It's become a regular and very enjoyable fixture in my diary - road tripping round Scotland climbing stunning and classic lines with Rob & Jude. After last years soggy experience it was great to find some dry rock and get some serious mileage in. This years ticklist included Agags Groove & Grooved Arete on the imposing Rannoch Wall, Archer Ridge & Quiver Rib in Glencoe, Savage Slit in the Cairngorms, the Classic Rock trio of Cicoh Direct, Arrow Route & Integrity on Skye, Tower Ridge on the Ben and a wet adventure up the iconic Clachaig Gully - 9 Classic Rock routes and 27 stars :) 

A quick hit to Scotland allowed us to tick off one of the classic Scottish canoe journeys. Just a few miles from the west coast the waters of Rannoch Mor begin their long journey east reaching tidal waters at Perth. It's a long shuttle but putting on beneath the peaks of Glencoe and paddling north into the wilderness was a stunning start to our adventure. Water levels were low so it was a bit of a scrape once we left Loch Ba and headed down the River Gaur with plenty of poling and lining. Our first camp was on the shores of Loch Eigeach just before the first of a number of portages around the various hydro electric dams.
Geoff (MWIS) had promised us westerlies to speed us on our way but as we paddled out on to the 15km Loch Rannoch we were fighting into a strong headwind. We put our heads down and were making steady if unspectacular progress until the Cairoch where the wind began to change. Thirty minutes later we pulled over and the sailing rig went up. The rest of the loch flew past as we relaxed in the sun, our speed topping out at 9kmh. The final job of the day was a four kilometre portage to access the Tummel river system and our camp amongst the daffodils at the head of Loch Tummel.
Breakfast the next day was a leisurely affair as we sailed the length of the loch in perfect conditions. Past the dam we enjoyed the white water of the lower Tummel. Getting off line I capsized but somehow managed to flick the boat upright and paddled to the bottom in a swamped canoe without a swim. We portaged a bony looking Falls of Tummel  and a few minutes later joined the River Tay. Our pace was slowed by dodging round the many fly fisherman but there were no problems to report and everyone seemed to be enjoying the spring like conditions. Our final camp was just north of Dunkeld in a small grove of trees.
Our final day brought the only rain of the trip with a short but torrential cold front soaking us. Spirits were raised as we floated past a pair of ospreys on their nest and we made good progress towards the tidal waters of Perth. The rapids at Campsie Linne and Stanley gave good sport before the final few flat miles and the east coast. Even the final shuttle wasn't too onerous snd didn't detract from a great journey across Scotland

A final few days at the end of my Scottish winter season gave a mixed bag of conditions, weather and routes. After a year off the Irish crew arrived for a quick hit coming away with ascents of the Douglas Boulder SW Ridge (IV 5) and a very snowy swim up Western Rib (III) on the west face of Aonach Mor. With the turbo thaw back in action my final day on Curved Ridge was almost alpine with a leisurely picnic on Crowberry Tower and a cloud inversion on top.

Winter conditions are slowly developing in Scotland. We got a bit of everything this week as a couple of storms blew through but they left a good covering of snow on the hills. I was back out with Rob & Jude who have now amassed plenty of Scottish winter experience but are always up for an adventure.
Sunday saw us having a crack at Summit Buttress Ordinary Route IV 5 in Stob Coire Nan Lochain. Unfortunately the snow was insulating the turf and it wasn't remotely frozen meaning we had to bail. Unfrozen turf seems to be a real problem on the west coast at the moment so we headed east looking for better conditions. An early start saw us battle against the spindrift avalanches on Opening Break IV 5 in the Northern Corries. Topping out on to the plateau in to 80mph winds was an interesting experience and it was a good team effort to get back to the van safely.
Unsurprisingly the bodies and psyche had taken a bit of a battering so Tuesday saw us hiding in the Ice Factor pushing our ice and dry tooling grades and drinking plenty of coffee.
Wednesday was looking like the best day of the week so we broke trail up on to the Aonach Eagach III. We were soon joined by a few other parties on what was a very enjoyable traverse along the snow plastered ridge. Our final day saw us push tired limbs up onto the Ballachulish Dragons Tooth II. A new route for me but one that has become very popular in the last couple of years and had seen plenty of traffic the previous day. A great day out on continually interesting ground and amazing views from the summit to finish the week.

I've just spent 3 days with Raj & UKML developing his skills for a forthcoming ice climbing trip to Rjuken. he's a very proficient rock climber so it was all about winterising his systems and introducing him to steep ice. Ice and indeed winter are somewhat lacking in the Cairngorms at present but we found some great little venues in the northern corries to workshop the various skills. Day 1 we made a scrambly ascent of the Fiacaile Ridge looking at building belays in winter. The surprising amount of ice on the Goat Track also allowed us to develop the Raj's movement skills offering a few steep bulges for front pointing. The second day saw us expolring the various ice streaks on the Great Slab. The right hand start to the coulior gave us a full 50m pitch of Gr IV ice perfect for placing ice screws and lots of climbing.
Finally we returned to Sneachda and the small ice / mixed climbing venue below the Fiacaille  and expolred the limits of ice tools and crampons on the different mediums.

Winter conditions in 2017 have been a wee bit fickle. There's been a reasonable amount of snow but successive thaws have continually stripped the hills meaning that there is no base and lots of loose rock around. Nonetheless with a bit of imagination and lateral thinking there's always an adventure to be had. Regulars Rob & Jude were back for another week on the west coast moving up the grades and climbing classics.
Sunday saw us on a warm and wet Ben Nevis enjoying the delights of No 2 Gully. There was a surprising amount of good ice where needed and the screws were needed. After an atmospheric climb we topped out going from winter to summer in a couple of steps. I think we were the only team to log a route on UKC that day!
We tried heading east one day coming away with an ascent of Hidden Chimney Direct (IV 5) in Sneachda. The route was well verglassed and rime was developing as we started but we narrowly failed to beat the freezing level to the top of the crag as things turned warm again.
Overnight snow gave our final day a proper wintery feel. We broke trail into Stob Coire Nan Lochain and swam up Raeburns Route (IV 4). There were copious amounts of spindrift & grauphal being moved by the wind and we triggered a small slide on the approach but once established on the route things calmed down a bit and we enjoyed a great climb.