28th Feb Dollywagon and Nethermost

Alpine conditions on Helvellyn

 A wonderful walk over the summits of Dollywagon Pike, High Crag and Nethermost Pike to Helvellyn in Alpine conditions was a real treat today.

Where the snow was in the sun it was melting fast off the fell sides, but in the North-East facing coves and crags it was holding up very well.  Distant views all around the Lakes showed that there was snow from Wetherlam through Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, and the Scafells to Great End.

More conditions report images at         http://mountaincircles.blogspot.co.uk/

Hause Gap and Grisedale Tarn

Grisedale Tarn and Fairfield

St Sunday Crag and Grisedale Tarn

Wetherlam to Great Gable

High Crag from Nethermost Crag

Nethermost Pike1

Nethermost Pike

Ruthwaite Cove

St Sunday Crag from Dollywagon Pike

Comb Crags

26th Feb Brown Cove Crags and Helvellyn

A Fantastic Grade 1 Day Out

 Clear blue skies and only a cooling breeze as I approached Brown Cove Crags, and after an over night freeze the snow and ice were in superb condition.
The ice at the bottom of Central Gully was easy and after a few moves I was into the gully itself and a straight forward climb up into the sunshine.

I walked up to the summit of Helvellyn, and after looking into Red Tarn Cove I couldn't resist dropping down Swirrel Edge (still in full winter condition at the top) and wandering round to look at the crags up close.

The crags were in excellent condition and a few climbers were out enjoying what might be the last week of true winter conditions!    :-(

I passed under Viking Buttress and Gully No. 1 Buttress and settled for a climb up Gully No. 2 on lovely sticky ice and solid neve,  back up to the summit for a rest and take in the views across the mountains.

Striding Edge and St Sunday Crag

Brown Cove Crags, Central Gully

Brown Cove Crags, Central Gully and Broad Gully

Right and Left Parallel Gullys

Small ice pitch at the start of Central Gully

Down Central Gully

Catsty Cam

Near the top of Right Parallel Gully

Looking East from the summit of Brown Cove Crags

Red Tarn Cove, Gully No. 2 (centre) and Gully No 1 buttress (right)

Down Gully No. 2 to Red Tarn

Striding Edge

23 Feb Bowfell Buttress

Bowfell Buttress and North Gully Recce

Conditions: very cold with quite a high wind chill, the snow pack was variable with some bomber neve and some sugar.  Conditions appeared to be fairly stable but we avoided hanging around while crossing  South Gully.

A promising cold start up the band, a look around Traverse Crag with a quick ascent up Left Gully for lunch on top in the mist.

The Band from the Climbers Traverse

Left Gully, Traverse Crag

After a very cold lunch stop we descended to the base of Cambridge Crag via the Great Slab and then crossed South Gully to base of Bowfell Buttress and the approach of North Gully.

North Buttress

crossing South Gully

The final approach to North Gully

North Gully

Round into North Gully we climbed the first pitch quickly but the lack of solid snow to stand on beneath the chockstone made for an awkward move, and with the time moving on we decided to retreat and come back another day.

South Gully, Bowfell Buttress, and North Gully

Our descent was down the lower part of South Gully to to the Rossett Gill path which would make a very atmospheric approach to South Gully as the whole approach is dominated by the gullies and cliffs above.

The final view up South Gully on our descent

17th Feb Great End

A CLASSIC WINTER CLIMB

With warming temperatures over the last few days we weren't too optimistic about our prospects of ascending in any of the gullies.  As we approached Sky Head we could see that Great End still had plenty of snow so we carried on towards Skew Gill.

The snow had obviously been soft but had consolidated well overnight and was nice and solid.

After Skew Gill we climbed out into the sunshine and crossed over to Custs Gully which was also in good condition.  At the top of Custs we descended the easy slopes to the right and cut back to have a look up "One Pitch gully".

The path to Sty Head

Skew Gill from the Corridor Route

Looking down Skew Gill

Allen Crags from The Band, Great End

Custs Gully

Down Custs Gully

Exiting Custs

Great End 17th Feb 2013

14th Feb Yorkshire Dales

With the snow receding fast and a blackening sky, the scene was set for some moody winter landscapes today.

Wharfedale and Littondale from above Coniston

 The above panoramic image is stitched from 3 images.

Taken with a TS-24mm Canon lens, and a 0.6 hard grad Lee filter.

F9.0_1/60sec_iso100

Stone hut settlement above Coniston

Stone hut settlement above Coniston

Wharfedale barn

The River Wharfe at Linton

9th February Helvellyn

The trip along St Johns in the Vale didn't look too promising, the mist was down to a low level and there wasn't any evidence of snow and ice at the foot of the fells..

As we climbed up towards Brown Cove Crags it started to look a lot more like the conditions we had hoped for and when we got to the Base of the crags we weren't disappointed.

The snow wasn't very deep, but in the gullies it was firm and very enjoyable, the crags looked to have enough and there were several groups dotted about on various routes.

Surreal lighting conditions on the summit made for a very special day.

Good mixed conditions in Central Gully and Broad Gully, Brown Cove Crags

Exiting Broad Gully

Mixed climbing in Right Parallel Gully

Ice sculptures (shame its not 40 feet bigger!)

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Swirrel Edge with the cornices above Brown Cove

Surreal lighting and cloud over Catsty Cam

North from Helvellyn towards Blencathra over the Dodds