Not onna bike, but up a hill...
Aonach Eagach winter traverse with the boys.
The Aonach Eagach ridge is one of the iconic Scottish ridge walks, second only to the Cuilin ridge in Skye. Defining the north side of Glencoe, it is very narrow in places, and consists of a series of very exposed technical scrambles.
By summer, it is a committing exposed technical route, with fathomless drops either side. By winter, it is a rather more serious undertaking.
The initial ascent is uncompromisingly direct, a steep path to the first top of Am Bodach. It took just over an hour to gain the summit. We put on crampons at this point, as we were about to begin the traverse of the ridge. The conditions were typical Scottish Mixed snow, ice and rock. The rocks are all coated with a thin layer of ice, making for some treacherous sections of steep climbs and down-climbs.
The first of these technical sections presents itself very soon, a tricksy down-climb off Am Bodach onto the narrow part of the ridge.
The ridge is now a succession of very narrow and breathtakingly exposed climbs and down-climbs. The crampons and technical ice axes had their work cut out finding grip on the icy rock, but they performed admirably. The full traverse of the ridge to the final summit of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh took around 4 hours.
At one point the dull thud of helicopter rotors beating on the air could be heard somewhere in the murk below us, carefully tracing the line of the ridge some fifty metres below us. I hope it was just an exercise; there's a fair drop till the first bounce, as they say.
Around noon, the murk cleared to reveal a blue sky afternoon, with views in every direction.
The 'new' descent route avoiding the Clachaig Gulley path is a bit of a pain, leading you miles away from the Clachaig Inn, the destination for any sane climber. You are rewarded with a 3k march along the Old Glencoe road to finish off.
https://www.strava.com/activities/6439469050Aonach Eagach by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
Aonach Eagach by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr
Aonach Eagach by
Ron Lowe, on Flickr