It was not the winter we all hoped for. Dreams of a repeat of last years seemingly endless abundance of thick chewy ice weekend after weekend were crushed following a week of high summer in February, but it wasn't until March when everything was stripped again that all hopes of getting some descent stuff ticked were truly thwarted. However, even amidst all the heartache and longing, the cold was around for long enough to whiten the cliffs just enough for a few mad but sucessful missions.

Fresh snow and swirling winds were apparently loading slopes left right and center. The solution to this debacle was to go somewhere that would be high enough to be well within winters grip but also that minimized the amount of time we'd be wondering through risky terrain. Ben Cruachan and its Munro height winter corrie seemed to fit the bill nicely. Perhaps the classic of the crag, Tainted Elixir, proved to be a worthy adversary being buried under a considerable layer of powder and cruddy ice which made it earn all of its grade of V,6. The next day we went in search of more adventure in the Loch Avon basin. Unfortunately the snow conditions weren't playing ball, looking extremely loaded on our descent aspect. It also didn't help that it was thigh deep in places making for some spectacularly long stints of wading and crawling. In the end we opted for Wobble Block Chimney (IV,5), which apart from the top pitch was pretty average and only just worth the walk.   

The approach up past the very eerie Cruachan dam

Rafe battling through pretty challenging conditions on Tainted Elixir (V,6)

Topping out in the storm (still!)

Wobble Block Chimney (IV,5)

The final outing of the season was a big one. With a return to cold conditions due to be followed immanently by some substantial warming we grasped the opportunity by both hands and rode it all the way to the north face of Ben Nevis. The route of choice was Point 5 Gully. It was always going to be a long shot based on just how little snow and cold there had been this year and so it was pretty sad (but unsurprising) to see gaping holes in the ice on the first pitch. Not to be dismayed, we opted for our second choice, Observatory Ridge (V,4) which was thankfully coated in snow and ice from top to bottom. After quickly dispatching the difficulties lower down, we found ourselves enjoying a particularly calm and settled day on the well consolidated upper ridge with wicked views and brilliantly hard and chewy neve. Its perhaps a bit unfair on OR to call it a consolation prize, as at nearly 500 m long, its one of the biggest routes on the Ben and was a major undertaking. We left Stirling at 3am and didn't get back until after midnight with the route alone taking nearly 8 hours. The next week it got warm and that was that. 

Not a bad morning view

Looking up one of the crux grooves on Observatory Ridge (V,4)

Seb high on Obervatory Ridge, just before joining Zero Gully