alpine routes - Climb Magazine

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HAVE YOU BEEN DREAMING OF SOME BIG LONG ROUTES THIS
SUMMER IN THE ALPS? WELL PERHAPS YOU CAN FIND THE
ADVENTURE YOU’RE AFTER WITHOUT GETTING ON THE PLANE.
FOUR OF THE UK’S MOST EXPERIENCED ALPINISTS GIVE YOU SOME
HOME GROWN ALTERNATIVES FOR A BRITISH ALPINE EXPERIENCE.
UK
alpine routes
TOWER RIDGE
BEN NEVIS
Guidebook: Ben Nevis Publ. by SMC
by Alan Kimber
Alan is a British Mountain Guide with over 20
seasons in the Alps, climbs in the Himalaya,
Alaska, New Zealand and South America as
well as his beloved Scotland. His website
www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk is the
home of his guiding company as well as
regularly updated conditions reports.
Fancy getting a request to pen a few words about
training for the Alps, but not to include any snowy
stuff! Now, as far as I can make out the Alps is
not yet completely devoid of snow so any chance
of snow climbing in Britain must be included in
any training strategy.
Having got that off of my chest, let’s try to put
things into context. In the Alps, unlike in Britain it
is normal to stay away from bad weather. That’s
not to say you need to reduce the importance of
navigation, just that it comes into play far less
often. Route choice, fitness and success on a
short Alpine trip are key to an enjoyable time.
Most first time alpinists will head for snowy
routes with some rock scrambling at around
3000-4000m in altitude. Don’t go out to the Alps
with a monster tick list and fire yourself up the
first 4000m route in the book. Take time to
acclimatise and ease into some simple climbs
that you will enjoy and succeed on. Nothing
worse than failure to spoil a good holiday.
Fitness and route choice are key to success
and what better place to gain that fitness than on
Ben Nevis during the spring. Days are long and
large snowfields persist into May. A favourite trip
would be to pick a good spell of weather and
either camp or bivvy in Coire Leis, well above the
48 JUL 08
CIC Hut. Reduce your pack weight to Alpine
proportions, kick out the ‘kitchen-sink’ which
Brits appear to carry a lot and go for some long
days to improve your stamina and endurance.
Leave the rock boots and chalk-bag at home.
Ben Nevis provides any number of
combinations for ‘big-boot’ mountaineering. As
with Alpine days it might be worth checking out
some of the easy descent routes first and use
Ledge Route for this exercise. The Carn mor
Dearg arête and Ledge Route combo is a prime
starter day. If you arrive back early at the bivvy try
one of the easier routes on the Douglas Boulder
or First Platform of N.E. Buttress in the
afternoon. Having got the hang of the place and
your level of fitness you may wish to consider
Tower Ridge.
Slicing through the centre of the north face and
surrounded on all sides by great views and steep
cliffs, this climb is truly Alpine in nature. It
provides climbing teams with plenty of route
finding issues and decisions as to how to use the
rope, whether on short pitches or moving
together roped. I well remember my first ascent
over 30 years ago in the summer when I
traversed left too soon below the Great Tower.
Missing the Eastern Traverse, I wound up
amongst some worryingly steep ground. Friends
who had opted to traverse the Carn Mor Dearg
arête were treated to a ‘ring-side seat’
performance from the summit, as I scratched
around and eventually succeeded in staying in
touch with the rock and gaining the top of the
Great Tower.
You can finish with a descent of one of the big
grade I snowy gullies, but be wary of spring
cornice collapse in thaw conditions. Hopefully you
will strike a settled period of good weather with
overnight frosts and be able to include as much
snow work as possible on the rock hard snow-ice.
This is what you are aiming for in the Alps. You
should also consider descending Tower Ridge if
your Alpine aims are towards AD grade routes.
Combining as many of the long Nevis ridges in
one push as you can will certainly give an idea of
how fit you are. Start up Observatory Ridge and
descend either Ledge Route or Tower Ridge before
going for N.E. Buttress and a Tower Ridge
descent. On most of this ground you should
involve short-roping techniques, as that is how
you will move more safely and efficiently on
Alpine terrain. Taking pitches and/or abseiling,
although possibly safer, only leads to slow
climbing, so get your ropework and short rope
decision-making up to speed. Unless of course
you prefer spending time shivering on a cold
Alpine ledge after being stomped all over by
quicker alpinists heading for the bars of Zermatt
or Chamonix! By the way, if you are a novice
alpiniste keep away from these two spots initially
and head for more simple peaks around Central
Switzerland or Saas Fee/Grund. You are much
more likely to find less technically demanding
and achievable peaks in these areas.
So, now you have knocked off all the snowy
options on Ben Nevis in the springtime, keep the
momentum going by visiting the Isle of Skye for
more rocky projects during May and June. Also,
practise prussiking and hoisting in case you find
yourself at the bottom of an icy glacial slot. In fact
Ben Nevis’s Observatory Gully is just spot-on for
that purpose in late April, May and early June.
Some big, deep snowy caves start to appear
beneath Orion Face, Zero Gully and Point Five
Gully. Not only can these areas provide very real
crevasse rescue scenarios, but also you may find
a few bits of good kit to supplement your summer
Alpine rack!
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Right: Tower Ridge on 19th May this year.
ABACUS MOUNTAINEERING
don’t go out to the
alps with a
monster tick list
and fire yourself up
the first 4000m
route in the book...
take time to
acclimatise and
ease into some
simple climbs that
you will enjoy and
succeed on.
ALAN KIMBER
Left:Johnny Baird negotiates the infamous
Tower Gap, a very exposed point on Tower Ridge
and the scene of many epics. CUBBY IMAGES
JUL 08 49
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CIOCH WEST - ARROW ROUTE INTEGRITY (MVS 4b), 350m
Perhaps the finest route
combination is Cioch West
– Arrow Route – Integrity,
which weighs in at nine
stars worth of guidebook
quality and offers 10
contrasting pitches.
MARTIN MORAN
Arrow Route, first climbed in 1944 in a
totally unprotected run-out. MARTIN MORAN
50 JUL 08
Sron na Ciche, Coire Lagan, Isle of Skye
Guidebooks: Scottish Rock Climbs Publ. SMC (2005), Skye and the
Hebrides Vol 1 Publ. SMC (1996)
by Martin Moran
Martin has a long list of mountain achievements from Himalayan first ascents
to a non-stop traverse of the 75 4000m peaks of the Alps in 52 days. A British
Alpine guide he provides alpine courses through www.moran-mountain.co.uk
The rambling walls of Sron na Ciche offer one of Britain’s best venues for Alpinelength rock climbs. From early explorations of MacKenzie, Collie, Abraham and
Mallory through to the post-war pioneering of Cunningham and Walsh, and more
recently Cuthbertson and MacLeod, these sombre cliffs have long attracted our
leading activists. The superb rough gabbro and striking lines are complemented by
scale and complexity. Here will be found some of our best mid-grade trad routes and
an ideal training venue for budding Alpinists.
The central section of the cliffs features the famous Cioch – a projecting prow
which sits incongruously at the apex of a sweep of lower slabs and guards access to a
steeper 80m upper buttress. Combining one of six excellent routes up the slabs with
a 60m clamber up or round the Cioch and a spectacular finale powering through the
overhangs of the headwall you create an expedition with over 1000ft of climbing,
which will test route-finding skills, stamina and efficiency of rope management.
Choose any standard from Severe to E3.
Three of the finest linkages are:Cioch Direct (S) – Slab Corner (D) – Wallwork’s Route (VD): an ultra-traditional
outing. Cioch Direct features a polished chimney crux, surmountable either by ‘poise
and elegance’ or ‘elephantine struggles’ according to the guidebook. Expect the
latter! Wallwork’s looks improbable for a V.Diff but the guide reminds us that it used
to be graded Diff “when real men and women still wore nailed boots.”
Cioch Grooves (HVS, 5a) – Cioch Nose (VD) – Trophy Crack (HVS, 5b): vintage 1950s
with a delicate solution to the Cioch Grooves crux, a delightful and underrated pitch up
the arête of the Cioch and a strenuous layback to surmount the Trophy Crack.
Bastinado (E1, 5b) – Overhanging Crack (E2, 5c) – Atropos (E1, 5b): demanding
corners and cracks finishing with an airy wander up the headwall.
For morning sloths the crag is the perfect choice. Sron na Ciche gets sun from
midday till late-evening from mid-April to mid-August and the base is reached by an
easy walk of 90 minutes from Glen Brittle campsite. The cliff dries sufficiently for
climbing within 36 hours of heavy rain and residual wet streaks on the Severes can
usually be passed thanks to the excellent friction.
Perhaps the finest route combination is Cioch West – Arrow Route – Integrity, which
weighs in at nine stars worth of guidebook quality and offers 10 contrasting pitches.
Cioch West offers some perplexing climbing for a Severe. After 70m of warm-up
cracks traverse right along a terrace below a steeper middle bastion. A slanting
corner gains 20m and is quitted by an awkward leftward traverse above the bastion,
which is remarkably exposed and committing for its grade. Easier slabs lead
diagonally left in two long pitches to the terrace below the Cioch. Here the leader
must climb confidently with limited protection to avoid getting bogged down in minor
route-finding conundrums.
By scrambling left along the terrace the magnificent sweep of slabs bounding the
left side of The Cioch is reached. Arrow Route takes the central line, first climbed in
1944 in a totally unprotected run-out. After starting up a left-slanting crack, the
leader must launch directly up the blank-looking slab. Happily the rock is
magnificently dimpled and in afternoon sunshine this 45m pitch can turn into a romp,
with assurance from occasional solid cam placements.
Arrow Route finishes in a dyke beneath the impending headwall. A formidable
crack-line cuts through the overhangs. This is Integrity, a contender for the best Hard
Severe in Britain. Strenuous initial moves lead to a roof, where, to one’s delight, large
pockets appear to allow an elegant step-over. The corner-crack continues in
sustained fashion with one awkward bulge until a final steeper section. It is
recommended to tackle this direct at sensational VS 4b standard, but most will play
chicken and sneak over right to an easier exit. Regrettably, Integrity was upgraded to
Mild VS in the 1996 SMC guidebook, but should always remain the benchmark of its
original grade.
If sacks have been left at the bottom, you now face a long painful descent of
Eastern Gully in rock shoes. It’s better to travel light, carrying trainers, snacks and
drinks up the route. Then you can enjoy a scenic walk-off down the western ridge of
Sron na Ciche towards Loch Brittle. Few real Alpine days are finer.
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Paul Torrode on Sword of Gideon (VS) Applecross. JAMES EDWARDS
The crag currently
has nothing harder
than HVS, with the
majority of the
routes at HS and
VS and up to five
pitches in length.
JAMES EDWARDS
Raph Bleakley on the 3rd pitch of the Cioch Nose. TOM THORP
CIOCH NOSE (S, 125m),
SGURR A’CHAORACHAIN,
APPLECROSS
Guidebook: Northern Highlands South publ. SMC
by James Edwards
James is something of a North West devotee having pioneered
many challenging winter ascents on the likes of Beinn Bhan
and Beinn Dearg Mor. You can read about his adventures at
www.highmountaineering.com
As a youth I (mis)spent too much of my time immersed in books
about Alpine climbing and wondering just how I could go about
getting into it. Subsequently I went to university in Sheffield to study
climbing on a more practical level. There I met my long time
climbing partner, great friend and first mentor: Myles English. We
started out on the single pitch routes in the Peak and worked our
way up the grades before venturing onto longer routes during
weekends away to North Wales and the Lakes. When the first year of
our studies finished we had both failed to an impressive degree,
getting the lowest grades in the entire year group. In one exam I
remember signing my name and staring out the window for ten
minutes before walking out with my climbing sack to hitch to
Stanage Edge; it was far too nice a day to be stuck inside. However,
the time was not wasted and in that first year we had already
graduated with honours in gritstone climbing.
As we’d been climbing several days a week with no time for work
or study we didn’t have enough money to go to the Alps that
summer. So we decided on the next best thing – Scotland.
Without realising it we were planning exactly the right thing; a
‘traditional’ progression from single to double to multi-pitch
climbing before we made the leap to the Alpine arena. We even
discovered the art of moving together almost by accident on the
long Scottish cliffs (we both needed to move as the midges were
eating us alive!)
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One of the places that I remember most fondly from that summer is
the Applecross peninsular. These spectacular sandstone cliffs jut out of
the hillsides like buried dinosaurs waking from the Cretaceous. The
views down to the valley and the sea beyond are something else.
We started low in the grades and made for the ultra classic Cioch
Nose. This 125m**** Severe climbs the prow of the Sgùrr A’Chaorachain
crag by a devious winding line that tested our route finding abilities (yes,
we left the guidebook in the tent). We made light work of the four
pitches and were delayed only in pausing to admire the golden eagle
that circled above inspecting our progress. The angle kicked back
towards the summit but the V. Diff ground still warranted a rope and so
we practised taking coils and moving safely and efficiently till we could
walk downhill back to the summit car park and hitch back to the tent.
The crag currently has nothing harder than HVS, with the majority of the
routes at HS and VS and up to five pitches in length.
Myles and I went back to this area several times as it often missed
the worst of the bad weather of the higher mountain crags and the
rough sandstone still has good friction in the wet. Sgùrr A’Chaorachain
also has a south face that lies a five minute walk up steep ground from
the famous Bealach na Bà road (remember: we’re practising Alpine
climbing here, not walk-ins!) This proximity belies its Alpine nature and
route-finding skills need to be sharp as one could easily get off line.
The classic of the crag is Sword of Gideon, a superb clean mountain
***VS. The routes range from one to five pitches from Hard Severe to E2
but with stacks to go at for the VS leader. If you’re looking for
something more sporting, Gideon’s Wrath (E1)** and Orcrist (E2)**
provide good entertainment. It’s perfectly possible and actually quite
desirable, given the broken nature of the descent, to set up a multiple
abseil descent and combine several routes in the day. I can’t emphasise
enough how important an Alpine skill it is to be able to get down safely
and efficiently in this manner. You will do well to remember the wise
words: The summit is only halfway. The majority of accidents in Alpine
terrain occur on the descent when your energies are dulled from a long
day. Problems can occur when the rope gets stuck, cut or a sloppy
inspection of an abseil anchor results in a catastrophic failure and an
early grave. The majority of Alpine routes will need a descent strategy,
be it abseil, down climb or in the case of the north face of the Aiguille
Du Midi, a very nice téléphérique straight back down to Chamonix for
tea and medals in the bar.
After that first summer in Scotland we managed to save enough
money in the next year from our weekly student budget (and just about
avoid getting scurvy) to buy a train ticket to the Dolomites. We thought
that we were now beginning the first stage of our Alpine
apprenticeships; but in reality we’d actually started many months before
as we grasped that first Applecross sandstone hold and stepped up into
the sky.
‘Skeleton Ridge is white
and has a cheval sections’
I announced unhelpfully.
MICK FOWLER
SKELETON RIDGE, MXS,
THE NEEDLES, ISLE OF WIGHT
Guidebook: Southern Sandstone publ. The Climbers’ Club
by Mick Fowler
Lorraine Smythe traversing the amazing chalk ridge line of
Skeleton Ridge on The Needles, Isle of Wight. MICK FOWLER
52 JUL 08
Having trained on the looser parts of Britain’s coastline Mick Fowler
has gone on to establish some of the finest Alpine style routes
across the Himalaya, including the North Face of Siguniang which
won him and Paul Ramsden the Piolet D’Or.
Ian Parnell rang: “Could you write about an Alpine route in the UK?”
He went on to divulge that he was speeding towards crisp and sparkling
Scottish conditions whilst asking me to sweat over a keyboard. I pondered.
“Skeleton Ridge is white and has a cheval sections,” I announced
unhelpfully.
“Great.”
“Doesn’t matter about the sea?”
“No, that’ll be fine.”
And so I found myself sat contemplating the Alpine flavour of a 400ft
chalk crest at the Needles end of the Isle of Wight whilst the Parnell was
gleefully heading towards perfect Nevis hoar ice.
It was 1984 when my urge to explore the chalk cliffs of southern Britain
led me to the Isle of Wight. The nature of chalk climbing is delightfully
varied – from solid flint-pulling at Beachy Head to axes and crampons in
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Mark Pretty experiencing exposure to match the Alps on the final pitch of Skeleton Ridge. IAN PARNELL
the compact sponge-like cliffs at Dover. Andy Meyers had done a
reconnaissance visit to the Isle of Wight and decreed that the chalk there
was ice-axe-and-crampon chalk.
And so, duly weighted down with plastic boots, crampons and ice screws
Andy, Lorraine Smythe and I attracted curious stares from weekend
walkers as we strolled across the rolling green downs to the Needles
Battery coastguard lookout atop the cliffs overlooking the Needles.
Having tied two ropes together a 300ft abseil took us to the deserted
pebble beach of Scratchell’s Cove. It was here that I swung my axe
enthusiastically at the chalk.
“SHIT!” To my surprise it bounced uncomfortably off the rock hard
surface.
Lorraine collapsed laughing. Andy went rather quiet. It seemed that we
were about to try a pure rock climb weighed down with some blatantly
unnecessary ice climbing paraphernalia.
First though we had to traverse to the headland where the crest began.
And the tide was in…
Several hours later I had been soundly abused for lack of expertise in
tide table reading and Andy for poor chalk judgement but we had managed
to traverse out to a point where we could at last gain the rock and climb to
the crest of the ridge just behind the first pinnacle.
This first pitch, being on the south side, was delightfully sheltered but up
on the crest we were exposed to a cutting northerly wind. Enduring the
chill wearing our full ice climbing equipment on a squintingly white crest
the day was indeed acquiring an Alpine flavour.
Soon though we were to hit a slight technical problem in the form of a
20ft steep step. A dither resulted and excuses poured forth. Wrong
equipment, wind too strong, too cold, bad conditions, too late in the day... It
was indeed feeling more and more like the Alps. An abseil off was in order.
But the tide was in…
Swimming in double boots whilst laden with axes, crampons and ice
screws is not to be recommended but does tend to make the day more
memorable. It was a soggy and disgruntled team which slowly jumared the
300ft back to the cliff-top. I then discovered that wet chalk turns readily to
paste on fabric car seats. My car seats and suit trousers were never quite
the same again.
A few weeks later Lorraine and I were back at our previous highpoint.
The sun shone and we wore rock boots and carried nuts and Friends. With
good protection placed the step proved to be straightforward. This left me
feeling slightly silly but opened the door to a fine a cheval section with one
leg over the Solent and the other over the English Channel.
A tower ahead looked challenging and had featured highly in our
decision to abseil off last time. Now we were against it though the left side
started to break to good holds and ledges. I began to get that special
feeling that comes when a section which could result in failure looks as if it
might go. With no more than VS climbing we were soon back on the crest
above the tower. Another short knife edge section, a final wall and we were
there. Alpine style on the south coast.
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