UKH

Matt Pavitt yesterday set a new speed record for a winter traverse of the Cuillin Ridge. His FKT (fastest known time) of just 4 hours 35 mins 17 seconds knocks over 20 minutes from Uisdean Hawthorn's 2018 record of 4:57:07.

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This is a great accomplishment, particularly climbing out of the TD gap direct. I think the other winter solo reports I've seen have bypassed this as being too hard.

Just checked on the link above, and unbelievably that is true.

FKT of the ridge, except the hard, time consuming bits.... natch.

I think this shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the challenge, which isn't just about individual pitches - it's about finding your way safely between the summits.

I have a lot of respect for Uisdean for doing it the way he did it, because he made a judgement call based on his own safety, which is what mountaineering is all about - plus he was open about exactly what he did. If anything, bypassing that short, hard section will have inevitably lost him time, as it involved him taking a more circuitous route.

Matt made a different choice, based around the fact he had different conditions, but both of them did 'the Cuillin Ridge'. Tbh, I can't see any two winter ascents of it being the same, as conditions vary so much that no two parties are likely to do it the exact same way.

Are the summer records more prescriptive or is it just a case of doing a particular set of summits? 

It's my understanding (I think maybe from Andy Hyslop's book?) that a summer record is 'supposed' to include the famous technical sections, not use the various alternatives. Suppose that's TD gap, King's Chimney and Bastier Tooth.

Yes the summer record stipulates the traditional pitches are all climbed.

In winter I think it's fair to give more latitude as soloing grade 6 mixed is a bit of a different proposition to summer V Diff.

(Also noting that on the first winter traverse Macinnes, Patey et al got themselves out of the gap by lassoing a boulder on the far side!)

The following extract comes from an article we wrote after Finlay Wild's record breaking run in the summer of 2013:

"According to the 'rules' set by longstanding record holder Andy Hyslop the traverse between the two end summits takes in all 11 main ridge Munros over about 11km of relentless rocky ground, with around 3000m of ascent/descent, sustained exposed scrambling and key climbing pitches on the TD Gap, King's Chimney, the Inaccessible Pinnacle and Naismith's Route on the Basteir Tooth."   

To my knowledge no such rules have been written for winter, although it's worth mentioning that people tend to go from north to south, abseiling down the various pitches pitches above (except the Inn Pin, which you still have to climb), so if it ever did have a set of rules - it'd have to be a different to account for this.

What a legend! 
 

Crucially for me, he’s been totally transparent and honest. I think anyone with decent winter experience can empathise with different people making different decisions based on what’s presented to you. 
 

the last line of his Facebook post tells all: “I’m putting this out there as not a claim of anything but just as me having a nice day.“

seems like a dude psyched on the mountains who went for a day out and happened to go pretty bloody quick. I’m mega impressed!

I would probably take the word "record" out of this article's title

Why? Have you done it quicker?

It sounds like an amazing day. 

The nature of mountaineering dictates a certain amount of good faith on behalf of observers, and therefore accepting that something has been achieved unless there's good reason to believe otherwise. So if he personally believes that he has achieved a winter traverse (which it sounds like he does), he should claim the record. If not, why mention it. Doesn't seem much point saying "for me it was a winter traverse, but I won't claim it and instead leave it up to others who weren't there to decide, but I'm still going to contact UKC etc as though it was a record anyway".

If mountaineering is going to go down the route of having "records" then I think there pretty obviously have to be minimum stipulated requirements for those records. Though personally I'd prefer it not to go down that route, at least in any sort of official sense.

Maybe just because for things like this (as opposed to sanctioned athletics meets) some people prefer to say fastest known time rather than record.

Amazing effort - I wish I could do it half as quickly in the summer!

I like the approach r.e. the record part of it as well. Impossible to stop people complaining, but saying this is what I did, take it or leave it as you wish seems to me to be the best you can do to stop people jumping on you telling you you didn't do it 'right' for whatever reason.

Nah absolutely not, I think you misunderstood...  what I mean is that Matt has not claimed a record in his post so why is this article headline saying it?