there is too much powder to climb...

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 French Erick 20 Jan 2020

In January 2020... no it hasn't happened.

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 DizzyVizion 20 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

Was up Ben Lui East ridge yesterday. Most of the covering was too soft and the turf beneath wasn't frozen either. Aborted after the first rocky section.

OP French Erick 20 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

sorry I got interrupted and my post ended up unclear.

... to climb a buttress steep route (grade IV and above).

It is winter climbing, clearing is part of the game. You get a climb in conditions (hopefully) and those are on the helpful side (dry cracks...) or unhelpful (vergalassed, heavily hoared up...).

The variation in conditions could affect the grade on that given day to a certain extent.

Anyways, at no point this season was a climb (as defined above) unclimbable because of too much snow on it. You may decline climbing it as being too tough for the grade ( as I did early this season on a verglassed but not iced up Gargoyle wall), but someone bolder than me would have climbed it at VII,6 on that day.

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 subtle 20 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

> sorry I got interrupted and my post ended up unclear.

I just thought you had been on the pastis!

Post edited at 14:48
 Pina 20 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

It's why I like to do all my winter climbing in July. None of that pesky snow and ice to get in my way.

 DaveHK 20 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

To further expand on Erick's point.

This was based on us noticing several people talking on logbooks and social media about routes being very hard or even backing off them due to the amount of clearing required.  Having been at the same venues on the days in question we thought it was just bog standard or even fairly thin winter nick.

I know it's all been said before but I do wonder if poor winters are leading to a bit of a re-calibration of people's expectations.

Why, when I were a lad...

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OP French Erick 20 Jan 2020
In reply to subtle:

> I just thought you had been on the pastis!

Hell yes, I could murder one of those the now! Can’t find the one I like at a decent prize here... and my supplies have dwindled into nothing much waiting for winter to materialise 😉

 Wesley Orvis 20 Jan 2020
In reply to DizzyVizion:

Had to do that on the left hand side ridge of Ben Lui myself in similar conditions. Losing light too. My mate fell right through the cornice on our retreat, luckily he landed on another cornice underneath  and was ok other than a bit of shock  

 neuromancer 21 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

Go skiing?

 Captain Solo 21 Jan 2020
In reply to DaveHK:

> Why, when I were a lad...

We used to wait until the snow underwent a change of state that allowed us to weight it with axes and crampons, straight up.

 DaveHK 21 Jan 2020
In reply to Captain Solo:

> We used to wait until the snow underwent a change of state that allowed us to weight it with axes and crampons, straight up.

You tell the kids of today that and they won't believe you...

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In reply to French Erick:

My bad! I thought you were talking about chalk!

OP French Erick 23 Jan 2020
In reply to neuromancer:

If only it were an option... I mean a real option as I am sure someone will have reported: « Great conditions » on the Cairngorms ! 

 HeMa 23 Jan 2020
In reply to DaveHK:

You don’t need to go that back far in the past. 6 years ago, stuff was absolutely buried. Gearing up rocks beneath SCNL were nowhere to be seen and all was just a big white flat spot. 

 Pina 23 Jan 2020
In reply to French Erick:

Conditions were actually surprisingly good for skiing on Saturday  

 bonebag 26 Jan 2020
In reply to HeMa:

I remember that too. Also in 2010 Steall Falls were frozen. Ok it's ten years ago but those years are just a blink of an eye in dare I say climate conditions. We live on an islands influenced by the sea. It'll be back ok if not this winter then another - we hope.


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