Aonach Mor west face conditions

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 Tricadam 23 Mar 2018

Hilarious "winter" climb yesterday. I was hungry for Sickle, but after quite a few days on the hill, my partner wanted an easy day so we had a late start for Western Rib. This turned out to be entirely black so we went for Easter Gully instead. Unfortunately, the temperature was a rather critical 2 degrees warmer than forecast. One unprotected pitch of rather soft, potentially delaminating ice led to another. This time, with half the rope out on a meagre belay and my hood pulled up against a shower from the "climb" that would be a significant improvement on the one in my flat, the ice angle:solidity coefficient became prohibitively unfavourable (i.e. an unappealing choice between 70 degree Slush Puppy or vertical sorbet) so I found a way to retreat up onto the rib on the right. My troubles weren't quite at an end though as I pulled on a hold which turned out to be a feck off big loose boulder and for a minute thought it was going to take me down with it. Fortunately my thigh held it on and we lived to fight another day. Though missing the gondola down by 3 mins was particularly shit. I'd thought it was 5.30 rather than 5.15. To add insult to injury, the member of lift staff who at this point assisted me with my enquiry could not have been, shall we say, less customer orientated. 

Easter Gully will be good now that it's refrozen as there was still a fair bit in it. Rime down to 100m altitude below the summit yesterday and colder today. Two fun pitches of II by the easiest line, with more butch options available. If you do end up on Daim Buttress, fear not: we trundled the boulder! 

Post edited at 17:05
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 Sophie G. 23 Mar 2018
In reply to Tricadam:

Love the write-up. Been there, done that, got the emotional scars. Welcome to Scotland

Post edited at 21:37
OP Tricadam 24 Mar 2018
In reply to Sophie G.:

Haha, thanks Sophie. So true! And yet, somehow, we keep coming back for more! 


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