Winter Climbing in Aonach Mor and Buachaille Etive Mor
February 10 & 11, 1999

Aonach Mor ("big hill"), at 4,005 feet, is one of the highest peaks in Scotland. Aonach Mor is located east of Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg. With its companion mountain Aonach Beag, the two present a long and impressive high ridge from north to south.

Our target for the day were the series of granite cliffs along the east face of the mountain. To cut out another long, tedious approach from the valley, we decided to take the gondolas two-thirds of the way up the mountain. From the gondola station, it was another 45 strenuous minutes of hiking up steep slopes, made worse by the presence of snowboarders and skiers zooming by us on ski tows.

To get to the base of the climb, we had to descend a corniced gully (Easy Gully) and traverse northwards to Coire An Lochain, on the north-east face of Aonach Mor. The climbs were rather colorfully named (seemingly a tradition in the climbing community): Temperance Union Blues, Gondola with the Wind, Tunnel Vision, etc. We opted for Muddy Waters, a short but steep Grade III/IV mixed climb.

(Above: Checking out the condition of Easy Gully's cornice)

The first 20 meters or so of the descent was on almost vertical slope, and I had to make full use of both my ice axes.

(Above: Descending the steep section of Easy Gully)

Seconding on the climb up Muddy Waters, I had to wait for quite a while as Rob set up the protection. Although short, the route called for some tricky moves; in places one had to make do with shaky footholds and total reliance on the strength of the picks' placement in the frozen turf. Arms burning, I huffed and puffed my way up the route. On my subsequent belay, I watched in horror as Rob, in taking in the rope, made a jerky tug which caught one of my axes, flipping it up in the air. The axe landed on a rounded piece of rock just beneath my reach, where it balanced precariously for a few moments before I made a lunge at it, in much the same manner I used to catch frogs as a kid. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, and taking one last look at how far I would have had to come down to retrieve the axe had it fallen all the way down, I finished the last pitch rather uneventfully.

February 11, 1999: Buachaille Etive Mor

For my last day of climbing in the area, we went back to the mountains southeast of Glencoe, this time to Buachaille Etive Mor ("big herdsman of Etive"), specifically its 3,352-foot peak, Stob Dearg.

The route we decided on was a classic Grade II/III route, Curved Ridge, offering what is generally considered the best mixed Alpine-type route in the area.

(Below: The route up Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor)

(Below: Climber attempting nearby Crowberry Ridge)

(Above: An ice pitch leading to the ridge)

The climb was mostly an exercise in one's skills to climb rime-covered rocks with crampons on, kind of like trying to find secure footholds on stilletos. I didn't use my axe too much, except to knock loose balled-up snow higher up the climb.

(Above: A most welcome tea break halfway up the climb)

(Below: The final push to the summit from beneath Crowberry Tower)

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Last Updated: February 28, 1999