Dave Macleod onsights the Tempest

Its all happening on the Tempest, with Andy Turner unlocking the route in a true ground up style, Dave Macleod has made the 4th ascent of the route. Its the 2nd ground up ascent and the first onsight as Andy had to rid the line of the rotting pegs and wires prior to his ascent.

Dave apparently like Andy got 2/3 the way up the route when he ran out of gear, Dave had spent two and a half hours on the route and then,somehow downclimbed, (not sure how you downclimb a IX,9!!) to reserve the onsight!

Read more here http://theoccasionalphotojournalist.blogspot.com/2010/03/tempest-act-3-scene1-glencoe.html

After a phone call to Andy Turner, Dave returned the next day with more gear and made the first onsight!

Andy Turner - The Tempest - Ground up

Andy Turner has recently made the first ground up ascent of the Tempest at SCnL. The Tempest was initally given the more appropriate M grade due to the nature of the ascent on pre placed wires, but now Andy has made a more natural and true ascent, he thinks the grade should sit around IX,9 0r X,9 at a push. As andy says on his blog, with any new routes and grades, the grade will settle down 'if' and when it recieves more ascents.
Read more here http://andyturnerclimbing.blogspot.com/

More mixed images....

Glen Coe Mixed....

Ive just returned from a fantstic weekend up in the highlands, well more specifically, Glen Coe.
Dan and I ventured up to get a taste for some harder mixed climbing with the help of James Thacker.
Dan and I have been getting a fair bit done recently and have started to cruise through the grades, climbing upto V,5, but pushing it into tecnical 6 or 7 teritory is a different ball game and James gave us a good insight as to what is needed to pull of these more techical routes.

Saturday we opted to head into Stob Coire nan Lochan, where we climbed Twisting Grooves, IV,5 and Scabbard Chimney V,6. Both fantastic routes, with great climbing. Conditions wise, the freezing level was higher than expected resulting in a slighly warmer day than forcasted, but the climbing was good with well frozen turf and neve.

Sunday we opted for Church Door Buttress on Bidean nam Bian. As we approached, it was clear that the crag was in stonking nick, well iced and well rimed. The approach to the base of the buttress, up the steeper slopes from the lower boulders held a fair ammount of slab, although this wasnt too poorley bonded, care was needed to avoid any slides.
With our aim being, Flake route right hand, V,7, we sorted the ropes and James got underway on the initial crux pitch. A series of tough, sustained hooks and torques up a corner crack with the slightest footholds, opened up this fantastic route (nice work from James!). The rest of the route felt like a real adventure, (with excellent climbing of upto tech 6) meandering around corners, squeezing through tunnels, climbing up a series of small chockstones and traversing over a hanging rock bridge!
A brilliant couple of days out out, for more info visit James Thackers blog here: http://www.jamesthacker.co.uk/reports/reports.html