The infernal conditions....

Or not as the case may be. This photo was taken last week on the way up to our attempt on Sharp Edge which I blogged about last week - showing the new snow that had fallen and that made the Edge so treacherous.

So hy this....well its snowing in Penrith and the forecast for the next 3 days is for it to snow on and off. One thing about snow is that it is not usually so cold when it does...so will it freeze into nice hard packed neve or not. A report on the UKClimbing website says that Skiddaw was in fantastic condition yesterday with iron hard neve - whilst the avalanche at the foot of Pinnacle ridge has occupied a lot of our thoughts recently..see www.ukclimbing.com for details; especially those of us who like playing around on the Gully climbs..

One possible target for Saturday is Central Gully on Great End...quite an avalanche trap usually although reports suggest that the snow is pretty stable at the moment. It is also quite high so has more chance of freezing....then again there is always Blea Tarn however that may well involved pure ice.....

Nice to have these dilemma's though - although my flat is freezing cold it is one hell of a good winter!!

Place Fell and refelections on a bad weekend.....

Looking up Place Fell from the lunch stop at the ruined sheepfold...

As can be seen from the pictures winter has returned with a vengenance to all of the Lakes peaks with a day long snowfall...and I have permission to go out and do a mad day with Luke on Saturday before walking with Gill on sunday.

The new snow made conditions very difficult indeed, with new snow over semi-frozen rocks..a combination probably worse than Luke and I experienced on Sharp Edge earlier in the week. However a day of sunshine today followed by what looks like it will be a cold evening is boding well for this weekend. The actual walk was quite trying and not as much fun as it could have been..

The only good news of the weekend was a run on Saturday which although only being 4 miles or so saw no reaction from my knee which is good...given the Haweswater Half is nearly upon us...will try and get another run in this week.

And so to late Friday evening when I discovered that the University of Cumbria had rejected my application to do the PGCE course with them next year. This has left me totally gutted as well as looking at a wide range of 'plan B' options none of which really appeal at the moment. The reasons they gave on the feedback form are so vague that neither Gill, myself or the Head of History at UCC actually know what they mean...if I get a chance tomorrow I will e-mail them and try and get some more feedback - have been too busy today.

Camera retrieved...

Luke by a frozen Grizedale Tarn - yes that is writing you can see on it and no its not ours although Luke was tempted....I can be bribed to reveal more!!!!

Tarn Gully 2 - a mild Grade 1 that I led and Luke followed with only one axe!!

Not sure what this semaphore means - apart from mad axeman on the loose...by the end of the winter we may have a Rosetta stone!!!

Tarn Gully 3 - this is ostensibly grade 1 - unfortunately no-one told it!!

Climbing yesterday...

on Tarn Crag on the slopes of Dollywagon Pike.

Sorry for lack of photo's ; however I think I may have left my camera at Luke's house in Keswick last night! will put some up later.

Anyway, an early start did not start that well when I realised that I had left my walking axe at home which meant that we had 3 ice-axes between us; not great for winter climbing...however we decided to persevere and eventually elected to go up to Grizedale Tarn and inspect conditions there. The slog up the Ghyll from Dunmail Raise was tricky in parts with quite a lot of ice on the track and upon arriving at a VERY frozen tarn, with writing on it no less from people who had carved things on the ice, we couldn't see Dollywagon Pike in the mist. As this meant that locating Dollywagon North crag (our original objective) would be tricky at best we then elected to go round to Tarn Crag and see what was in nick.

The slog round was long however upon arrival a couple of nice gully lines seemed to present themselves and after a sandwich stop the first one was inspected. A nice simple grade 1 was led by me with two axes; Luke following with one axe. Apart from a slight steepening near the top there was no problem, which given that I found 1 small nut placement in 100m of climbing was probably a good thing and we were soon descending back to the bags for more food and a conflab over what to do next.

Luke fancied having a go at leading the next gully along (Tarn Crag Gully III) which had its top section hidden from us by a bend but seemed very straightforward. He duly set off with the two axes and wandered easily up the first pitch.

After pleading to have a go at the next pitch as well he set up round the corner and things began to slow down. When it was my turn I discovered why...Luke had climbed quite a tricky section (especially for someone leading his first winter route) and was ensconsed under what appeared to an very un-Grade 1 thin ribbon of snow with a nice large boulder at the top; before opening onto a steep snow field to finish.

It was decided that I was going to have a go at this and I set off..Luke's suggestion of going right and avoiding the first difficult section probably saved the climb as it enabled a huge sling to come into play as a runner for me and to protect the belay...which at least made it justifiable. The main problem was that the snow was far from perfect and not all the turf frozen...making things quite "entertaining" in parts. Some gear went in occasionally, however the section around the boulder proved highly entertaining..wedging my back and rucksack ensured I was not going to fall but also made moving difficult.....a poor nut above the boulder protected a tricky couple of moves before the open snow field where the snow was pretty good. However the 1hr or so this had taken had eaten into our time allowance..luckily a good rock spike on top provided a decent belay for Luke to attempt with one axe!

Having done the first section I was able to send a second axe down on the rope for Luke to use and he promptly ran up the rest of the climb in next to no time....re-inforcing my belief that it might not have been as hard as I made it look - although having my placements as a guide would have helped him as the climbing was not difficult per se but did require some working out..

A rapid descent followed...today is a bit of a rest for me at least before Gill and I head off out tomorrow...

High Pike in the distance...

This is High Pike taken today from the foot of Sharp Edge....this peak is the first part of the fell-running circuit described a couple of weeks ago

Some pix from the last two days...

Approaching the snow line on Helvellyn..

Sharp Edge gleams on the walk-in.....

Sharp Edge does not gleam on the walk out!

Sharp Edge with Luke....

With a lot of new snow on Blencathra and the previously bare Sharp Edge looking very pretty again it seemed the obvious choice.....oh well hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The video below is one of Luke's first attempts at an ice-axe brake and was taken on the slopes above Scales Tarn after we had retreated from the edge. This was my 6th winter attempt at the Edge and it was in easily the worst condition I have ever seen it....loose powder snow on top of verglassed rock....YUK.

After a struggle up the first two (very easy) towers it we took the avoiding path round the right hand side - what we could see of it. This was tricky enough in itself and nearing the end we were looking at having to go up the slab that is the summer finish to the route (and what I had done in perfect neve last month) as the exit gully that is usually used was too bare....so we retreated...

I still think it was the right decision...better to let the Edge have this one I think..

Monday...the Helvellyn Horseshoe

For Luke's second day out in winter we elected to have a go at the 'classic' Helvellyn Horseshoe of up Striding Edge and down Swirral...

As can be seen from the picture Luke found the whole experience so uplifting he was moved to prayer...or was it the fact that I had just told him that I had made a cake and was going to feed it to him tomorrow!!

The weather was interesting with quite a reasonable crosswind and a bit of snow/hail - which turned much worse at the top whilst he was trying to adjust his socks and I was attempting to eat lunch!! However he coped very well with the edge; which was actually in pretty decent condition with the descent chimney to the main ridge (which is the only tricky bit) proving reasonably straightforward...

Having practiced his semaphore - not entirely sure what this means I must confess! - we located the top of Swirral Edge in the now poor visibility and dropped easily down it. This really is a very simple descent - like Striding Edge these days it is arguably easier in winter when all the loose rubbish that proliferates it is frozen up. On the way down we passed a couple of walkers with no ice-axes, crampons or brains...maybe they did not know that there might be snow....luckily these two turned round not long afterwards....

Driving back to Penrith and into a violent rainstorm..this fell as snow on the high hills and would make today MUCH more "interesting"....

Half-term in the Lakes...

Given the appalling weather forecast for the north and the decent conditions in the Lakes, Luke and I decided to stay local and see what we could do....It turned out to be the correct decision given the severe weather warnings and avalanche risk...