A short night taking in the luxuries of the very plush CIC hut was followed by an equally short approach to see what had acquired a winter coat high on the Ben. Our planned objective, Sioux Wall was close, but I guess you’d have described it’s winter attire as more of a fleece than a “coat”. Rocio Siemens and Owen Samuels had started up a …….. and this was definitely the whitest buttress, with no question as to whether it was in acceptable winter condition – it was going to look great in the pictures!
The Guidebook didn’t seem to provide many options so we put it away and decided to follow our noses up the best looking winter route we could see. The direct start to Gargoyle Wall looked like fun and with only a thin veneer of ice it was not going to be without interest. Pete put in a solid performance on what turned out to be a real calf burner with technical bridging and good hooks, continuing up the crack above to reach a ledge.
From here I traversed across to the top of the Gargoyle to get a look at what lay ahead. pete was hopeful there may be a possible line to the left of the arete, but all I could see was a couple of discontinuous wide cracks on the edge of nowhere, leading through a network of roofs. It looked unlikely!
I moved back towards the belay, before trending up some grooves to reach the large ledge below the Gargoyle Cracks. Pete was optimistic enough I would find a way, that I took the gear back and naively started to move upwards. Nice foot lips allowed progress to the first roof. I created a small nest of gear, before stepping high and pulling up scratching around on the smooth wall above. I cleared the rime from every piece of rock I thought provided any hope. I found a couple of tenuous hooks, but could not see any gear or bomber placements to tempt me forward. I dropped back down and justified my dithering to Pete, unsure whether I could find a way. I moved back up and this time committed to the high hooks. I scratched around to the left………A tiny seam, no wider than a knife, but my pick slotted right in, bomber! I moved up and across, stepping up and teetering on my front points.
Now I just needed to find some gear. I cleared around the roof and every possible seam, but nothing was to be seen. “Remember you’ve got the Peckers” suggested Pete. Of course a little bird like beak might just jam in to the same seam. I hooked higher and pushed one in. It pushed hard up against the side wall, but thankfully my hammer could still get to it. I banged it as deep as it would go, knowing this was likely to be my one life line. Phew!
No more than 3 meters higher I could make out a thin ledge. I can do this! I hooked upwards and searched around with my picks. A tiny turfy seam gave enough purchase to make a step, but nothing else felt great. I took the best of a bad bunch and gently moved up, with one OK axe and one poor. All of a sudden the better one ripped!……… Breathe…….I stepped back down and balanced enough that I could bang my axe in with the other. A few more hooks and I was at the ledge.
The ledge was no more than a foot or two wide and the wall above smooth and plum vertical. The pecker below was but a distant memory. The only thing that would make me feel any better about this mantel shelf was a bulldog. I hammered it in to the best turf I could find and tried to ignore the wobbling. Locked a picked in a seam far right and pushed down with my left……….On the ledge!
I shuffled to the arete on the right and balanced upwards. What a pitch!
Pete took the most logical finish and continued straight in to the darkness up the steep righthand crack. The Hard Rock Finish to Gremlins.
All in all a brilliant and direct collection of pitches up Gargoyle Wall, highly recommended, just don’t forget your pecker!!
Gothic Edge VII7 (although it does feel a grade harder than Babylon?)
P1 VI7 P2 IV4 P3 VII7 P4 VI7
Back at the CIC hut everyone managed to achieve staying up for New Year with plenty of whisky and even a little fireworks display!
The next two days were not crap either!!
Babylon VII7
Sioux Wall ??
Winter clung on through the drizzle
With the direct finish we can see how this gets VIII8. It’s very sustained and a good grade harder than Babylon or Darth Vader?
What an incredible route
On the 3rd rain to the summit removed any winter coats and we walked out. Back in the Cairngorms today however the Northern Corries are more wintery than they’ve been with a thick layer of rime ice. Let’s be having you!!
Gothic Edge VII7
crookclimbing 