Page 35 - 2019 AMA Summer

But then look again... its at the base on An Teallach, close to the Torridonian giants of Beinn Eighe,
Liathach and Ben Alligin. Just South of Assynt, with Suilven, Conival and Ben More Assynt, and right next to the Fannichs. And the climbing! Poacher’s Fall, Emerald Gully, Fuselage Gully, Skyscraper Buttress, Penguin Gully. Wow. Cold Climbs! A Winter wonderland waiting to be explored. And so the Meet was well over-subscribed, a waiting list was created, Winter boots dug out, axes and crampons sharpened and the full panoply of Winter equipment prepared for the wonders which awaited...
Sadly of course, it wasn’t quite like that. By the time you read this, 2019 will have gone down as one of the worst Scottish Winter seasons ever. After a brief flurry of activity in December and January, the warm air came in and the snow and ice melted away. ML(W) and MIC training and assessments were cancelled by the National centres; it was that bad.
Not to be down-hearted, we went anyway. Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat as some Roman said. And we not only lived to tell the tale, but enjoyed ourselves tremendously into the bargain. The Hut is great; a wood-lined warm and cozy building with fantastic facilities: most importantly a drying room... Just the sort of place for long games of Monopoly Deal with a glass of wine and a venison and potato casserole (less for those on a non-carbohydrate or Paleo diet. You know who you are...). Not that we
were there much; the weather, whilst too warm for Winter, was mostly actually pretty good, and there was only one day when a couple of groups felt that there were better things to do than to get bowled off a hill by a gale. The Frigate Café in Ullapool paid off their mortgage on that day.
Winter climbing there wasn’t. Just some Grade I gullies, but we managed rock climbing instead, and in places we wouldn’t normally go. Stac Pollaidh West Buttess anyone? Beinn Eighe East Buttress? The Cioch Nose? Old Man of Stoer? And actually we did do the An Teallach Traverse in full Winter conditions at Grade II, starting with an outstanding wander up Hayfork Gully, the only four star Winter Grade I gully in the UK.
So we didn’t run the WCF Course, and but we did do the WMF. And got some great hills done: Ben Hope (the most Northerly Munro) and Ben Klibreck, Sgurr Breac, Sgurr nan Clach Geala, Sgurr nan Each and Meall a Chrasgaidh in the Fannichs, Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh, and Suilven to name a few.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. We wouldn’t have been anywhere else for the world. Just hoping for a bit more ice and snow next Winter...
Schoolhouse Ridge, Ballachulish
Mark North, Buttress Buachaille Etive Mor
Graham in Hayfork Gully
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 35