I had a great day climbing with Mark in the Cairngorms a couple of weeks ago. We did The Message and then Honeypot, both superb 3* mixed lines! Great to get a few routes done in the space of a day.
Then it rained a lot and we couldn't climb for about a week, I ended up going home to visit family for a few days. Eventually the sun came back but I also happened to be working, I did manage an eveing climbing at Polldubh with Jack which felt great to get back on real rock.
The conditions were really good and settled but on my day off the cloud came in and shrouded most of the Ben. Regardless, Brodie, Mark and myself headed up and did Observatory Ridge. This was another brilliant icy mixed line, alpine feeling in both climbing and size. We pitched some stuff at the bottom and then soloed a bit which turned out to be slightly sketchy, then moved together and then pitched the last few bits of Zero Gully to top out. We got back to the car at 8pm and realised we had been on the go for 12 hours, a big day out!
I had to work the next day but the day after was forecast wall to wall sunshine. Cameron and myself headed up towards the Ben with the intention of doing Point 5, and as expected it was mobbed. We then headed round towards the Little Brenva Face but the sun was melting and dislodging lots of ice so we ran back round into Observatory Gully. The superb line of Smiths just jumped out at us and had no one on it. Cameron had a bit of history with this so we went and got on it. Quite simply put, it was the best winter route I have ever done. The route, the history, the reuptation, everything about it is classic. I don't know how Robin Smith did it with one axe. We topped out into sunshine and I didn't stop smiling for the entire walk out, and I'm probably still buzzing about it just now!
Out again tomorrow, forecast looks good so keen for another classic line. Maybe something a touch easier though...
Mark on the crux of the Message
Myself on the upper corner of The Message
The first pitch of Observatory Ridge
Looking towards Gardyloo Buttress and Smith's route
Looking down the first pitch
Psyched at the top out!!!
Great conditions to be out in!
