Monday, 31 December 2007

JEBL SAHRO, MOROCCO




Just back from a 2 week guiding trip in Morocco. We were in a relatively unknown area of mountains SE of the High Atlas mountains, Jebl Sahro. Spectacular rock formations and excellent warm, sunny weather.


Forcast here in the Highlands is for snow by Wednesday so hopefully we'll be back to some good winter conditions soon.

Happy New Year!

Saturday, 15 December 2007

MOROCCO


Looks like the next few days will be cold and dry over much of The Highlands. There is limited snow cover but what there is should be good.

I'm off guiding in Morocco the next couple of weeks.

Merry Christmas!

Monday, 10 December 2007

TARMACHAN, NE RIDGE





A fabulous day on The Tarmachans today. It was glorious blue skies all day over the southern and central Highlands. A cold N wind, strong in morning died down by the afternoon. Snowline was at 750m and temps just above freezing.




John,Kate, Ian, Peter and I were enjoying the wonderful winter conditions. After the excellent NE ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan we traversed over the ridge to Meall Garbh and Beinn nan Eachan.




Lots of snow, enjoy the fabulous day again tomorow!

Sunday, 9 December 2007

BEINN HEASGARNICH



It was hard going breaking trail today on Beinn Heasgarnich after yesterdays snowfall and drifting. Paul and I headed up to the summit in near white out conditions, with a cold, moderate Northerly wind and odd snow shower. Map, compass and ski goggles a must for anyone on the hills today! Looks like great conditions over the next few days

Saturday, 8 December 2007

WINTER SKILLS, NORTH RIDGE TARMACHAN




Another wild ,wonderful winter's day today. Gillian & Jill were on a winter skills course. We covered movement on snow & ice and steep ground as we worked our way up Meall nan Tarmachan's brilliant North ridge. There was some excellent water ice in places and some fresh, windblown snow as well as patches of old neve. It was virtually poor visability all day with a very strong SE winds and constant snow showers.


Looks like great winter conditions next few days, snow showers and by mid week a Scandanavian high pressure bringing cold & clear periods.

Friday, 7 December 2007

WINTERS BACK, AGAIN



After a couple of wet & mild days in The Highlands, the NW airflow is back again bringing constant snow showers today. I was in the North corrie of Beinn Ghlas checking out the snow conditions. It was a wild day, constant light snowfall on a very strong NW with a 900m cloudbase, great stuff!


Tomorrow is forcast snow again so should be good for Sunday and into next week.

Monday, 3 December 2007

CAM CREAG




I was on Tarmachan today. Ascended a gully on Cam Creag which is a great wee spot with lots of easy winter climbing gullies and crags. The snow is still un consolidated and soft but still lots of it down to 800m. There was a very strong, cold NW gusting to 50mph on the tops with high wind chill. Sunny spells though and great day to be out.

Sunday, 2 December 2007

WINTERY BEN LAWERS




Beautiful day today around Killin. Tom & I were up on Ben Lawers. We started from Tombreck and took a direct line up the South face of the hill, finishing on the SW ridge. This is a wonderful feature of the hill and great spot for snow shelters. Went iover to Beinn Ghlas then headed down it's SE corrie.


Excellent snow at 800m, hpefully it'll hold on through the week.


It was disturbing to note I passed about 20 folk between Lawers and Ghlas, most of whom had trekking poles but not a single ice axe to be seen on their rucksacks, mmmm.



Saturday, 1 December 2007

HENS ORIENTEERING



Today was a fun day of activity for a group of 15 women on their Hen weekend in Killin. I set up a orienteering course on ron a Chlachain, just above Killin village. They had 'challanges' to do at the check points, I'll let you decide what they were by the pictures! Great fun with some great sense of humour girls.


There is a covering of snow on the hills above 600m, looking good.

Thursday, 29 November 2007

STUCHD AN LOCHAIN



John & I were on Stuchd an Lochain today. We went up the attractive North ridge from Loch an Daimh. It was a cold day with strong NW winds and some squally snow showers. There is a light covering of snow above 800m and the high summits are looking good. With constant fronts coming over the Highlands the next few days, bringing snow, it should look quite wintery.

Friday, 23 November 2007

WINTER!



Beautiful winter day today. Kate & I had a dawn start up Meall Corranaich from the Ben Lawers Centre. We took a nice line up a shallow gully, a favourite route of mine. There was an excellent covering of snow from 800m, getting better all the way to the summit. There were quite a few deep spots and some icy, frozen snow around the summit slopes, wonderful!

Tuesday, 20 November 2007

MEALL NAN TARMACHAN

It was a grey day on the Tarmachans today. A cold, light easterly wind with soft snow lying above 900m. There was only a glimpse of The Lawers group inbetween low cloud and a few wet snow showers.

Looks like staying unsettled but cold with snow showers right through till next week as a northerly airflow is forcast, winter as maybe arrived?

Thursday, 15 November 2007

BEN LAWERS




It was a beautiful morning today with a temperature inversion on Loch Tay. This is when the cloud sinks low into the glen with clear skies above. I was on Ben Lawers & Ben Ghlas, going up the SSE ridge of Lawers. There was snow and ice on the East and North aspects, ground frozen too so quite wintery conditions on the high tops, be careful out there!

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

SETTLED WEATHER & SNOW ON THE HILL


It's been lovely settled weather the last couple of days with some beautiful Autumn sunshine. There was a dusting of snow and even ice on Ben Ledi yesterday as we had a short day out on the hills. Ben Lawers and Ben More above Crianlarich looked wintery above 1000m this morning.


Winter on it's way!

Tuesday, 13 November 2007

SIERRA NEVADA, SPAIN


I have just returned from a 2 week trip to the mountains of Sierra Nevada in the south of Spain. This is a wonderful area for walking, quiet, unspoilt and beautiful whitewashed villages for accomodation during a stay. The weather was superb, mostly blue skies and 25 degrees centegrade at sealevel, very pleasent on the summits which reach to 3480 metres.

Tarmachan Mountaineering will be running a 1 week trip there in June 2008. Check the webpage soon for details!

Saturday, 20 October 2007

NAVIGATION, MEALL CORRANAICH


Anne & Bill were on a navigation course today. We went up from the Visitor Centre at Ben Lawers to the South ridge of Meall Corranaich. The weather was warm and the tops were clear of cloud. Near the summit we saw about 100 Field fare birds and a Golden Plover. The stags were again bellowing away below us.

BEN VORLICH, STUC A CHROIN, BEINN EACH


It was a fine Autumn day on theses Munro's south of Loch Earn. Kate and I had a good traverse from Ardvorlich House to Loch Lubnaig. The stags were roaring away all day in the corries and glens below us.

Thursday, 18 October 2007

BEN LUI




John, Ian , Peter and I were on Ben Lui & Ben Oss today. We cycled in from Dalry to the foot of Ben Lui. It was a clear, sunny start but the cloud came in by early afternoon. The coluors are wonderful at the moment, even spotted a few flowers still surviving.

Tuesday, 16 October 2007

NAVIGATION COURSE

Linda was on a one day navigation course today. We were on Meall Tarmachan, in the northern corrie. The colours of Autumn on the hills are superb at the moment.

Forgot to take the camera!

Monday, 15 October 2007

3 PEAKS CHALLANGE


I had a group of 11 from London attempting to get to the top of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours. We had some wet weather on the summits but very mild. Snowdon was done in daylight and we did the others at night.

MARSCO, SKYE


Isobelle and Anje had a wonderful day on a wee hill on Skye, the clouds parted just as we got to the summit. A great wee hill at only 730m but with a wonderful ridge and great views of the Cuillin ridge

TORRIDON,SKYE & 3 PEAKS CHALLANGE




Its been a busy and enjoyable couple of weeks work for me away up north. I was guiding in the most beautiful part of Scotland, Torridon. Howard got to the top of his 200th Munro on Beinn Eighe. He as major heart surgary a few years ago and only 18 months ago he had a hip replacement operation, and he his still climbing Munro's!

Thursday, 27 September 2007

BEN CRUACHAN




Peter & I were on Ben Cruachan today. It was a glorious clear star to the day, some high cloud later. This is one of the best ridge walks in the Highlands. It was the first day I heared the stags 'roaring' this Autumn

Sunday, 23 September 2007

BACK



Back home last week after a great Summer in The Alps. The weather was varied, Mont Blanc region had a poor Summer but I was over in The Valais region of Switzerland a lot of the time and had some brilliant hot & sunny days.

Yesterday I had a group on Ben Nevis, it was cloudy but dry.

Here are some pics from my Summer in The Alps to brighten the dull weather we have at the moment.

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

ALPINE SUMMER


I will be away guiding in The Alps this summer from 24th June till mid September 2007.

Enjoy The Scottish Summer and Tarmachan Mountaineering will be back soon!

Tuesday, 19 June 2007

NAVIGATION


Caroline was on a navigation course with me today. We were on Meall Corranaich in excellent nav course weather, ie low cloud conditions and a bit of wind & rain thrown in. It was a quiet day, no one on our hill. We covered all aspects of mountain navigation.

Monday, 18 June 2007

BEN NEVIS





Last Saturday I was guiding Christina, Sasiska and Ilnami on Ben Nevis, as always lots of folk out. In complete contrast I was out in Ardgour with Robert & Laurence on Sunday and we never saw a sole. We went up Stob Mhic Bheathain and Meall Mhor above Cona Glen. No paths but excellent walking and great views as we were out of the cloud all day.