What are the two must-do medium grade Winter Mountaineering routes in Scotland?
My love of climbing brought me to Scotland many times - and I finally settled here in 1991 to be closer. My top picks from hundreds of winter and summer routes I have climbed over the years.
Neither of these climbs are for novices, and weather conditions vary greatly, but I’ll start with the easier one:
Staghorn Gully - Coire Adair - Creag Meagaidh (nb, pronounced ‘Craig Meggy’ by most people)
One of the most beautiful winter corries in Scotland, and only viewable by walking in. There are many routes to try, with different grades, and they are all superb classics when in prime condition following a few cold nights.
Grade III - nb, like many climbs in the Highlands, there is a walk in. Start early, and allow 90 minutes from the obvious roadside layby.
Here’s an excellent Youtube video of the climb in quite tricky conditions of snow-melt: personally I dislike waterfalls and prefer a lot more snow and colder conditions to tackle the two top short ice-pitches!
Ben Nevis: Tower Ridge
The overall grade for Tower Ridge in winter is IV technical 3, but this is certainly dependent on conditions. In leaner conditions, the climbing feels more like technical 4. So be prepared to try and be a little more creative in your climbing or pull a little harder. The main thing to remember is that this is a very long day, so stamina is as important as skill.
Ben Nevis is Scotland’s highest summit, and the Tower Ridge dominates the North Face. The winter route is the longest in Scotland, and a fierce challenge that has defeated and benighted many parties over the years. Good stable cold weather, and an early start - ideally from the SMC hut at the very base - is essential.
The Eastern traverse at the half-way point is stunning - here I’m leading the very exposed pitch, whilst my partner, Tom Shaw, provided the belay.
Excellent YouTube videos here. and here .
Tower Gap is a deep gulf between the Tower and the main North Face - and a fascinating technical problem. It is hard to protect, very exposed with vertiginous gullies both sides, and is the key to reaching the upper and easier pitches. Here I am straddling the gap and cheerfully waving my ice-axe for Tom to take the photo, whilst puzzling out how to get around the gap itself, which is formidable! I ended up descending and traversing the frozen slopes on the left centre, rather than confronting the the snowy and hold-less wall in front. I regained the ridge (upper centre) through a tough mixed climb.
Holy crap, those look great! I have this Scottish buddy, a real working glass Glaswegian, so his accent is thick as hell, and when he was first here he was trying to tell us that he’d climbed Ben Nevis and that it was 30,000 feet tall. Now we’ve come to know that Alex likes to lay it on pretty thick, but we didn’t buy this line. Your elevation looks about right! Thanks for sharing