In the Hero's footsteps
Winter climbing in Stob Coire nan Lochain
18-19th March

















Blue skies, white hills, and sunshine everywhere.
Just a light wind and the odd wisp of cloud occasionally touching the summits.
Freezing level about 400 metres.





Circumstances had placed us at Crianlarich youth hostel, but a quick drive up to Glencoe saw us away from the car just after 8am. Into Coire nan Lochain, and heading for Boomerang Gully. The first pitch was soloed carrying coils - as far as a large block,  before this subsidiary gulley breaks out on to the shoulder of the mountain. From the block, the upper Couloir is 20 metres above on the right, up a steep pitch of bouldery rubble. A few metres up, hook the rope over the axe, and hammer in a somewhat dubious spectre. The boulders though, are blank. At least the axe placements feel solid in the reasonable snow and turf beneath, so it's thunk, thunk, and foot, foot, and keep moving up. Eventually the lip of the easier ground comes into view, and a further 15 metres up this an ideal spike of rock is gratefully embraced with a sling.










The upper couloir is straightforward snow with sensational views all the way back to the car 2000 ft below. In just over three full pitches it emerges onto a narrow col with marvellous views of Dorsal Arete and the climbs in the right of the Coire. A short walk takes us to the summit of Stob Coire an Lochain, bathed in sunshine, and awesome views in every direction.

As the First Ascent was by W H Murray in 1949, I feel some extra delight in following in the hero's footsteps.........even though it's not one of his great stories, but just an elegant loose end tied up after the war.


A summit lunch is followed by a meander around the tops of the cliff, and another couple of pleasant pitches up a short gully behind the Pinnacle.

Next day, with rising temperatures and a temporary thaw being forecast, we set off up the Munro of Craig Mhor in Glen Lochay - 1047 metres. This involved clambering up a long rocky snout (Sron nan Eun) and through deep soft snow over a series of false summits. A much cloudier day, with visibility being lost on the tops, in between occasional shafts of sunlight.








In a high corrie to the side of the hill, large cornices had grown even at the banks of little streams - a testament to the ferocity of snowstorms earlier in the week. As a diversion, we made some small practice snow holes.











Eventually the afternoon's games came to an end, and so the road led (as it so often does) to Killin for tea and scones to round off a fine weekend.




ANDREW ECCLES AND PAUL WALKINGTON