oops ...

Di & Martin headed to the forest of clunie today to meet Louella for some more leg action.

Casualties today included:

1 x rear derailleur
1 x gear hanger
1 x rear skewer

Heather - lethal stuff you know.

Nothing that a big stone with a martin-on-the-end-of, can't fix  - oh, and mr visa :(

Just cancelled 4 days of ski mountaineering work - does look like it is getting cold on Sunday but what we need now is a miracle.

the morangie

We went exploring.

Armed with a map, and a couple of bikes we headed North East.  We started off by doing the Scotsburn - Strathrory drove route and then headed into the Morangie forest.  Highly recommend :)

Must have been an oversight on the map reading department, since wasn't quite prepared for the 7km uphill track back to the car.

Its a good job, we were only wanting a little day!

the very big industry of energy

I would love to put it down to skill, experience and knowledge but I can't.

It was luck, pure luck.

I was asked last year to present a talk to Shell and I chose a day in the winter season between work.  Little did I know back then that it would be almost the perfect week to be based inside in front of a computer.

I have officially given up on winter for the next 3 days and am heading north armed with the mountain bike and the quick draws.

If winter could return next week that would be greatly appreciated.

the big bad ben

On Sunday evening I walked up to the CIC hut to meet up with the boys and girls from Outdoor Research and the Mountain Boot Company.

My camera obviously knew better and decided to remain in the car.

Our rack should have contained:

1 x snorkel for lead climber
1 x pair of rubber marigold's for each climber
1 x rubber ring for each climber

(are you getting the theme?)

My phone obviously had so much fun it has decided to remain in the hut for a few extra days.

OK, that basically means that if you need to get hold of the 'bert you need to call the landline :)

mess of pottage

Only a donkey would forget to take their camera on a beautiful cairngorm day.

An ass would take their camera for a walk on a beautiful cairngorm day without the battery.

Scott & Melissa continued entertaining Di on Jacobs left edge today.  Fantastic condition.

Oh, I was an ass.

No rest for the wicked - driving west for an evening walk up to the CIC :)

a return to winter

If anyone had heard the banter in our team today, you would have thought that it was a reunion of old lost friends.

We managed to walk into the corrie today.

We got blown around the bottom of the corrie today.

We battled our way out of the corrie today.

6 legs still in tact - bonus.

A brutal introduction to the joys of scottish winter climbing (and some times, its just not meant to be) for Melissa and Scott.

Don't think I'll pass the jelly snakes around tomorrow since the team were obviously hyper on E numbers. 

mountain ski leader *tick*

There is only one thing worse than trying to climb in winter when winter is obviously on holiday.

And that is skiing ...

Heather Morning, Richard Bentley, Mark Chadwick and Di have now passed their Mountain Ski Leader Award.  We are now completely proficient in taking groups in the hills with their ski's strapped onto their rucksacks and having the p**s mercifully ripped out of them!

For more about the week click here.

Mega big thanks to Ian Sherrington & Eric Pirie (and Roy Henderson - owner of BASI) who provided an excellent course and to Liz Pirie who probably wondered what had hit her when 4 MIC's were fighting over each other trying to teach her something :)

the theme of the week

wordless (for once) ...

guess the course

what a difference a day makes

Yesterday, we walked out in the mizzle leaving behind us black buttresses and soggy snow.

Couldn't believe our luck when we walked in under blue sky, white buttresses and bullet hard snow.

I changed plans as much as I drink wine - lots.

The reward:  a stellar route (goat track gully, possibly the hardest Grade II I have ever done), amazing views and a very, very happy Joe.

over the back

Took a bit of a gamble today but sometimes you have too.

I would hardly say that Joe and Di climbed Deep Cut Chimney.  It was more like a caving expedition judging by the state of my harness, jacket and trousers.

Wouldn't say that it was in stellar nick, but it was certainly climbable.  

Would benefit greatly from a freeze :)

the $1m question ...

Lets be perfectly honest here, their wasn't loads of routes in nick in the corrie of the people today.

Much more important, Joe has bought a bright red jacket.  OK, it's not OR, but its a nice colour and the OR gloves made up for it.

Very funky clouds in the corrie today.

Where to go tomorrow? Now that really is the $1 million question. 

bloody pineapple

Last weekend I bought a pineapple.

It sat in the house for a few days.

It then drove to the lecht, aberdeen, braemar, pitlochry, aberfeldy, glencoe and fort william.

I am not impressed that I unpacked the bloody pineapple this evening from the car and its now in the original fruit bowl.

I will be making pineapple upside down cake tomorrow!

hurrumph ....

from east to west

After last nights MCofS's lecture on walking off of cornices, it was time to head west.

For the next 2 days I will be training people how not to walk off of cornices and how not to get caught in an avalanche.

I think tomorrow's photo's will be slightly different :)

should have taken the sun glasses

Ski's were activated this morning on a glorious day at the Lecht. 

Not quite enough snow for a tour over the back so laps up and down the edge of the piste it was.

And yes, that is jelly boobs :)

frozen blobs

Armed with climbnow's topo, we decided to head into Cam Chreag on the flank of Meall nan Tarmachan today.

We opted for Knucklebuster Corner.

We should have left all the gear at home since, unless you call blobs of frozen moss and spindly icicles protection, there was none.  Oh, thats not entirely true, I managed to wobble a big hex in at one point and there was a foostie nut in situ.  Thankfully, the turf was frozen, so it wasn't entirely desperate :)

More importantly was the fact the Derek managed to tick off a new munro - yippee.

If I could get a quick ski tour in tomorrow en route to Tiso's Aberdeen for the MCofS winter lecture, that would be a bonus.