Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms. Allen Fyffe

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      Early morning light on the approach to Creag Meagaidh (photo: Steve Fortune)

      The size and scale of the crags and the approaches make the ability to navigate essential even for a visit to the closest of the cliffs. Bad weather can occur at any time, with winds of over 100mph being common, and gusts well in excess of that speed often being encountered. Gale-force winds may blow continually for days or even weeks at a time. Much of the high plateau is featureless, and in a white-out accurate navigation is sometimes needed to find the cliff – and more is often required to find the way back after the climb. To climb safely in this area requires sound winter-mountaineering skills.

      Checking the weather forecast before setting off is an essential precaution. It can be obtained from most daily papers, the radio or television. However, the best source of mountain weather information is probably the internet. The Mountain Weather Information Service (www.mwis.org.uk) and the Met Office (www.metoffice.gov.uk) both provide free mountain weather forecasts, which can be accessed online and on some mobile phones.

      Many climbers and instructors have a blog or conditions page. These tend to be regularly updated and can be a great source of information on climbing conditions. Less specific to climbing, but useful for an overall picture of weather and snow conditions, are the web pages of the ski areas. Cairn Gorm, The Lecht and Glen Shee ski areas all have webcam images and snow and weather reports on their pages. There is a weather station on the summit of Cairn Gorm, which can be a very useful source of real-time weather information. The SAIS avalanche reports and blogs (www.sais.gov.uk) are another useful source.

Routes and Grades

      The usual winter-climbing two-tier grading system has been used in this guide. The first grade, a Roman numeral, indicates the overall difficulty of the route. This gives some indication of seriousness. The second, an Arabic number, indicates the technical difficulty of the climbing.

      Grade I

      Uncomplicated snow climbs that have no pitches under average conditions. However, cornice difficulties may be encountered, there can be dangerous run-outs, and the avalanche hazard is often high in the snowy confines of a Grade I gully.

      Grade II

      Gullies that have individual or minor pitches or high angled snow. Cornices can be difficult. Also the easiest buttresses under winter conditions.

      Grade III

      Gullies that contain ice in quantity. There is normally one big pitch and often several smaller ones. The buttresses are fairly sustained.

      Grade IV

      Routes of sustained technical difficulty. Short vertical steps or longer sections of 60–70° ice expected in gullies. Buttresses require a good range of climbing techniques or are long and sustained.

      Grade V

      Climbs that are difficult, sustained and generally serious. On ice climbs long, steep and sustained pitches are to be expected. Buttresses require winter techniques such as axe hooking and torquing, combined with competent rock-climbing ability.

      Grade VI

      Ice climbs have long vertical sections or are thin and tenuous. Buttress climbs include everything in Grade V, but there is more of it.

      Grade VII

      Usually buttress or face routes that are very sustained or technically extreme. If ice is involved, it is extremely steep and/or thin.

      Grade VIII and above

      Very hard and sustained mixed routes. By the time you are considering this sort of grade, you should have a fair idea what is involved.

      The technical grades, which are given by the Arabic number, are based on the technical difficulty found on ice routes of Grades III, IV and V. The Roman number indicates the overall difficulty of leading the route, taking into account the seriousness, technical problems, protection, route finding, sustained nature, etc. The system is similar to the way adjectival and technical grades are used to grade rock climbs. In this way a V,4 would be a technically easy but serious Grade V route, probably on ice; V,5 would be a classic ice route with adequate protection; V,6 likely to be a classic buttress route – harder but better protected than a V ice route: V,7 would be a technically very difficult climb but with a short crux and good protection. It is unlikely that the technical grade will vary by more than two from the overall grade.

      Grades are given for average conditions, which may or may not exist. A big build-up of snow may make gully climbs easier but buttresses harder, as more clearing is required to find holds and protection. The grades of some routes can vary dramatically, and on some of the harder climbs occasionally conditions are such that even classic routes may be one or even two grades easier than that given. The absence or presence of even one good placement can make a big difference to the difficulty of some climbs. Occasionally a split grade is used in the lower grades to indicate a climb whose difficulty varies according to the build-up – such as when pitches disappear to give easier climbing, often later in the season.