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...

First fell-run of the year...

a glorious day yesterday so eschewed the chance to go to the Keswick wall and decided to run the High Pike circuit...

The initial ascent up High Pike felt slow, however it was only a little over 25mins which is about my par time. The rest of the run was not so good though; with a lot of ice and bone-hard ground to jar the knees. My right knee definetly was not happy and the final descent was mostly hobbled which is not good....however the knee does feel better this morning which is good...looks like a lot more work on the knee is needed though.

The weather was glorious - no photo's for obvious reasons however will post some of the circuit under different condidions later on.

Sharp Edge gully I/II - change of plans

Bit of a change of plan due to various circs and so Luke and I ambled up to Scales Tarn to see if we could use Luke's VERY shiny new kit! The gully to the left of Sharp Edge (which the guidebook advises is Sharp Edge Gully) looked in good nick and, as the edge was bare, I thought we could walk around to see what condition it was in with maybe a view to an ascent tomorrow....

One person was already most of the way up the gully and another man was putting his crampons on and about to leave..although he had two axes whilst we only had one each. Luke decided that we should have a look and so we started the ascent, as seen in the picture below.

The conditions varied quite a lot on the climb. The top section, which felt pretty steep (especially bearing in mind that we were soloing!) had pretty decent neve whilst some of the mid section around a small ice bulge was pretty manky. This entailed us taking a detour rightwards and a grassy scramble that was the crux of the route - especially for Luke as it was his first ever winter day out of any sort!!!

Anyway, all was good - another excellent day on Blencathra although the weather was a little different...