Third time lucky

The far west buttress of Beinn an Dotaidh in prime early season winter condition

We'd walked up to Beinn an Dotaidh twice before and been met with varying degrees of soft turf, bare rock and rain. The disappointment of finding your objective unclimbable is crushing, which is unsurprising given how much you can invest when choosing winter climbing routes. You spend hours and hours studying guidebooks, live weather data, forecasts and social media. After meticulously piecing together the puzzle you then haul yourself up a huge hill only to find out it was all for nothing. Needless to say, winter climbing is always a roll of the dice and conditions in the mountains can change so fast, but it still sucks when things don't go your way.

Luckily for us, this time Storm Bella had delivered the goods in terms of winter climbing conditions. Freezing northerly winds combined with fresh snow had totally plastered many of the hills and high cliffs. This was our third attempt at winter climbing on Beinn an Dotaidh and it was a great relief to finally see everything looking so white and frozen in the early morning light.    

The first route we climbed was Pas De Deux, a grade V,6 which weaves a wandering line on the steep wall overlooking the central gully climbed by Cirrus. The route is described in the SMC Scottish Winter Climbs as a "neo-classic" (whatever that means!) and is one of the few routes at the crag awarded 3 stars so was an obvious choice. The first pitch climbs some turfy grooves with a steep pull to a thread at about 25 m. If you suspect that the turf is not frozen and there isn't much ice or snow this is definitely the point to bail! The next section of the pitch makes a traverse left along a narrowing ledge, where a few small wires can be arranged before a committing step is made up into another groove. The climbing was mostly just awkward steps between sloping foot ledges with nothing for axes other than thin ice used for balance. After this tenuous series of moves a ledge and a peg is reached and offers some relief before further traversing on icy slabs leads to a belay left of a corner. This corner and the next one above it provided further entertainment being a little thuggy, with much of the gear hidden by snow and ice. The guide suggests that a "zig-zag" should then be made to a thread belay overlooking Cirrus, however conditions were icy enough for us to make a more direct line consistent with routes grading and avoiding massive potential rope drag. The last pitch of tricky climbing up an icy chimney and subsequent corner crack is absolutely fantastic. The ice on the lower chimney was good for climbing but too thin for screws, making it quite committing but no less enjoyable. The upper corner itself was steep and broken with ample hooks and gear and more than makes up for the lower pitches being so sketchy. 

Seb teetering on frozen blobs up the crux pitch of Pass De Deux (V,6)

The spectacular upper icy groove and corner beyond near the top of Pass De Deux 

With cold prevailing we returned a few times over the next week or so, climbing a few of the other "classics" of the crag as well as some of the more rarely trodden lines. 

With Pass De Deux in the bag, the obvious choice was to try Menage a' Trois, another V,6 that is allegedly slightly harder but also somewhat safer than the former. The main feature of this route is the 30 m corner that splits the imposing high tower up and right of Cirrus. The corner is accessed via a short wall from the thread belay at the top of the first pitch. I found the easiest line was to climb directly off the thread and make a traverse up and across the wall for about 8 meters. This was surprisingly technical and also had no protection so felt quite committing. Under more icy conditions with more neve I imagine this would feel a lot easier. The upper corner itself was well defined, with several short and sharp crux moves through steeper sections which were interspersed with good rests. The gear was generally quite good, apart from at the upper crux where a bulge pushes you out just before the exit rightwards. This section was covered in a thin layer of water ice covering rock which made for insecure placements and also limited options for protection. I spent quite a while trying different sequences before eventually committing and making a few steep pulls up onto the icy ramp above. The top pitch whilst comparatively straightforward, is very enjoyable grade II/III climbing and shouldn't be missed. 

The compelling corner line of Menage a' Trios (V,6) on Beinn an Dotaidh's far west buttress

Making slow progress up the steep and unprotected wall on the start of the main pitch of Menage a' Trios

Seb negotiating one of the many crux steps on the main corner of Menage a' Trios

On subsequent visits later in the week we also climbed two shy grade IV lines, Clonus and The Skraeling. The former is situated right of Menage a' Trois and climbs another corner system before weaving a devious line through a large roofed section. The lower pitch up to the in-situ belay provided entertaining grade III ice with a few steeper steps too. The second and main pitch climbs a vertical icy groove right of the main corner, which apart from a single size 1 RP in a mossy crack was unprotected and quite committing. After the groove, the lip of the overhang is traversed left back into the corner and up to easier ground and a belay. The traverse was also quite committing for both the leader and the second, and because of the ice draping the entire traverse had a large swing potential. Helps to keep you focused at least!  

The big and beefy icy groove on Clonus (IV,5)

The other route, The Skraeling, is way to the left of West Buttress and climbs up a series of corners capped by large roofs. We opted to miss the easy lower section by traversing in from West Gully and belaying just before the "10 meter traverse" needed to gain the corner system. Ben led this and through the steep turfy wall above in fine style to gain the lower corner and a rather cosy belay on a small ledge. The lower corner was well protected, but the turfy wall was not, so kudos to Ben. The next pitch teeters round an icy overhang into the sustained corner and crux, which is protected by twin pegs. After that the climbing eases a bit and a final steep pull around another roof gains an easier groove which is followed by another pitch to the top. Whilst a bit scrappy in places, The Skraeling was one of the most enjoyable routes at Beinn an Dotaidh with the main corner pitch providing some really good three dimensional climbing in a brilliant position. 

Looking up the line of The Skraeling (IV,5), which tackles the central group of left facing corners

Ben on the first pitch of The Skraeling, moving up towards the turfy wall which enables access to the corners

Approaching the cosy belay below the crux corner

Ben on some of the icy exit grooves high up on The Skraeling

Climbing at Beinn an Dotaidh has been a great experience, with the repeated visits a direct product of travel restrictions making the majority of other crags out of bounds. As its within striking distance of the Stirlingshire / Argyll and Bute boarder, while country restrictions remain in place I've no doubt I'll be back here again sometime soon.    

Looking across at the Blackmount and Glencoe Ski Centre. Happy memories which are missed desperately.