25th Jan 2018 - After the 100 mph winds of the past few days today turned into a lovely calm sunny day for Katie and Chris's intro to winter skills and guided climbing taster.
Katie had previously done a BMC winter skills course but as there was no snow they didn't get a chance to practise ice axe arrests or cramponing on snow or ice!
On the plus side they had practised in the deep soft snow during the high winds and thaw and had cramponed on some railway sleepers and were both trad rock climbers.
Following several days of impossibly wild weather and fluctuating temperatures I'd postponed the guiding for a few days and we were rewarded on Thursday with good winter climbing conditions though the upper sections of some of the gullies still have areas of soft slab to watch out for.
We climbed and dug out the belays on Jacob's Ladder RHS and Right Edge which was in excellent condition until the last 10 metres or so. I was grateful of my Petzl Sum'tec axe as I could plunge it up to the hilt as I cleared a path through slab and up to and over the small cornice on Jacob's RHS.
The snow on the plateau is firm and crusty so would not be so nice for skiing on but good though a bit tiring for walking.
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