Raeburn Hut
Laggan
11-13 February 2000

Present: Valerie C & Mark L (Thurs, Fri, Sat), Jo L, Kerry P, Nina T, Pete & Helen I, Jennifer M, Laubie L, Fiona & Calum M, Gordon C, Sam O, Jackie, Yenz, Brian S, Simon L (Friday only)

Friday

Beautiful conditions beckoned Mark and Valerie out to a spectacular day with Alladin’s Mirror in perfect condition and clear skies. Unfortunately an enormous block of ice tested Valerie’s helmet to its limits and another piece deadened one leg ….. By the time the rest of the team arrived a concerned clucking Mark had ushered her back to the safety of the hut to recuperate. Sadly she declared herself unfit for climbing on Saturday.

Saturday

Jo, Kerry, Jennifer & Gordon headed off in Nina's rather sick white beast to Meall Chuaich to the east of the A9 (after stalling the car on numerous occasions). The walking was good, a fair amount of snow underfoot, the conditions were really pleasant. Unfortunately no amount of persuasion was going to convince Jennifer that we were happy to maintain our gentle pace and she decided part way up the final ascent that she would wait for us back on the main track. The drive back to the hut (fewer stallings!) was magic. We drove along a little lane through the Mains of Glentrium that no-one had used that day. The snow on the road was crisp with trees bending over the road, as if bowing, under the weight of the snow on the boughs.

Brian, Simon, Laubie, Mark and Nina headed up into Coire an-t-Sneachda in search of snow and ice …… no lack of snow, but a worrying lack of ice! Nina struggled bravely (but unsuccessfully) to keep apace with the race going on between her party and the other parties heading the same way as people worried about all the good routes being taken … On reaching the bottom a rushed food stop and donning of all the clothes that could be mustered took place with the Cairngorm weather taking no prisoners as usual. Mark and Laubie headed off up some scary Grade V (going on VI with the lack of ice!!!), the name of which has been forgotten. Brian, Simon and Nina headed for Broken Gully and people took turns to nearly freeze to death as other people attempted to scale the normally Grade III which had NO ICE AT ALL in it (or so it seemed). Certainly safety was no issue since the complete lack of ice meant that once the powdery snow was removed all the little cracks were exposed for summer rock placements … The frozen trio then popped up through a narrow gap at the top just in time to see the sun going down and start the kind of hauntingly beautiful moonlight descent that one gets to expect when spending lots of days on the hill with Mr. S. After a quick mobile call to Ruth to let her know her husband was safe and well and about to drive down to attempt to join the end of the dinner party he was supposed to be at?! - he arrived about midnight I believe! Brian and Nina joined Mark and Laubie for those wonderful hot chocolates in Café Mamba’s and heard tales of crucifixion (ice axe placements stretching arms out either side with feet swinging in mid air!) and a similar story of trying to scale vertical slopes standing on, …well…, puffs of powder.

Sunday

With a number of ice-climbers Jo & Kerry headed up to Aviemore and the Cairngorms. They went up the ridge to the west of Coire an Lochan, by the side of Lurchers’ Gully and skirted round the Northern Corries above the climbing and from there up onto Cairngorm.

Brian, Nina, Laubie, Mark and Valerie (sore leg but not letting THAT get in her way!) performed a mass ascent of the Fiacall Ridge with Valerie leading the way forcing all to stick to the tricky bits (as opposed to avoiding them as can be so tempting!!!). Nina ran out of steam completely after too much activity the previous day and had to relinquish the lead for her little trio to Brian’s seemingly endless energy - only to discover she was only a few metres from the top anyway.

Nina T