‘1984’ is an E5 6b summer route on Flat Crags and climbs the huge bottomless groove that is situated on the eastern corner of the crag.

With many visits to Bowfell and Flat Crags I often walked under this route and always tried to imagine how it would go in winter, it was obvious that the entry to the hanging groove was going to be hard but the eye catching groove itself always looked like it would provide great winter climbing in an amazing position.  So taking the detour up to the base of Flat Crags a couple of times and looking up the pitch it clearly had cracks and slots that would provide potentially good, and very steep winter climbing, so I decided to give it a try…

This was a few years ago and it wasn’t until the following year that I was able to get up with Steve to have a look.  Many many visits were made with this route as a possibility but ended with climbing on Bowfell and North Buttress as Flat Crags were not in condition.  Having walked past the crag many times, usually in winter when conditions were good, we knew that whilst the top corner is often snowed up or frosted, the steep sheltered roof section and below doesn’t often look white or iced…  So when we arrived to find the crag white and the overhanging wall beneath frosted I decided to give it a go.  This attempt failed as I ran out of steam and couldn’t get through the steep crux moves which involved high heel hooking and pulling up on a couple of very thin hooks whilst carrying a large winter rack.  I lowered off a nut and retrieved the gear.  Last season, despite a lot of watching I failed to find the crag in condition, it was not the best winter for the Lakes generally and many of the reliable venues were in condition much less than normal.

So over the last week the Lakes has seen some good conditions developing, the combination of good freezes, unsettled snowy windy days, and then settled cold days, there was a chance that Flat Crags would be snowed up and the turf would almost certainly be bomber in the upper groove.  So a visit with Tom earlier in the week was rewarded with a plastered crag, with ice hanging below the overhang and snow blown around the route.  I decided to get on and have another go, eventually managing to get over the crux section and start into what I’d later find was the last hard moves to gain the upper corner I heard the clanking of a falling tool, the hook I’d stored the tool in was blind and the rope must have rubbed past the tool and knocked it out, unable to get stable I lowered off.  The effort required at the crux and time meant another go was probably not going to happen.

So yesterday, having had another windy snowy day Thursday and knowing the turf was still good up high, and with the added pressure of a stripping thaw forecast, me Brian and Tom went back up.  At this stage the ‘on-sight’ was obviously gone but I was looking for a clean ‘ground-up’ ascent.  So arriving at the crag it was obvious that the crag was plastered but we couldn’t see the overhanging wall start without detouring to the crag, so going up around the corner we saw that the ice at the grooves bottom and icicle was still there, there was more fresh snow blown around the lower part of the route and now was also ice in the cracks to clear.  So happy with the condition of the lower section of the route I gave it another go.  Repelled with some sequence confusion on the crux which I new from before and then the pump setting in I returned to the deck, rested, and started again…  This time I got through the crux, gained the upper corner still with both axes, and climbed the brilliant upper corner to the belay.  The pitch was seconded and cleaned with initially some aid to gain the corner.  On the belay with a short exit pitch to gain snow to the Great Slab it was clear the thaw was arriving, the day had changed and things were starting to drip.  We topped out up the upper pitch at about IV and returned around to the crags base, by this stage the lower part had stripped bar some ice and the rest of the crag, and other crags in the area were stripping fast.  It was great to get this climbed and the climbing quality, hooks, and nature of the route gives a brilliant winter route with 2 contrasting sections.  I am not really too sure about the grade but would suggest IX/9 possibly… The on-sight is there for the taking, but the bigger challenge could well be finding the route in acceptable condition…

 The bulging upper corner yesterday

1984, Flat Crags.  IX/9 ***

Pitch 1 – 26m  9  Climb the overhanging crack through the footless bulge (crux) to below a capping roof.  Move right with some awkward moves around in to the groove, great climbing leads to the belay at some stacked blocks.  A brilliant technical and strenuous pitch with generally good hooks needing an inventive approach.  

Pitch 2 – 20m  4  Climb the groove behind the blocks being careful not to trust the blocks too much (!) and finish up snowy ramps to the top.  If you don’t like the look of the blocks there would be some other Pitch 2 options left and right of the belay…



Generally the thaw will likely have stripped most steep routes, there was some drizzle coming in later which will speed up the strip.  If the turf doesn’t thaw too much and we get another good freeze then we could get some brilliant conditions coming in, perhaps not for steeper routes at first but the saturated snow will freeze hard and some ice could survive and hopefully get better.  Gully routes, for example the Great End gullies, could be worth watching when the temperatures drop again.

Yesterday Tom and I went up to the Bowfell area.  We had a few options in mind for a days new routing depending how the conditions panned out…

On leaving the car park it was obvious that it was going to be one of those awesome Alpine days we occasionally get in the Lakes.  Due to wind and snow on Tuesday and having had a good freeze the crags were looking plastered, Bowfell Buttress was as white as I’ve seen it! It stripped very slightly in the sun but remained climbable and looking good all day.  There was some ice build up in places and the older scoured snow was hardening up well.  Today we are getting snow down to the valley in the east Lakes but the freeze line is due to rise and give rain to a fairly high level.  As long as things don’t thaw too much this could be the start of a build of some really good conditions for a range of routes due to a steady freeze thaw cycle.  No others out climbing on the Bowfell crags yesterday, Helvellyn will likely have had some climbing and routes have been getting climbed there since the weekend and reports are that the conditions are good.  Also plenty of skiing going on on Raise and touring in that area.

We tried something new yesterday which was going well, with all the hard climbing more or less completed I was placing some gear and heard the clanking of a tool disappearing down the crag, I’d knock my axe out of the hook I’d left it in… with no option for getting stable to get it sent back up I was forced to accept failure and lower off….  I like a quote that I heard the other day that said ‘success is going from one failure to the next without loosing enthusiasm for what your doing’, so I applied this to the situation!

All in all though it was a great day out with good climbing and perfect conditions, lets just hope things shape up now for a full on Lakeland winter!

 Had a great weekend winter mountaineering taking in Curved Ridge and the top of Crowberry Ridge on the Buachaille on Saturday and then Castle Ridge on the Ben today.

After a wet start on Saturday that put a fair bit of snow down up high the day cleared out well.  The upper part of Curved Ridge and above was under a few inches of fresh snow.  Today was a colder and clearer day, the Ben had a fair bit of fresh snow on it with the snow line at the bottom of NE Buttress.  We climbed Castle Ridge which required crampons from the base of the route and gave a good blast of winter!  As the snow is just cosmetic and unconsolidated the route was in relatively tricky condition.

Some of the harder routes on the No.3 Gully Buttress area I’d think were climbable and snowed up? This looks like it will all change tomorrow though as a rise in temperature is forecast with rain at all levels…

Thanks to the guys for another great couple of days out!

Thanks to Sherpa Adventure Gear UK for sending some great looking kit through!

The kit will be available in the UK now for the first time, there will no doubt be a great range at the Epicentre in Ambleside, see their website here –  www.theepicentre.co.uk

To see the full range of kit available check out the Sherpa website here –  www.sherpaadventuregear.com

The Sherpa range has already been well tested in the Himalayas and other parts of the world, the logo is now a common site on route to peaks throughout Nepal and is associated with quality so I’m sure its going to be great for what Scottish winter is about to through at it!

One of the aspects of this kit that really appeals to me is also the company ethos and what they do to support the Sherpa community in Nepal.  They donate a percentage of every sale to various non-profit schemes supporting the Sherpa families.  For example the  Paldorje Education Fund.

First report of the winter for the Lakes, great to see a white covering on the tops!  I’ll try and put a report up from now on whenever I’ve been out or know what the winter conditions are doing.

I went out today for a run over Helvellyn and the edges to see how things were shaping up.  The good news is winter has definitely arrived!  There was snow down to about 500m and some deep drifts about.  Lots of snow was blowing around today and accumulating particularly on N-NE-E facing slopes as the wind was SW.  So full on winter up high, the ski tows were also open today…

The bad news is that, whilst the conditions are good for winter walking, running and the edges and ridge climbs etc.  its not there for climbing yet.  The turf up high was soggy under the snow, the lack of a really good freeze before the snow came will hold back the climbing conditions until we get a bit of a thaw and refreeze allowing the turf to freeze up.  The issue at the minute is that the layer of snow will be insulating the ground below.   More exposed routes may come, however the usual winter crags today were black and sheltered from the SW wind.  The best bet for a good winter day will be any of the classic edges and some of the easy ridge climbs, Pinnacle Ridge on St.Sunday will be worth a look, it will be snow covered all the way and doesn’t rely on turf.  Its hard to say what the week will bring, it looks good until Tuesday and then it may be a fairly big thaw.  Great to have a blast of winter so early in November none the less!

Reports are that the Cairngorms are also in condition just now with many routes in…

I have just returned from an expedition to Manaslu in Nepal.  I was leading the expedition for www.adventurepeaks.com

Manaslu is in the Lamjung District of Nepal and is the 8th highest peak in the world and one of the worlds 8000m peaks.  It has a reputation for being a peak that is of moderate difficulty technically but with reasonably high objective dangers.

Our trip lasted 34 days, about a week shorter than planned.   Our early finish was the result of a massive avalanche on the 23rd September on Manaslu.  The scale of the avalanche was so that it took out camp 3, and about 3 hours walk down the glacier, it also stripped some tents from camp 2.  The irony of the situation was that since last season and up to that day camp 3 was empty or quiet, that day a large amount of people made it to camp 3 due to a break in the bad weather and it was that night that a massive lump of serac came off above the camp and triggered the slopes  above.  There were 11 killed by the avalanche and about 15 or so flown to hospital in Kathmandu.  The teams effected were mainly European, Austrian and French largely.  One Sherpa was also killed.

The team I was leading consisted of 2 Sherpas and 2 members and myself.  We had moved from camp to camp up the mountain on the days leading up to the accident.  We arrived in camp 3 on the 22nd, our tents went up and kit was stored, the plan was to spend the night at camp 3 for our acclimatisation and then drop to Base Camp on the 23rd for a rest before our summit attempt.  However, our plan took a last minute change….  One of the team members woke with a headache at camp 2, it had not improved during the day and by the afternoon of the 22nd we made the decision that the member should not go higher, and then soon after we decided to descend to Base Camp in-case the headache should worsen into the night and become more serious.  Headaches at altitude can be an early sign of altitude sickness (AMS) and potentially a Cerebral Oedema (HACE) so are taken seriously…  Following this decision the Sherpa team and other member agreed to descend as well from camp 3 so we could re-group in Base Camp and make a plan for our continued attempt.  We made it to Base that evening.  The following day we woke early to the sound of radios buzzing with messages and the call had come in for help, the avalanche having hit camp 3 during the night.

The day that followed was a day of confusion.  We took our stretcher and medical supplies along with oxygen and a respirator to the heli pad where the casualties were coming in and needed help.  Following this was the recovery of the bodies, 2 were not found before the initial search was called off.

Our team needless to say felt very lucky, a headache changing the course of things.  We lost 2 camps and a lot of kit.  We replaced the equipment over the following days and made the decision to go back up the mountain to see how things would pan out as regards a continued summit attempt.  On the day when we moved to camp 2 the decision was made to finish the expedition due to a few reasons, too much kit to go up with an imminent weather window and no time for carries being the main one.

The memories of the trip as a whole will off-course be mixed due to the large loss of life that took place on Manaslu this year.  That said, the mountain still offered some great days before the accident and the 10 days of trekking take you through a fantastic journey up one of the less trafficed valleys of Nepal.  Starting in warm tropical forests and finishing at Samaguan at the toe of the Manaslu Glacier is a fantastic journey in its own right.

Thoughts go out to the families and many affected by this accident and to the family and friends of Dawa Sherpa, our Sherpa on last years Baruntse Expedition, a top Sherpa and great person to have had with us in the past.