hooking and torquing combined with competent rock climbing ability.
Grade VI
Ice climbs will have long vertical sections or be thin and tenuous. Buttress climbs will include everything in Grade V but there will be more of it.
Grade VII
Usually buttress or face routes that are very sustained or technically extreme. If ice is involved it will be extremely steep and/or thin.
Grade VIII
Desperate routes on rock in winter.
The technical grades which are given by the Arabic number are based on the technical difficulty found on ice routes of Grades III, IV and V. The Roman number gives the overall difficulty of leading the route, taking into account the seriousness, technical problems, protection, route finding, sustained nature, etc., in a similar way to the adjectival and numerical grades in rock climbing. In this way a V,4 would be a technically easy but serious Grade V route, probably on ice; V,5 would be a classic ice route with adequate protection; V,6 likely to be a classic buttress route – harder but better protected than a V ice route; V,7 would be a technically very difficult climb but with a short crux and good protection. It is unlikely that the technical grade will vary by more than two below or two above the overall grade. There are certain similarities between this two-tier grade and the E grades in summer rock climbs.
Occasionally a split grade is used in the lower grades to indicate a climb whose difficulty varies according to the build-up, such as when pitches disappear to give easier climbing, often later in the season.
Grades are given for average conditions which may not exist. A big build-up of snow may make gully climbs easier but buttresses harder as more clearing is required to find holds and protection. The difficulty of winter routes can change dramatically in a short period of time, usually because of the weather. High winds and drifting snow can change a safe, easy gully into an avalanche hazard in a matter of hours. With little snow some climbs may have additional or longer pitches, but routes utilising rock features may be easier. The grades of some routes can vary dramatically, and on some of the harder climbs occasionally conditions are such that even classic routes may be one or even two grades easier than that given. The absence or presence of even one good placement can make a big difference to the difficulty of some climbs.
A combination of short daylight hours and poor weather gives Scottish winter climbing an Alpine-like urgency. Because of the need for speed and the variability of conditions, the use of aid tends to be less rigid than in summer. However, these two requirements, speed and aid, are not always compatible. The more aid used, the longer taken and the increased risk from approaching darkness. Using aid on any route must be considered to be a retrograde step.
Although pegs are still required in some situations, climbers should attempt to apply modern rock climbing ethics as far as possible to winter climbs. Fortunately, it is often the gullies with their poorer rock that need pegs, while many of the more open buttress routes on better granite can be adequately protected with nuts and the like. Attempts should be made to limit the use of pegs on all climbs but especially those that are also popular summer climbs.
It is worth selecting a climb with conditions in mind to get the most out of a visit and also from the point of view of safety. If climbing behind other parties on ice routes, there is usually a danger from dislodged ice. In thawing conditions there can also be a very real danger from ice and rock fall, particularly in some of the easier gullies where the rock may be of dubious quality and can be loosened by freeze/thaw action during the winter.
All routes are described from left to right and all directions refer to a climber facing the cliff, unless otherwise stated, such as for descents.
Route Lengths
Route lengths are the combination of pitch lengths. 45m is sufficient for the majority of routes but on some of the harder climbs 50m or even longer ropes are very handy. Occasionally pitch lengths are given to aid in route finding; usually where to belay is left to the climber’s own discretion as there is often ample choice especially on the easier, snowy routes.
Recommended Routes
A three-star system has been used to indicate the quality of the routes under good conditions. Since winter is such a variable environment, doing routes in poor conditions may mean they do not warrant their stars. The stars are pointers, something to argue about and, above all, subjective!
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