Page 34 - 2018 AMA Summer

CLIMBINGMEETS
AMA WINTER MEET 2018 ROYBRIDGE, SCOTLAND
By Martin South
Winter Meet time again! Everyone arrived in Roybridge, near Fort Bill on the Sunday and considering the disappointing year the Winter Meet had in the Cairngorms in 2017, this time Scotland certainly had delivered, as the conditions were superb on the Ben, Glencoe and the Mamores.
Abig Meet this year, with eighteen students and nine instructors that were able to cover a wide range of training from introduction to Scottish winter mountaineering to Grade V mixed climbing. Unfortunately, although after the hard work helping to make the Meet happen, poor Sean Mackey was missing this year, not even in a guest-starring instructional role. Next year Sean, next year...
26 Feb 18. First day on the mountain, and the range of instructors gave everyone
the opportunity to really focus on their training aspirations. Gemma Grewar took the group that required both Quality Mountain Days and skills training for their own upcoming WML courses. Lots of navigation and WML skills on Creag Meagaidh to get her group dialed back into all things Scottish winter. Col Kingshott also headed off to Meggy, climbing with Dunc Bishop. Tarquin Shipley set the standard on the first day, taking Guy Davies onto Comb Gully (IV, 4***) on Ben Nevis, so not only a three-star route, but
a Cold Climbs classic to boot. Glenn Bloomer did his very best to maintain the Cold Climbs theme with Ryan Anderson on The Curtain (IV,5****), but unfortunately it wasn’t quite in condition, but as they’re certainly not folk to be beaten, Glenn and Ryan still ticked-off a Ben four-star with Ledge Route (II****). Chris Dowd and I headed down to Coire nan Lochan to climb Boomerang Gully (II*) and enjoyed the top-out on Bidean nan Bian under alpine-blue skies with stunning views over Lochs Leven and Linnhe, to the Mamores
Superb conditions for climbing in Glencoe
Ben Nevis and the Mamores from Glencoe
34 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER
Light Packs and Single Axes – A Mountaineering Day on Stob Ban