Mole Hills Climbing

Skye.

I've been on the misty showery windy foggy cloudy sunny isle – often erroneously shortened to 'the misty isle', little-known fact for you there – a bit less in the past few seasons. The roads still do my head in, but the rock features remain excellent.

Back on the horse with , helping people get to the top and back down again in one piece and good spirits 🤝

I know doing social media properly is about posting photographs of your own face, relentlessly and without mercy, but since I was brought up to be neither shameless nor a narcissist, I've always struggled with this.

However, if the selfie can depict some underlying truth behind its rictus of insincere cheer, some mineral wealth under the manicured fingernails, I can get onboard.

So here is me, in the indecisive light between morning showers and an interrupted cup of tea, removing a tick from my throat.

The golden period....

Pre-midge, bracken's only starting to unfurl, air is fresh, tourist season hasn't really kicked in yet.

The North-West at its magnificent best.

Had a wee change of climbing apparatus this weekend, from quickdraws and a camera to the whole trad caboodle with Robbie. Some learn-to-lead stuff at Ardheslaig then a couple of classics with Cioch Nose and Route Two at Diabaig. Always a pleasure to handle the two finest rocktypes in the world 🤌

Meanwhile the guidebook is getting there... a bed for tonight then we carry on, chop chop!

I came across this highball wall over the road from Huntly's Cave a few weeks ago. After several visits, mostly to wield brushes and get lichen under my eyelids, it's good to go, with about 20 problems up to around 6C.

It's not rich pickings for bouldering in Strathspey, so I think this could be quite a valuable addition locally. I was slightly disappointed it didn't give anything a bit harder, but it's handy having a good number of problems all in the same spot. It's a nice spot among the trees, and not a long approach. It's mostly quite tall, so you'll want a couple of pads or at least one big beefter pad. There are also a couple of traverses you can lap and get pumped.

I've done a pdf miniguide which I'll figure out how to share soon, perhaps on ...DM me if you want it. I'll stick the problems on UKC as well, crag name Luig Wall.

Video of me climbing a nice 5 to show the scene.

New bouldering crag...

I came across this highball wall over the road from Huntly's Cave a few weeks ago. After several visits, mostly to wield brushes and get lichen under my eyelids, it's good to go, with about 20 problems up to around 6C.

It's not rich pickings for bouldering in Strathspey, so I think this could be quite a valuable addition locally. I was slightly disappointed it didn't give anything a bit harder, but it's handy having a good number of problems all in the same spot. It's a nice spot among the trees, and not a long approach. It's mostly quite tall, so you'll want a couple of pads or at least one big beefter pad. There are also a couple of traverses you can lap and get pumped.

Edit: I've done a pdf miniguide which is available to download on . I'll stick the problems on UKC as well, crag name Luig Wall.

Video of me climbing a nice 5 to show the scene.

Some action from the sharp end on Winter Lead Climbing courses for in the past couple of weeks. And you know what, if it's windy and melty in the mountains we go and do some lovely rock climbing on the coast instead.

There are great climbing conditions in high gullies at the moment, but all the snow is ice-hard and the run-outs are serious. Some nasty tumbles have been taken in the Northern Corries the past few days, take care everyone...

On Suffering.

For many, Scottish winter climbing is synonymous with suffering. It doesn't have to be.

I don't like suffering that much, so I try not to do it.

It helps to be reasonably fit, to have good clothing and equipment, good planning and tactics, all the little things like putting a layer on first thing when you stop to gear up and putting your dry gloves down your jacket, yada ya, but there is one simple principle that reduces the chances of suffering more than anything else:

Don't climb hard.

Or more specifically, don't belay people who want to climb hard. If you want to climb hard and can find a belayer who likes suffering, win-win. But generally, hard climbing is slow climbing and slow climbing is long belays and long belays...(Yoda voice)...lead to suffering.

If you have followed this simple step and are still experiencing suffering, get in touch for further analysis.

The pinch of cold on your cheeks, the crunch of nevé underfoot, the sweet thunk of a pick in frozen turf, the ptarmigan's guttural croak.

Forget it, I got more engagement for a picture of a weird belay (rope threaded through an ice screw larksfooted to axe pommels, would you whip?).

So I've done the natural thing and outsourced the theme to AI. I look forward to your engagement.

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It's nice when you can see!

Last few days have been good for the spirit, delivering WMCI Training for with Creag Meagaidh ice providing a fine classroom, and out with Matt on Aonach Mor.

A few weeks deep in Scottish Winter '26. Is it nice to be back? I think it's nice. I've got some decent moisturiser. Based mainly in the Cairngorms for , the season so far has been:

❄️ wintery! Freezing level has only occasionally and briefly gone above summits, which compared to most recent years is rare. This is great but it's also been

💨 windy! Not unusual, what is unusual is that it's relentlessly from the same direction (SE), which happens to be the least convenient direction for climbing in the northern Cairngorms.

So there's been a bit of mixed, a bit of ice, a bit of getting blown over, a bit of driving west, a bit of dry-tooling, a bit of rock climbing, a lot of cake. Everyone has been very understanding.

Periscope down, carry on...