Lockdown easing feels like dawn breaking. The drought during home confinement was a frustrating time for many, including those who spend their time dreaming of dry rock and crisp moss on cold north facing mountain crags. When a touch of normality started to return, first forays into the mountains were best kept as local and low-key as possible. Our choice of venue, the quiet buttresses of Beinn Dorain, would in any other circumstance be considered an usual choice for summer climbing but not at the minute. Most commonly climbed on in winter, its north east facing aspect and extensive blanket of vegetation and peppering of loose rock make it one of the finest (and closest) options for the cold weather climber from the central belt. In terms of its summer offering, there is just the one route thats listed, the mysterious line of Scorpion (HVS,5a) which climbs a series of slabs and corners up one of the steeper sections of the face.

Getting information on this climb was as constraining as the residual lockdown rules, with a rough description on the UKClimbing log book pages taken from a discontinued SMC guidebook that's been updated, but the crag excluded..   

The pictures below will take up the story from here. For other people mad enough to give it a look, I've also put a more detailed route description and topo at the end of the blog. 

Ben atop the shattered rib on the first pitch

Ben moving up into the corner on the second pitch. Very bold and quite tough moves lay ahead! 

The famous "4c corner" of Sting, the winter line of Scorpian. Unlike the rest of the route, this pitch is well cleaned and very obvious. The corner is relatively simple, apart from the final move to the ledge! Hence the name! 

Start underneath the obvious shattered and leaning rib, just to the right of the winter line of Kick Start

1) 30m, 4b. Gain the shattered rib from below and climb it on the right, or using the large chimney to its top (loose) to step onto the slab above and a sloping ledge. Belays down on the right.

2) 35m, 5a/5b. Climb leftwards around a small steepening onto a slab, which is followed boldly up a shallow corner to easier ground. Continue upwards to a large ledge, to belay below the obvious right facing corner. 

3) 20m, 4b/4c. Climb the corner which hosts a large crack at the back to a large hanging block, step right and climb the continuation of the crack before making an awkward move back right to a large ledge and belay.

4) 40m, 4a. Step up and left to a ledge and climb a slab trending left, before climbing more direct to the top.

Topo showing the line of Scorpian on Beinn Dorain