Shieldaig intro scrambing

The guys were out with Jim today.  Weather conditions suggested that a day on the crag in Shieldaig was in order.  By the end of the day Chris, Philip, Tom and Gareth were setting up their own abseils from the crag above the school.  They also worked on basic ropework, finding natural anchors and managing stances.  I’m looking forward to hearing what they get up to in the Spring…

Jim Sutherland

nineonesix-guiding

Beinn Eighe

Despite the lack of snow and the poor weather forecast Chris, Tom, Gareth and Philip had an excellent day on Beinn Eighe. Basics were refreshed in Coire an Laoigh before making our way up a broad gully on the north side to the summit of Spidean Coire nan Clach.  The team used a combination of bucket seats and buried axe snow anchors to belay each other on the way up. For the descent we built a snow bollard and abseiled over the small cornice at the head wall of the corrie.

blog by Dunc Maclennan

www.nineonesix.co.uk

MRCofS winter rigging course at Lochaber.

At the weekend I was working on an Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland winter rigging course at Lochaber.  Teams from all over Scotland attended and were made very welcome by Lochaber MRT during the weekend.  To see some more photos please visit the MRCofS website, or Torridon MRT website.

Jim Sutherland

Adventure Malta in the Cairngorms 2012

At the end of last month return clients, Silvio and Nico came back over from Malta for some private guiding with Nathan.  They both did Fiacaill Couloir in Coire an-t Sneachda before returning to prepare for an overnight expedition in The Cairngorms.  During their four days with nineonesix-guiding Silvio and Nico experienced winter climbing; revised their winter skills learnt last season, camped in one of the high corries and finally practiced building snow shelters.

If you’d like to see more photos from this trip please visit Silvio’s Adventure Malta facebook page.

More or less straight after these four days Nathan headed over to Kintail to meet more of the nineonesix-guiding team for their third Winter Meet with University of Stirling Mountaineering Club.  This has been posted earlier by Ian but I’d like to take the opportunity of thanking Niall and the rest of the students for choosing us once again.  We all agree that it is important for students in university mountaineering clubs to have appropriate instruction in winter.

Back across in Torridon nineonesix-guiding is ready to make the best of winter conditions as and when they appear.  At the end of this month we have clients booked on a winter Munros course.  Mid- March we have a Torridon Winter Skills course booked at Torridon Youth Hostel with the SYHA.  Cambridge University Mountaineering Club will then be joining us in The Cairngorms for their second winter meet.

There are still plenty of opportunities for winter climbing, mountaineering, Munros or intro- skills.  Get in touch to arrange something with one of our winter MLs or MICs.

Jim Sutherland

nineonesix-guiding

Stirling Uni Winter meet 2012 – Kintail

The nineonesix team were out again for another year with Stirling University Mountaineering Club at the start of their annual winter meet, this year in Kintail, for two days of winter skills and winter climbing.

The weather gods smiled on us and we had two days of perfect scottish winter. The four teams split up and covered most of the South Cluanie ridge on day one, finding great conditions for introducing the use of crampons and Ice axes, with some fresh snow on top of a nice hard base.

On day two Nathan took two of the students for a winter climbing adventure on the North West face of Anoach an Chrith. They found perfect frozen turf on Micah Shist special, grade III.

For more pictures check out the Gallery