Ardverikie Wall, 17th April 2008 with Al
My friend Alec was visiting for a couple of weeks from New Zealand and asked if there was any mountain routes worth doing. “Ardverikie Wall” Martin said as soon as I asked him. This route is located on Binnein Shuas, just past the shores of Loch Laggan on the way to Spean Bridge. It consists of 6 pitches of 186m and has been described as Scotland’s classic slab climb, on microgranite and feldspar rock. Despite the slow start to the summer and the presence of snow not too far away, we decided this was a good choice so I began picking the brains of people who’d climbed it before. We set off on our trip up north on Tuesday and stopped off for a wee warm up at Creag Dudh, climbing the first pitch of King Bee (VS) which was just dry enough to climb round the damp section. Once in Aviemore we took the opportunity to peek at Extreme Dreams which despite looking tichy from the outside, is actually very compact and well designed inside to maximise on the limited space. I ogled at the intimidating roof section. The next day we were skiing in the Gorms in near perfect conditions, listening to the stories of the older crowd themed with ‘back in the day’.
On Thursday morning we set off towards Creag Meagaidh. The weather was sunny with a chill in the air, the views of Loch Laggan stunning from the seat of the car. We arrived, parked strategically (push start necessary) grabbed gear and bikes and were on our way, soon realising we’d forgotten the guidebook. Al went back to retrieve and I pushed on to gain distance, only to miss the correct track. And so began a minor epic just to reach the crag. It seems I am a typical climber, so focused on the pitches that I don’t make enough effort to figure out how to actually get to the crag. With the helpful advice of two ladies out for a hike and some clues from the guidebook (many thanks to Mark for loaning me this), we found our way to Lochan na-h-Earba, faced with the prospect of choosing the correct rockface. After discussion, we hid the bikes before the bridge and made our way over boggy ground, arriving at the bottom of the route on time for lunch. Here I made the happy discovery that my rice cake sandwiches were now a bit soggy, giving then more of a stale bread texture, which sounds bad but was actually quite good.
My time management isn't the best whilst climbing. I’d even made the special effort of wearing a watch on
ly to ignore it, so was unaware that it was 1pm when we began the climb. Al had arranged to go mountain biking that evening in Allness so the plan was to do the route efficiently. I lead the first pitch, a short and sweet introduction with sufficient gear. Al was then onto lead the 2nd. Route finding at this point proved a bit tricky, and it took a few attempts before the correct way was found, Al then set the belay too soon. I pushed onto the 2nd belay, involving an exciting traverse with no gear. In the corner I found gear then traversed back to the right, finding the somewhat hollow anchor flakes easily. Al soon joined me and with the emphasis still on climbing quickly, I pushed on. Despite the easier grade of HS, the climbing was exhilarating, in part due to the run outs. But also with some very fine climbing, great conditions, great exposure, satisfying threads and stunning views. And then there was the challenge of route finding, seeking clues of rock worn from nut placements, belay anchors and stances. The belays were always good and even where hollow flakes were involved, it was possible to back them up.
My friend Alec was visiting for a couple of weeks from New Zealand and asked if there was any mountain routes worth doing. “Ardverikie Wall” Martin said as soon as I asked him. This route is located on Binnein Shuas, just past the shores of Loch Laggan on the way to Spean Bridge. It consists of 6 pitches of 186m and has been described as Scotland’s classic slab climb, on microgranite and feldspar rock. Despite the slow start to the summer and the presence of snow not too far away, we decided this was a good choice so I began picking the brains of people who’d climbed it before. We set off on our trip up north on Tuesday and stopped off for a wee warm up at Creag Dudh, climbing the first pitch of King Bee (VS) which was just dry enough to climb round the damp section. Once in Aviemore we took the opportunity to peek at Extreme Dreams which despite looking tichy from the outside, is actually very compact and well designed inside to maximise on the limited space. I ogled at the intimidating roof section. The next day we were skiing in the Gorms in near perfect conditions, listening to the stories of the older crowd themed with ‘back in the day’.
On Thursday morning we set off towards Creag Meagaidh. The weather was sunny with a chill in the air, the views of Loch Laggan stunning from the seat of the car. We arrived, parked strategically (push start necessary) grabbed gear and bikes and were on our way, soon realising we’d forgotten the guidebook. Al went back to retrieve and I pushed on to gain distance, only to miss the correct track. And so began a minor epic just to reach the crag. It seems I am a typical climber, so focused on the pitches that I don’t make enough effort to figure out how to actually get to the crag. With the helpful advice of two ladies out for a hike and some clues from the guidebook (many thanks to Mark for loaning me this), we found our way to Lochan na-h-Earba, faced with the prospect of choosing the correct rockface. After discussion, we hid the bikes before the bridge and made our way over boggy ground, arriving at the bottom of the route on time for lunch. Here I made the happy discovery that my rice cake sandwiches were now a bit soggy, giving then more of a stale bread texture, which sounds bad but was actually quite good.
My time management isn't the best whilst climbing. I’d even made the special effort of wearing a watch on
ly to ignore it, so was unaware that it was 1pm when we began the climb. Al had arranged to go mountain biking that evening in Allness so the plan was to do the route efficiently. I lead the first pitch, a short and sweet introduction with sufficient gear. Al was then onto lead the 2nd. Route finding at this point proved a bit tricky, and it took a few attempts before the correct way was found, Al then set the belay too soon. I pushed onto the 2nd belay, involving an exciting traverse with no gear. In the corner I found gear then traversed back to the right, finding the somewhat hollow anchor flakes easily. Al soon joined me and with the emphasis still on climbing quickly, I pushed on. Despite the easier grade of HS, the climbing was exhilarating, in part due to the run outs. But also with some very fine climbing, great conditions, great exposure, satisfying threads and stunning views. And then there was the challenge of route finding, seeking clues of rock worn from nut placements, belay anchors and stances. The belays were always good and even where hollow flakes were involved, it was possible to back them up.By the ti
me we’d reached the final pitch, the sun was behind clouds and the temperature had dropped considerably. It was now 6pm and we hastily packed the gear away and I lovingly replaced thick woolly socks on cold feet. The walk down and bike ride weren’t quite the doddle I’d anticipated. It took around 25-30 minutes to walk back down to the bikes then about 15 minutes to the car (2 minutes for Al).
We arrived in Evanton about 9pm (too late for mountain biking) where there was apple crumble to revive Al though I was lost with the bike gear chat. What became apparent though was how much Al’s mountain biking friends respected rock climbing, mountain routes not being something they would consider doing themselves. I was taken aback by this. These guys are hard out mountain bikers, regularly beasting it down the black runs at speeds and technicalities I and many others would never dream of (I'm nervous at the prospect of trying the blue runs). And the risks with mountain biking at this level are much greater than what the majority of trad climbers are exposed to. Al later told me that Ewan’s record on the black run at Golspie is a matter of minutes from the top. I guess it’s a relative thing, people are comfortable in their own sports but intimidated by other pursuits, even if the level of it is relatively less than the level of their own. But it has made me wonder about how trad climbing is viewed in Scotland by other outdoor sports people and whether it is considered an extreme sport? I’m not sure I consider it a sport at all, more just a lifestyle choice. The next day I was also taken aback when Ewan exclaimed “there’s no mud on your gear!” All relative!
me we’d reached the final pitch, the sun was behind clouds and the temperature had dropped considerably. It was now 6pm and we hastily packed the gear away and I lovingly replaced thick woolly socks on cold feet. The walk down and bike ride weren’t quite the doddle I’d anticipated. It took around 25-30 minutes to walk back down to the bikes then about 15 minutes to the car (2 minutes for Al).We arrived in Evanton about 9pm (too late for mountain biking) where there was apple crumble to revive Al though I was lost with the bike gear chat. What became apparent though was how much Al’s mountain biking friends respected rock climbing, mountain routes not being something they would consider doing themselves. I was taken aback by this. These guys are hard out mountain bikers, regularly beasting it down the black runs at speeds and technicalities I and many others would never dream of (I'm nervous at the prospect of trying the blue runs). And the risks with mountain biking at this level are much greater than what the majority of trad climbers are exposed to. Al later told me that Ewan’s record on the black run at Golspie is a matter of minutes from the top. I guess it’s a relative thing, people are comfortable in their own sports but intimidated by other pursuits, even if the level of it is relatively less than the level of their own. But it has made me wonder about how trad climbing is viewed in Scotland by other outdoor sports people and whether it is considered an extreme sport? I’m not sure I consider it a sport at all, more just a lifestyle choice. The next day I was also taken aback when Ewan exclaimed “there’s no mud on your gear!” All relative!
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