Cold and sunny Autumn winter climbing (update)!

A good start to my winter season climbing with Andy Nisbet and a couple of great mixed routes in the bag. Andy's been out over the past week or so and has already climbed Opening Break, Hidden Chimney Direct, Pygmy Ridge and Fingers Ridge. We saw climbers on many of the harder rock and ridge routes. Just a few cm of snow and no deep drifting mean the easier routes and snow gully's and ice routes aren't filled in and are NOT in condition yet though the rockier lines ARE!

On the steep upper section of Cruising (photo by Andy Nisbet)

Cairngorm summit & Fingers Ridge

Marcus Peabody & Lib Southgate on Fingers Ridge!

The weather was just perfect today with some good ice, frozen turf and just a light dusting of snow. Some pockets of thick ice in places and a fair bit of firmish snow on the plateau and what looked like complete cover towards Ben MacDui? See also Helen Rennie's album from today, showing conditions on the plateau for skiers here

Andy on upper Western Rib

Good snow and ice (photo by Marcus Peabody)

Thick ice developing in places!

We climbed Cruising (V,5) first and then headed back up via a mixed start of Goat Track Gully and onto a scenic Western Rib (III). There's surprisingly good ice in Goat Track Gully's cul de sac and at RHS variation start though not at the normal start!

Lots of photos on the Talisman Mountaineering Facebook album here and video of the climbing is now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5NEb35VX0o&feature=youtu.be