Invernookie

The winter season so far this year has been sub-optimal. After a promising and cold start, we’ve been plagued with high winds, warm temperatures, and bugger-all snow. Sub-optimal connies for sending!

Last week – there was a break: low temperatures, low winds, good vis? Uni work was to be cast aside – and the M90 bus to be taken to Aviemore to sample some of Scotland’s finest winter climbing.

Opting to avoid the extortionate cost of youth hostels, campsites, and hotels, we set up our tent in a bush in a secluded corner of Aviemore, just above the A9. Despite the pine forest, we were pitched in, the road noise somewhat damped the ambience of the forest. After watching a movie, we set our alarms early and went to bed.

The next day, alarms blared us into action. Neither one of us had a car, so we snuck into the youth hostel and began asking guests for a lift. After being turned down by a couple of folks, two hillwalkers from the South East agreed to give us a lift to the ski centre – a great success. 

Upon arriving at the ski centre, we were pleased to see there was excellent visibility and blue skies. Ideal.

The snow cover was pretty minimal, making for a quick walk-in. Corrie an Snechda was busy, full of excited climbers and skills groups.

We scoped out our route ahead – a few parties were already on it. After gearing up, we began climbing the straightforward approach slopes. 

The refrozen snow was lovely to climb: easy and secure first time placements enabled swift progress.

We established a belay at the base of the route, and I led the first pitch: an easy but enjoyable snowy ramp leading two more intricate steps. Although the snow was helpful today, the ice was not. A thin layer, about half an inch thick, covered the rocks and was extremely brittle: meaning it was difficult to find secure axe placements and cracks were too icey to allow for good protection. Nevertheless, there was gear out to the side, and the climbing was relatively straightforward. 

Lara took the next pitch – a fiddly little pitch with a couple of difficult steps – a little further from gear than you’d like. The climbing was delightful – involving overcoming two steep bulges.

The third pitch was my highlight: a snow ramp leading to a technical corner with good gear and an exciting finale: a short overhanging wall. A short, technical bridging section overcame this before reaching up for some good hooks over the bulge. Then, I walked my feet up the wall to good ledges and established a belay just above the bulge. This was the highlight of the route for me, and I couldn’t stop smiling at the quality of the climbing.

The next pitch was very different in character—a short groove led to a traverse and then another groove to the top. Lara made short work of this – despite the gear not always being great—a very good lead.

We topped out into the sun. It had been a brilliant day, and as we walked round the top of Snechda to 1141, we had beautiful views across to Shelterstone and across to Beinn a Bhurd and Ben Avon. What a day!