FIRST WHITE. SCOTLAND 26-27 NOVEMBER

November. London weather forecasters start wittering about a cold winter, and true Knights throughout the Realm begin sharpening their tools. The wind swings northerly, bringing a big cold blast. Heads up, we’re off.

First object is just to get there, as the whole country is swept by blizzards throughout Friday. South of Glasgow the M74 came to a halt in deep fresh snow. But eventually at the beginning of Saturday we stood at the end of the Auch Gleann watching as the storm was blowing itself out. Dave, Alex. Ang. and Andrew. Trees waved in the brisk wind, and curtains of snow and hail blew southwards. Corbetts were the order of the day, as a means of keeping below the glum cloudbase and the still-vicious weather on the higher summits.

Already it was warming up again, and after crossing swollen streams and swinging southwards beyond the railway viaduct, we got into the soft fresh snow which had melted back up to 400 metres or so. A stiff half hour up a steep hillside got us onto the col between Cam Chreag and Beinn Chaorach. Views of nearby hills but no lingering in the cold wind. Cam Chreag summit was a long way back behind several falsies, and some small crags. Tiring in the soft snow, we returned across the col and marched up Beinn Chaorach then picked a route down its very steep west side (axes in brace position!) back to the valley, the car, and Glencoe Youth Hostel.

With Corbett book in hand, Beinn Mhic Chasgaig was selected for Sunday --- highly recommended. For a start, it lies in Glen Etive- always a joy. Then the approach walk, up a narrow steep side valley described in the book (just a bit over the top!) as "Himalayan" in character. Anyway, you get to cross a narrow wire bridge over a steep deep stream, and after a mile up the steep-sided valley, comes the Chasm.

Unseen until you get right up to it, this huge gulley/gorge plunges down the side of Mhic Crasgaig at a Grade One type gradient. It’s stony bed provides a way up between crags, with the occasional handwork scramble move. Then there’s the New Route Potential. (!!!). At 600m or so, the Chasm ends in a grassy ampitheatre, down the back of which icefalls had formed. Dave couldn’t resist going over for a poke -- the ice was going mushy, but would be Grade 4 on a colder day, he reckoned.

Mhic Crasgaig doesn’t yeild its summit easily. More puffing up steep ground got us to an irregular plateau:- the top would be hard to locate in bad weather. As it was, the Weather Clerk had improved on the forecast, and we took in a delightful panorama of white and blue.

This hill demands respect on the descent too:- there are no tracks, and more big crags to avoid than easy slopes to get round them. We aimed carefully for the col which leads to the Creise range, and then worked down after lunch on the snow, into the head of the side valley. An extremely steep way down – a rather improbable way up.

Waters tumbling over rocky slabs at the junction of two streams, deer traversing above, and the snow glittering on the summits, made a perfect stop for the last snack, at the end of a full day on a Corbett with plenty of attitude.

Thanks for a super weekend,
ANDREW E.