Andy Stratford, Jim Symon, Stuart Hurworth, Nick Adamson, James Williams, Jamie Ledingham.

Dreams of Torridon

In a clear blue Alpine sky I strode across perfect Neve, sun glinting off the ice cyrstals. The Ridge stretched for hundreds of metres ahead, cornices rearing like waves and pinnacles towering above the ridge. Liathach truly is a mountain of dreams…….

It was 10.30 am on Friday when we finally called a halt to the wading through the wet concrete that passed for snow. We stood at 750 metres, just below Coire Dubh Mor– the famous ice-fall of Poachers Fall dead ahead. Sipping on tea, all six of us contemplated the avalanche danger on the slopes ahead. It was clear that the freezing level was, by now, almost certainly at or above the summits. Jamie reported back on a phone call with Carolyn confirming that the temperatures were rising and the vicious winds we just been battered with  on the walk-in were indeed increasing.  We were all soaked from the wet snow and the incessant heavy rain on the approach – calling it a day was easy.

Later that evening Jim and I completed a TD. A 400 piece jigsaw puzzle.  It was the hardest thing we did all weekend. James, Nick and Stuart were at the pub. Later that night the custodian John and two pals Jim and Andy arrived. They had come to work on the gas turbine generator… ’’Och, the forecast is so bad I’ve only brought my Wellies – I haven’t bothered with my boots or an axe’’ declared Jim.

The following morning temperatures were at 6 degrees at 200 metres with strong winds and more rain forecast – temperatures were set to rise further all weekend. There was no way we were going back up on those slopes. We bailed. Dreams of mountaineering on some of Scotland’s finest ridges would have to wait for another year.

** UPDATE 6th February**

All six places now booked.

6 places booked at one of the remotest, most beautifully positioned huts in Scotland for 3 nights Thursday, Friday, Saturday £9 pp pn. Great for the classic Alpine length Mountaineering traverses of the big three Torridonian mountains at around Grade I or II.

Beinn Eighe has good mixed and icefall climbing on the impressive Quartzite triple buttresses of Coire Mhic Fhearchair with mixed climbing often in even when the icefalls have disappeared.

Liathach is also famed for it's icefalls, including the most well known in the Northern Highlands, Poachers Fall V,5.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=214460

Beinn Alligin is the other of the three with excellent routes and another classic full traverse.

The plan is to leave on Thursday  at 9am latest for the long haul North - 8 to 9 hours including stops.

Guidebooks:

Scottish Winter Climbs (SMC) 2008: Covers all of Scotland selectively.

Northern Highlands South (SMC) 2007 : Summer and Winter Routes