North Buttress Sgùrr a' Chaorachain

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 DaveHK 21 Dec 2021

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/sgurr_a_chaorachain_highland-772/

I'm currently working on a new winter guide and haven't managed to find anyone other than first ascensionists who have climbed on North Buttress of Sgùrr a' Chaorachain.

Nothing logged (the routes aren't even entered in the database) but curious to know if anyone has done routes here or knows of those who have.

Cheers.

 peter.herd 21 Dec 2021
In reply to Dave

I always wanted to. Don't know anyone that has. 

 TobyA 21 Dec 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

Isn't it a bit like winter climbing on somewhere like Cloggy - theoretically possible and probably has some great lines, but ultimately seen as a bit dubious because the of the quality of the summer routes?

OP DaveHK 21 Dec 2021
In reply to TobyA:

It's the other side of the hill from the quality summer routes.  

 Grahame N 22 Dec 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

I did No. 4 Gully way back in the '80s. Memory is very hazy now but I remember it being a good route, worth a star. I see Northern Highlands South gives a grade of 'Scottish IV' - I guess IV is about right, if it was much easier or harder than that I would have remembered, and maybe told Andy Nisbet.

We approached from the top, round the north side of the crags, and had a short walk back to the car after the route. The crag deserves to be more popular.

 TobyA 22 Dec 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

Of course! Apologies, I forgot it's all one mountain. A couple of years back (in summer) I did Sword of Gideon, so was thinking of that face, across the road from Meall Gorm. I've done the Cioch Nose in the dim and distant past and totally forgotten it was the same mountain. I think in my head it had morphed into A Cioch on Beinn Bhan (that I haven't done but very much want to!).

Good luck with the research. I got contacted recently by Neil Adams looking at a route I did in Kintail also a couple of decades ago. The proofs I saw of that guide looked brilliant. Will your bit be in the same volume or is getting split into North and South Northern Highlands again?

OP DaveHK 22 Dec 2021
In reply to TobyA:

Hi Toby,

It will be three volumes of select, winter only guides covering the whole of Scotland. I'm doing the North volume which is basically everything from Strath Carron north. Neil is West and there will be an East volume too.

Post edited at 14:58
OP DaveHK 23 Dec 2021
In reply to Grahame N:

Thanks Grahame.

 Drexciyan 23 Dec 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

I like the SMC's optimism for the future of winter climbing with all these new guides!

Will they be select on the basis of what's likely to still be climbable for the next generation? 

And what will happen to the non-select routes, will they be confined to historical records?

> It will be three volumes of select, winter only guides covering the whole of Scotland. I'm doing the North volume which is basically everything from Strath Carron north. Neil is West and there will be an East volume too.

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 LakesWinter 23 Dec 2021
In reply to Drexciyan:

People have been making forum posts like that for 20 years plus and yet some more recent seasons, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2021 for instance, have been excellent with pretty much every route being in condition at some point over the last 10 years, so I'd say there's every point in such books being written.

With Scottish winter climbing being much more based around seasonal variability in weather than Alpine summer conditions, which are more affected by longer term changes to glaciers and permafrost, I think Scottish winter climbing is a much more viable activity than summer alpinism.

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OP DaveHK 23 Dec 2021
In reply to Drexciyan:

I think Scottish winter climbing will be around for a while yet, certainly long enough to warrant another cycle of guidebook production.

> And what will happen to the non-select routes, will they be confined to historical records?

Details of this are still to be confirmed but the definitive information will be available digitally.

 Drexciyan 23 Dec 2021
In reply to DaveHK:

> Details of this are still to be confirmed but the definitive information will be available digitally.

That's good. Personally I think digital is the way forward for all of them with just selected guides being printed so good to see that is being embraced now.

Absolutely not saying they should not be written! And of course it will still be around for a long time (relatively). But those who don't acknowledge the downward trend in availability of good conditions are delusional.

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