Winter 06 / 07

Having completed my winter ML training course in March 06 and being told I was ready for assessment I just needed a further 20 Scottish winter days, no problem then. The plan was to spent some 6 week in Scotland getting quality winter days in and do my winter assessment 2nd week of March. The plan got off to good start with 5 great days spent in the Cairngorms based from the Aviemore YHA.

Unfortunately I got a large intestine problem over Christmas / New year and had a 4 day spell in Hospital, they never did find out what was wrong and I'm fine now, the first GP must have been right with it being a virus. This put pay to my second planned 10 days in Glencoe but I was back to normal in time for two weeks skiing and the third period of 9 days with Janet and Alan trying to find the snow in Glencoe, Aonach Mor and Torridon. We curtailed the Torridon stay due to the lack of snow and returned to Fort William and Aonach Mor.

The five days before Christmas I spent Soloing in amazing settled sunny weather.


I climbed Aladdin's Couluir, Cairngorm, Ben Macdui, Braeriach, Glas Maol and visited the Ford of Avon Bothey.
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View South from Summit of Braeriach
Loch Avon
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The fords of Avon Bothey
Whilst based in Glencoe we climbed Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Aonach Mor and Bidean Nam Bian via Hour Glass Gully.
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The Lost Valley
Preparing to Ab down Easy Gully Aonach Mor
Hour Glass Gully
Whilst at Achnasheen we climbed Fion Bheinn and walked into Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair (Beinn Eighe). Due to the lack of snow in the area we went back to Aonach Mor for the last few days.
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River crossing with Stepping stones below surface! On route to Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair.
Fion Bheinn

I took my Winter ML assessment at Glenmore Lodge from 12th to 16th March. We had reasonable weather but very high winds on the last day. Snow level was about 900m. Only did one night snow hole due to high temperatures, first night we bivied in the shelter stone at Loch Avon. We built a palatial snow hole at Garbh Uisge Beag (North of Ben Macdui) on the second night after the temperature had dropped.

A great result we all passed.
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Left Looking west from Shelter Stone.

Right Looking east from Shelter Stone
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Inside our snow hole

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Created April 07