First day into Coire an t-Sneachda...

I heard Andy's alarm go off, I'd been awake for ages. I was tired but it didn't matter. I couldn't sleep I was too excited. It didn't matter that I was 0530, I climbed out of bed as quiet as I could and left the room heading to the kitchen to get breakfast on. Breakfast proved problematic as the gas was turned off, but my years of working in a pub kitchen taught me a microwave can be used to coook pretty much anything. We had microwaved bacon and scambled egg for breakfast, with no toast. Not because I couldn't microwaves it! but we'd forgot to buy bread.

The car rolled out first time from the snow and we'd prepacked everything so we could get an early start. I think we got to Coire Cas Ski Centre for about 0640ish. I put on my boots in the dark looking around the carpark and seeing that there was nobody else there. We'd been told the walkin would be ok seeing as there had been quite a bit of traffic in and out of t-Sneachda over the past week. However we'd been told to be careful. There was an avalanche warning and there was alot of snow so the gullies would be out and buttresses probably wouldn't be in. All we could do it head in and see what was in conditon. Either way my boots were cold, very cold. That'll be the last time I leave them in the car over night.

We started walking in. I knew the way from last year but missed the motorway of a track walking in for a bit. This nessitated some breaking trail, but that wasn't such a bad thing. Breaking trail is good for the soul. We found the trampled walkin eventually and I started to pull away from Andy. The walk seemed to go on forever and I was cursing myself for not getting fitter. I spotted the buttresses coming into view up ahead. Damn there was alot of snow on them. I started to worry we'd get anything done. This walkin was killing me, I would never last the week at this rate! After arrived at the MRT box, the communal gearing up point and the only large area of trodden down hard snow I just ditched my pack and stood and stared.

I had the whole of t-Sneachda to myself, we almost. I could see Andy tabbing up in the distance. It was beautiful. The air was still and clear, I could see for miles around. I turned my back on the scenery and gazed up at the buttresses. I could make out the lines of the routes I wanted to do, they where in condition. I started smiling.

We geared up at the base with the intention of doing Patey's Route. This was put up by Tom Patey in ... He was killed on the Annapurna south expedition that was lead by Chris Bonnington. Anyway I tried Patey's route last year without success with Stewie and Toaf. It was horrible and defrosting and not in condtion at all. At this time however I looked nice and white with little hints of ice all the way up. We geared up straight away and headed up.

As we climbed the slope to the base I had an idea to cheak Aladdin's Mirror Direct (IV,4**). By God was it in condition! As quick yell to Andy confirmed we'd do this first then abseil back down it or downclimb Aladdin's Mirror (grade I). This was another of the routes we'd done last year. Infact it was my first scottish winter route. I remembered having an awful time trying to get to grips seconding an ice pitch which involved leaving my axes in the ice (leashless climbing sucked that day) and falling off. I was so angry at myself for just not being excellent at winter climbing (as I thought I would have been). It was a severly humbling experience and massive learning curve.

So I found myself looking back at Andy belayed of 2 ice screws and looking up at this steep solid ice pitch. No Stewie or Rob or even Toaf to back me up and give me confidence. I'd acted super confident to Andy but now I was bricking it. I placed my first screw clipped in and swung in my first axe.

My god I love moving up ice. I kept moving slowly and steadily up the ice making sure each placement was bomber by giving them a little pull down each time. I couldn't have cared less if it was a slow lead. I was still my first pure Ice lead on a completly fresh set of ice (previously I've followed up someones pick placements and screw placements) and I wasn't going to fall off. About 5 metres higher I places another screw. The BD turbo expresses are well worth thier money. I've only used Grivel 360's and BD's but BD wins out everytime. I carried on up remember everything I'd read about ice climbing, like using my helmet to deflect chunks of ice. I placed my final screw as I topped out and built my belay in between the hoardes of tat at the top of the route.

Andy seconded this route while I yelled down as much advice as I could. I don't think he's climbed pure ice pitch before so he did well. After some brief discussion about whether or not to continue up and downclimb the gully next to us or abseil off we settled on some lowering and abseiling. I lowered him off then set about testing all the tat and abseiled back down myself.

I then found my self learning a very important lesson in winter mountaineering. I was belayed at the base of Patey's route, right at the bottom of the gully. I found myself in the firing line for all the snow and ice Andy was sending down. He had had a little trouble getting established on the route on the first icey step, but he was now climbing well. I was managing to miss most of the barrage but did get clocked by a nice big basket ball sized lump of ice, right in the side of my head. He cobbled together a belay from what he could find and brought me up to below the first crux.

Because of Andy's belay I had little options for gear before I got on the crux. I was risking landing on Andy so he tucked himself away under the roof. The crux proved to be quite a battle made all the more fearful by the lack of gear and the risk to Andy. I carefully swung my axes into turf and hooked over the lip to try and get some upward purchase. My crampons scrabbled for purchase on the thin ice and rock. Thankfully I got over, not without a few scary moments and moved up the snowy gully onto some steeper ice above. Below the second crux without looking around for a decent rock belay I equalised a couple of ice screws and brought Andy up. This was probably my second mistake as I missed a decent rock belay which was behind me.

The reason I'd belayed below the next crux is because this one looked bigger and harder than the last one. Having said that I did have more ice. I figured it would be unspoken that I would take it, out of the two of us I have slightly more experience but probably because I'm willing to risk myself much more. I've no doubt Andy could have done it though. We changed over the ropes and restacked them after an immense tangle which I had to sort out, but then again I had also created. Andy put me on and I started up the ice to tackle this crux. Under the roof I found loads of old pegs, tat, threads and a unremovable mixed hook. I clipped all this and looked for some gear of my own. Everything was covered in a small layer of snow which I didn't really want to pile down on Andy, I figured that the gear would hold after testing it a little and I broke out left. The guide book said to break left to turn the overhang but this meant for a difficult step onto some unstable snow. From here I tried placing my axes in the ice, only to find it was only centimetres deep. I clipped an old peg to protect me at this section and reached with my axes. I got some purchase on some turf and carefully moved across (back right now) and up over the section of thin ice. I made it and started to move up the snowy gully above. I brought Andy up and head lead on to the top.

The top of the routes here all finished up Aladdin's Couloir (grade I). Last year this was kicking steps in deep snow, but this year something altogether more fun. It was covered in hard water ice and at 50 degrees (or there about) meant I could just run up it. Added to this was the summit of complete ice cover (under the snow) so another 2 screw belay and Andy was up joining me to celebrate our first winter route together. We had cheese, tea and belay munchies on the summit before a discussion about our way down. We figured the goat track would be aweful in all this snow, and abseiling down the route would be to much hassel. Andy suggested walking all the way around and up over Fiacile Coire Cas instead. Sounds like a plan so that was we did.

The walk back slowly turned into a more solitary affair, we both just have different paces and the sky was clear with no navigational difficulties. I had time to clean off the car as Andy arrived back. We pulled out of the car park at about 1730ish ending our first day out on the hill.