Proper Scottish Weather....



Ian Hey, Ruth and I in the CIC Hut last season

 

Before I start on todays activities let me first wsh you a Happy New Year, I am feeling a wee bit sluggish having spent the whole of the festive season eating, and eating with a bit of drinking thrown in and virtually no exercising - oh dear not exactly the training plan of an athlete! I did have a walk up to the CIC Hut on New Years Eve to see if there was any chance of climbing but conditions were sadly lacking. Warm and wet - not ideal, luckily conditions inside the CIC Hut were perfect for a brew before heading back down.



Today I was working and it has been a day to blow the cobwebs away that's for sure. Yesterday I spent all day wishing for snow, driving the people around me nuts - I think I might have wished a bit too hard! Ruth tells me it has been pouring with rain and a bit of snow all day in Fort William. I've been getting snowed on ALL DAY in Stob Coire nan Lochan. First visit up there this season - always feels like a slog. But the last couple of days of colder temperature and todays snow has definitely winter-ed the place up again.

Tom and I climbed Scabbard Chimney (V, 6) which felt pretty tricky in the conditions with spindrift pouring down it and it was a bit thinner than when I did it last year. Luckily with the wind blowing across the coire we were quite sheltered on the route. Here are a couple of photos of Tom, who was refusing to look up for me - can't say I blame him though he'd probably have drowned! Abseiling off down The Tempest was a battle with yet more spindrift, but at least that was preferable to the rain which we walked down into.



Tomorrow is another day out with Tom, thinking of heading back up to the Lochan, here's hoping for a bit less spindrift!