International Winter Climbing Meet: Mid-week update

The 2025 Scottish International Winter Meet has got off to a flying start. With warm weather forecast for the middle of the week, climbers took full advantage of the cool conditions on Sunday and Monday. 

Off to a cold start

The meet started in Glenmore Lodge on Saturday 1 March, and the Northern Corries were a clear choice on Sunday. Despite the lean conditions, good snow was present high up in Coire an Lochain and there were multiple ascents of Grumbling Grooves (VI,7), together with Deep Throat (V,6) and the difficult Pic’n Mix (VIII,8) by Callum Johnson and Zac Colbran from Canada. 

Next door in Coire an t-Sneachda,  The Seam, Short Circuit and Cruising saw ascents. Benjamin Toole and Adomas Vacikonas (Lithuania) made an enterprising ascent of a very steep Aladdins Mirror Direct (IV,4) and Callum Robertson made an ascent of a previously unrecorded Grade IV up the left flank and headwall of The Grooved Rib. 

The main action took place on Ben Nevis, which was covered in fresh snow on the high cliffs. Apache (VIII,8), Gargoyle Wall (VI,6), Darth Vader (VII,7), Lost the Place (V,5), Cloudwalker (VI,6) were climbed along with SW Ridge Douglas Boulder, Central Gully, Fawlty Towers and Castle Ridge. 

The highlight was the second ascent of Red Right Hand (VIII,8) on Minus Two Buttress. This little known climb is the only pure mixed route on the Minus Face and was first climbed by the legendary team of Iain Small, Es Tresidder and Dan McManus in in February 2006. Ryan Balharry and Andrej Jez from Slovenia found good snowy conditions and added a more direct finish. Long unprotected runouts on sustained technical terrain made the route a cerebral experience!

Temperatures rising!

On Monday, the temperatures started to rise but the high mixed routes on the Ben hung in there. The highlight was the second ascent of Catriona (VIII,8), the spectacular left arête of Cornucopia by Zac Colbran (Canada) and Callum Johnson. Equally impressive was an ascent of The Secret (VIII,9) by Robert Giddy and Andrej Jez. Ascents were also made of Cloudwalker, Darth Vader, Babylon (VII,7), Lost the Place and Cornucopia (VII,8) as well as Number Three Gully Buttress, North Gully and Tower Ridge. 

CIC hut hosts Robin Clothier and Marie Hawthorne teamed up with Meet Coordinator Simon Richardson to climb a new Grade V mixed route on Arch Buttress in Upper Castle Corrie on Carn Dearg. High up in Glen Coe on Church Door Buttress, Un Poco Loco (VII,7) saw an impressive lead by Sarah Haase from Italy, with her UK climbing partner Olly Stephenson. 

Outlook for the week...

By Tuesday things were warming up but a number very fast since we made of Tower Bridge as well as Thompsons Route on Number Three Gully Buttress.  

Halfway through the meet attention is now turning to rock climbing and bouldering with fingers crossed for cooler and more wintry conditions, returning on Friday.