2 Day Winter Skills Course.
Day 1 - Windy forecast so stayed relatively close to the car. Parked at Ciste Car Park and headed on a journey looking at various skills along the way around Coire Ciste before heading up the Creagan Dubh ridge to look at the small drift area for some emergency shelters, then on to NW slopes just to the W of Coire Laogh Mor for some ice axe arrest practice. Descended back down the ridge, wind starting to pick up.
Day 2 - Poor forecast, wet and windy so opted to stay low and sheltered. Headed out from Glenmore Lodge, out towards Ryvoan Bothy looking at a few navigational techniques, a bit of micro nav around there then over to a nice big drift at 016,105 to revisit shelters and ice axe arrest.
Group of 3, Belinda from Jersey who had done lots of guided trips and was prepping for Elbrus and 2 Irish Army lads, independent climbers who want to progress on to winter stuff. Managed to teach them some new nav techniques despite one of them being a navigation instructor!
Area :
The Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are ‘a little piece of the arctic in Scotland’ according to the SMC Munros Guide and the area contains many of the tallest peaks in the East Highlands. Ben Macdui (1309m), Cairn Gorm (1244m) and Braeriach (1296) are probably three of the better known and the whole area is full of steep corries and high plateaux. Access to the mountains is typically from Aviemore or Braemar.
