Photo: Group in Rucksacks Bunkhouse (44k)

The next morning Craig decided to head off alone to Lochnagar while seven others set out for the Devil’s Elbow to start with Creag Leacach and see how far we could get. Roy demonstrated how the night’s snow had formed an unstable slab even in the car park. The level 3 avalanche risk (Considerable) had already put us on our guard and the remaining four off the idea of going out on the hills at all. So they went to have the day at Findhorn in the company of Ruth Corner, a mensan who works there.

The late start precluded any thoughts of completing the full round of 6 Munros in the McNeish guide (6 - 8 hours). In any case the powdery snow and strong winds made the going strenuous and slow. From the car park we dropped to the stream of Allt Coirrie a’ Bhathaich, in a narrow valley with heathery slopes rising steeply on both sides. Photo: Crossing the Allt Coirrie a'Bhathaich (40k) Progress was slow as we slithered about on the recent snow covering the steep ground. After about ½k we started climbing a gulley coming down on our right. After 50 metres or so the gradient eased and we came out into the sun (and strengthening wind). At least now we had a view, looking across the A93 to Carn a’Gheoidh and The Cairnwell.

At the 750m level we had a protracted stop. Dorothy and Adrian put on crampons. Ray and Chenda decided at this point to turn back; the wind was strengthening, the going was getting no easier and there were 200m to climb before reaching the first top, an outlier of Creag Leacach. To our surprise Roy also decided to go back; he was saving himself for the In Pin as his first Munro.

Photo: Ray, Chenda & Roy descend (21k)

Expecting Dorothy and Adrian to make better time now they had put on their crampons, Ian and I set off early up the next section, steep and icy. For a while I wished I had put on my crampons but managed with my ice-axe. Coming out onto the col between Creag Leacach and Carn Ait we were rewarded with extensive views to the east across Glen Isla, and south down Glen Shee. To the north the Cairngorms all had their heads in the clouds and on some of the adjacent peaks the cloud came and went. A ruined wall climbed the hillside from Glenbrightly to run along the watershed. The wind blew strongly from the northwest. We passed a top at 943m to gain the summit ridge, then along to the summit at 987m. A hundred metres or so further along we crossed the wall and hunkered down on the leeward slope for a short lunch stop, wishing we had relieved Roy of his portable shelter before he left us.

Carrying on along the leeward side we soon passed the top of Cul Riabhach and could see all the next section to the cloud infesting the summit of Glas Maol. The name means "Green Lump", which says it all really. In the summer this could be just a tedious slog, but even in relatively benign winter conditions it is potentially a serious outing. Not without its share of slogging tedium though. Seeing the corniced steep slopes dropping to Glenbrightly on the leeward side we were forced back into the icy blast of the wind. The thermometer on Adrian’s sack read -5.

Half-way along the ridge the map indicates a shelter. We found a slight snow hollow at this point, then started the gentle ascent towards Glas Maol, following a line of fence-posts. When these petered out we turned right, heading south east up the broad back of the summit plateau, barely climbing at all. The cloud thinned and we caught sight of the summit cairn. As we reached the cairn the cloud lowered again. Stopping here for a late second instalment of lunch we started to get chilled (no leeward slope to take advantage of) and wasted little time in setting off again on a bearing towards the shelter of the Glenshee Ski Centre. The drop off from the plateau was quite steep and we came out of the cloud at the top of a 100m snow slope. It started soft and fluffy, so we stormed down it until the consistency became firmer. I tried to get a glissade going but it wasn’t firm enough so the second half was a steep descent on deep crunchy snow.

We now came into close proximity with the tows and runs attaching themselves to the Glenshee Ski Centre. The pistes pointed us towards the unseen Centre and in a depression we found the café and the generator for the higher tows. The lungfull of diesel fumes at the end of the day wasn’t really what we were wanting. We waited briefly at the top of the last tow to enjoy the views down the Glen and the antics of the hares before getting down to the Centre at 4pm. No sign of Ray’s group in the café. An hour later we saw Ray’s car coming from the wrong direction. They had been sitting in the car, on the car park all this time.

We got everybody back down to the bunkhouse, showered and ready to leave again by 6.15. Craig returned from a rewarding day on Lochnagar. He, Adrian and Dorothy decided not to join us for the drive to Tomintoul (yes, the A939 via Cockbridge) to meet up with Andy’s group and any local members they had managed to gather. They had managed to gather Ruth Corner, and Mike Keighley who visits Tomintoul at about this time each year, but an amusing time was had awaiting and then consuming dinner.

The party carried on at 10.45 when we got back to the bunkhouse and the next day only Adrian and Craig could summon up motivation for anything beyond the most desultory of exercise. Adrian climbed An Socach, a Munro behind the Cairnwell and Carn Aosda if standing at the ski centre. He reports the weather was good, but not quite as good as Saturday. It was stable with no snowfalls, but the wind was slightly stiffer and the cloud base persisted at about 800m, so good views on the ascent/descent, but none from the top. By way of compensation, it provided an excellent navigational exercise on the featureless, flat, 2k long whaleback at the top. Dorothy drove to the Linn of Dee where she met up with Ian, Chenda and Ray for a short walk. She then came to pick Adrian up.

Later Pete drove Merlyn, Roy and myself up to the Linn of Dee where we had a short stroll up the river and then back down it before setting off on the drive back to England.

Photo: Stags near the Linn of Dee (28k)

The next SIG trip to Scotland is the Skye meeting in June. After that I’d like to have a go at the far north. There are two bunkhouses in Ullapool. Anyone for Suilven (could we arrange a canoe approach)? The Fiddler? Stac Pollaidh? Assynt?