The advanced party met in the car park North Face car park at 9am having travelled from Glasgow, and a family holiday on Mull. After the walk to the hut a quick unpack allowed Jeremy, Ole and Mark to head into Corrie na Ciste in search of something to climb.
The proposal was Garadh gully, normally a grade II that starts low down the mountain and ends near the base of Glovers Chimney, allowing a short day. However, recent reports suggested that the very lean conditions meant Garadh Gully had formed into an excellent IV,4. Knowing that the enthusiastic internet reports could make the route very busy over the weekend, a late start on a Friday looked like the ideal opportunity…
…however when level with the base of the route it was apparent there was a team on the first pitch who looked to be struggling a little. I decided that the struggling leader (who was not sitting on the rope) may like the offer of collecting and returning their ice screws, which would assist in their retreat, and free up the first pitch for us!
To the other teams credit the very generous offer from myself was declined. However the second, a very relaxed Irishman (aren’t they all?) offered us the opportunity to bypass the first pitch via an easy slope on the side and join the route higher up.
Being quite straightforward I could lead the bypass pitch quite quickly, placing just one screw halfway up. I got to the belay before the other leader, who was now at the top of the harder section of the first pitch.
Meanwhile Ole and Jeremy had spotted that they had enough rope to walk back down to the start of the main pitch to second this, which they did, joining me at the belay shortly after. Leaving me slightly aggrieved that I had missed out on the best bit of climbing on the mountain!
Pitches 2 & 3 (Ole probably ran 2 pitches together at the top) passed quickly and efficiently on great ice with blue skies and sheltered from the strong Easterly winds that were gusting around the CIC hut.
Garadh na Ciste is a flattopped promontory that provides a fine view point for routes on Pinnacle Butress of the Tower, Goodeve’s Buttress, Number Two Gully Buttress and Comb Gully Buttress.
Keen to scope out conditions on other parts of Corrie Na Ciste, particularly Gargoyle Wall, for me, we soloed up Number Two Gully and walked across the corrie rim to descent Number 4 gully. Gargoyle Wall was, as expected, black, dry rock except for some rime on the last pitch, meaning that it was not in acceptable ‘winter’ condition for climbing. My hopes were duly abandoned, but at least I didn’t, need to convince both Ole and Jeremy to climb it again with me.
The rest of the team turned up around 11pm / 12am sneaking into a full, sleeping, hut.
Saturday morning dawned with a 8-10cm deposit of fresh snow. Overnight Gargoyle wall became ‘in’. Luckily Jeramy and Ole didn’t need much convincing to make their second ascent, so we headed up into Corie na Ciste again, leaving the hut around 8am.
Dave and Lee left the hut at the same time, heading to look at Garadh gully and Luis, Alexis & Pete went into Observatory Gully to look at Tower Scoop and perhaps Gardyloo Gully after.
Pete, Luis and Alexi had to re-assess their plans when they encountered wind slab higher up in Observatory Gully and other teams retreating, reporting setting off small avalanches. Lunch back at the hut was followed by a solo of number 3 gully, some photos of us on Gargoyle Wall, and a return via No. four Gully.
Dave and Lee found the first pitch of Garadh gully a bit too steep and diverted to North Gully which again in the lean conditions produced a good long pitch of grade 2 ice before finishing up a fantastic snow bay which steepens below the cornice. Dave also became the latest victim of the Raven’s that routinely open rucksacks left unattended, removing and eating any food left inside.
Meanwhile I was given the first pitch of Gargoyle wall, sometimes described as two separate pitches, avoiding the awkward looking midway belay and continued up to a spacious ledge level with the ‘Gargoyle’. Jeremy ran up the next pitch,with a committing step off a block onto a blank looking slab and up a shattered corner to the base of the crux pitch, the Gargoyle cracks. Ole lead this pitch in style to another huge comfortable belay ledge. I ran the last two pitches together up a steep chimney before finishing up the last easy section of Number Three Gully Buttress. An amazing route of technical and sustained but well protected mixed climbing with fantastic belays in an amazing position.
Sunday saw a mix up of teams: Pete joined Jeremy and Ole on an attempt of The Great Gully in Observatory Gully. However, the description in the guide that says it can be an absorbing V,6 if not very icy should have an addendum that there needs to be at least some ice to be able to climb past the ‘vertical block’.
Luis and Alexi climbed Number Two gully and North Gully while I joined Dave and Lee for a rematch (for all 3 of us) on Garadh gully. An early start got us to the route first and luckily shelter as the strong E winds were making walking difficult lower down the corrie. I lead the fist pitch, Dave climbed the second and Lee lead the last two pitches in one in some proper Scottish conditions with deep snow and spindrift. Within two days the climb had changed from a continental style ice cragging experience into a Scottish winter battle.
Another fantastic meet at the CIC hut where despite very limited climbing conditions everyone climbed excellent routes that provided excellent climbing.