Underrated exploration

Blackmount and Loch Tulla seen from Beinn Achaladair

The Blackmount is often seen but arguably little explored. This foreboding range of hills in the northern extremity of Argyll and Bute is well viewed from the A82 as it crosses Rannoch Moor from Bridge of Orchy through to Glencoe, but a combination of long approaches and rough mountainous terrain tend to put off all but the most intrepid. 

One of the most iconic peaks of this range, Stob Ghabhar, hides away behind smaller hills but can be teased into view by following the winding road around the side of Loch Tulla. Unfortunately for us the lazy winter sun was yet to stir, with our field of vision constrained to the circle or torchlight on the ground in front. As we climbed higher up the hill the morning drizzle turned quickly to snow and the ground became hostile and frozen. Coming here was a risk, but considering more promising venues were strictly out of bounds, this was the best option we had and so it was with great relief that arriving at the crag we found a winter wonderland. 

The tops of the mountains in Scotland can be a wild and unforgiving place in winter, but are always worth the effort

Our objective was the rarely visited east face, to climb a line that until recently I thought hadn't yet seen a winter ascent. Capricorn is a rock climb graded Diff, and climbs the bounding rib right of the Upper Couloir, a renowned mountaineering classic grade II gully.  It transpired Capricorn received a winter ascent in 2000 and was graded IV,4, but very little information existed on that ascent and nothing on anything done subsequently.

The face itself is accessed from the col, just short of the summit cairn and so has a fairly long (not to mention high) approach compared to a lot of Scottish winter crags. A short traverse under the lower crags on the southern side eventually lead to the gully and the rib itself. 

The first pitch is open to some interpretation, however we started up the left side of the lowest part of the buttress climbing a shallow groove with some bold and delicate moves before the angle eases and a corner is reached. After a step left, more corners and grooves are followed to a thread belay just before a sharpening of the arete (~40 m). The next pitch climbs the arete, which becomes well defined and is akin to a slightly harder version of Dorsal Arete over in Glencoe (another ~40 m). The last pitch climbs easy snow to the top, just below the summit (~20 m). 

Ben on the second pitch of Capricorn (IV,4) on Stob Ghabhar

Ben getting onto easier ground on the lower pitch of Capricorn

The final pitch, with fabulous arete seen in behind

 

The route was definitely worthy of its grade IV, with no particularly hard moves. We had some useful neve and good frozen turf, but cracks were often blind and few and far between. None the less, the route was easily comparable in quality to some of the better routes in the northern corries or in the Lochan in Glencoe and deserves at least 2 stars.  

A very idyllic setting in the glens below the Blackmount