Marhofn 230.13 - May 2011

Baglogs:

Audrey Litterick (+69=957)

We had a fantastic start to 2010 with more than 15 ski-tours on mountains all around the Cairngorms on both Nordic and mountaineering skis. I've never seen snow lie so deep for so long on the Cairngorm plateau. Once it finally went, we seemed to lose the knack of finding good weather (CW: I think that's because there wasn't any). I generally spent less time in the big hills since it was my first year of being self-employed. However, I did enjoy a few excellent work-related bags of smaller hills far and wide: North Uist, South Wales, the Lake District, Shropshire, Derbyshire and Lancashire. There were many highlights, but here are a few:

• An early season ski-mountaineering tour on Carn Bhac. We had perfect weather, perfect early season snow and serious deep-freeze temperatures with incredible views all around. A late start, thanks to Tony Kinghorn, meant that we enjoyed a fine sunset and a magnificent moonlit descent.
• A late season ski-tour in the southern Cairngorms. More perfect weather but this time on Nordic skis. We set off just after dawn from the Glenshee car park, climbed up the side of Glas Maol and then over four more Munros to Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach. How you can cover the ground when the snow conditions are good, the weather fine and the skis perfectly suited to the terrain! We had to carry the skis down the last couple of miles to a cunningly-placed second car at Invercauld. A magical day, when we got very sunburnt.
• Tony Kinghorn and I lugged two bottles of champagne up Ben Klibreck, walking along to Loch a'Bhealaich from Crask and then up the ridge via Creag an Lochain from the south - a much more scenic way than the shortest route. At the top we announced the occasion to the gathered throng of six - it was Andy Walker's 200th Munro. He was dumbfounded and swore he had not done anything like that many (he has, I've been counting) and moaned that he'd been duped. 'But I don't want to be a bagger' he cried, but he did enjoy the champagne and we all got a good laugh.
• Andy and I walked in to Maiden Pap from the north and then on to Smean, where we set up our tiny tent with golden eagles flying overhead. We then took an evening stroll to Scaraben in dramatic showers and late evening sun before wakening to warm sunshine, blue skies and meadow pipits trilling - heaven. On then to Morven's wild summit for a laze in perfect peace.
• A summer work trip took me to North Uist (yes, I have a great job). North and South Lee just sat there in the sun, waiting to be climbed on my day off. Characterful wee mountains, rocky in places, with good scrambling here and there. The day was clear and breezy to keep down the midgies, and the views were stunning in every direction. Countless lochans all around the mountains, glinting black and silver, with the Cuillin and Rum off to the south-east and St Kilda clearly visible out to the west.



On Carn Bhac (photo: Tony Kinghorn)