Ice Climbing on Carrauntoohil...Curve Gully

 

After a stellar period of dry frosty weather, I guess it would have been remiss not to visit Carrauntoohil and have a look and see if ice had formed. On Thursday morning I arranged to meet with Connie Looney and we headed back to have a look at Curve Gully. The temperature was reading -6 as I drove back to meet him and promised to remain close to freezing through the day. We brought our axes and crampons and set off into the Hags Glen on a beautiful, calm, cold weather morning.

It was great to be out with Connie again and the chat flowed as we walked. I was surprised that there wasn't more people about as I thought the great weather might have tempted more people to get out. Still I guess ice wasn't quite as big a draw as snow. There had been a very slight dusting of the white stuff on the mountains that made the scene look even better as we entered the glen. Before long we crossed the stream and began the stiff pull up into the spectacular levels of Coumeenoughter. Once we reached the first level we were joined by another climber called Dave who was also heading for Curve. The waterfall between level 1 and 2 was completely frozen and would have offered good, if a little sketchy climbing. We weren't really tempted and continued up. Before we reached the bottom of the gully we passed the excellent ice climb called The Lick. It looked to be in good condition but, as today it consisted entirely of water ice, it would have been quite a tough outing and definitely have required gear.

Heading in.

What I think is the crux. Sporty with 1 axe.

Above the crux..easier ground

Right from the start Curve was fat with ice and offered great climbing. I took one axe off the bag, and after putting on the crampons we set off up. After the initial step over a rock the narrow steep section just beyond is I think the hardest section of the climb. The ice was a little sparse but good enough and it soon passed. Easy going follows up through more open ground until, a little below  where the gully deepens and cuts straight up towards the summit. Here some nice sections up through some slabby rock keep things interesting. From there all the way to the top, some great little sections of bulging fat toffy ice was a joy to climb. Things are never very steep but water ice deserves respect and a little care is required. I would say that the route offers a very very nice grade 2 climb in icy conditions. When banked out with snow it gives a grade 1 climb. It is a long climb and by the time we reached the summit we had been on ice for 300 metres. It was a joy to reach the top and enter a calm sunny wonderland. We enjoyed a bite to eat and descended the Heavenly Gates and back to the car. 

Dave cruising it..Entering the upper section

Fat with ice

What a day to be on the summit.

It had been a fabulous outing in wonderful company. Thank you Connie.

Carrauntoohil...Easy Winter Climbing...Curve Gully and the Grey Area

A cold snap and a reasonable snow fall on the mountains was enough to tempt me to rise early and head back to The Reeks in the hope of getting some winter climbing done. I shook the dust off the ice axes and shoved the crampons into the bag and headed west. It was a lovely morning. Perhaps not as cold as I had hoped as the temperature hovering just above zero while I drove in the dark towards Killarney. Still as long as there wasn't a huge thaw wintry conditions should be found on high. It was a beautiful dawn. First the sky turned red and once I was beyond the town the first rays of sun hit the snow clad mountain tops and it was indescribably beautiful. The early start was worth the effort just to witness this sight. As I drove in towards Cronin's Yard the view into the Hags Glen over the woods and then across the plain towards the Dingle Peninsula, which glowed pink in the morning sun, was also very special.

The Slieve Mish looking rosy

I parked my car and I was on the move at 08.20. It was calm and in the still air it wasn't too long before the gloves and hat came off. It is always a joy to regard the shapely peak of Carrauntoohil as you walk into the glen but today it was especially lovely with its dusting of snow down to below 700 metres. Indeed the full horseshoe was lovely and each route offered different adventures. Today I hoped to head up The Step which would offer a nice Grade2 outing so I headed up into Coumeenoughter. As I got nearer the mountain it became clear that the amount of snow down below 750 metres was pretty sparse and nothing in the way of ice was in evidence. When I reached the second level it was clear that The Step was not in condition and neither was the bottom section of Curve Gully so I continued on to the third level. Here thankfully things felt and looked more wintry and I headed up towards the upper section of Curve. The Grey Area looked properly snowed and rimed up so I decided to include that in my day as well. Before I entered the gully I put on the crampons and got the axes out and I must say it felt great to be getting a proper taste of winter.

Inviting or what?

Not exactly plastered

The second level

The upper part of Curve

The gully was nicely snow covered but not banked out and a little ice and firm snow coupled with turf that held the axe nicely made it a delight to climb. It was pretty straightforward though so I decided after rising sixty or seventy metres to break out and up to the left and climb the remainder of the way to the summit in the Grey Area. Exiting the gully provided perhaps thirty or so metres of wonderful interesting fun Grade 2 climbing. Nice firm turf made for secure axe placements and plenty of rime and frozen snow made it a joy to climb. Once above this the going averages about 45 degrees and some nice rocky spurs gave some nice mixed climbing. All too soon the summit arrived and I relaxed awhile in the calm weather and enjoyed the wonderful views in the odd light that winter can sometimes provide. Once I stopped climbing I realized that I was actually quite tired so I decided to descend via the Devils Ladder. It must be a couple of years since I last went down this way and I enjoyed it. It was ice and snow free so the going was easy. I sat at the bottom and enjoyed my lunch and savoured the magnificence of my surroundings. Back to the car about five hours after I set off and I was well satisfied with my morning. Here's hoping for more chances to get the hardware out this winter..

Quite steep in the Grey Area

Amazing views in all directions

Desperately Seeking Winter...Another Try For Some Climbing

Snow to 600mtrs on Thursday followed by decent frosts on Friday and Saturday nights and a decidedly chilly minus 5 last night 😎 meant I was quite hopeful that the north face of Carrauntoohil would offer some proper winter climbing. Unfortunately as is so often the case hereabouts by the time I was leaving the car at 9.15 at Lisliebane it was +1 degrees and cloud covered the mountains. The severe overnight frost had worked its magic on the turf which was hard and dry but it was obvious it was going to be a race against time to beat the thaw. Not that I was in much form for racing as I had come direct from work and for some reason I had decided that it was a good idea to bring a full winter bag including helmet, harness, some gear and two axes plus of course crampons.

Not much sign of winter

Looking down the start of Curve Gully. I sometimes find this area quite tricky

The exit out of the gully. Straight up just right of centre

It was steeper that I had initially thought..Bomber turf helped 😅

The cloud was down at 600mtrs and there wasn't a smidgen of the white stuff to be seen. It was also quite breezy and this confirmed as much as anything else that a change in the weather was well underway. I made my way up into the second level of Coumeenoughter and finally reached some snow here. I had thought "The Step" might have made a worthy outing but, what I could see of it through the mist showed that it was completely bare low down so I continued on to the base of Curve Gully. Some old snow remained here from the previous snowfall so I finally got the crampons on and got the axes in hand and set off up. A little ice umbrella at the first step made it an interesting start and the next higher step was  almost completely snow free so I went up the right wall and this offered nice Grade2 climbing for a few moves with nice frozen turf for the picks to bite into. Above that the conditions were rubbish all the way to the narrow upper half of the gully. Even here it wasn't great so after a short while I broke out left towards the Grey Area. An initial twenty metre section gave very nice climbing on crusty snow but some very nice frozen turf made things a bit more secure. This was top end Grade2 but it was over all too soon and after that it was a bit of a slog upwards and leftwards to reach more entertaining ground. This was a rocky ridge where a little rime ice and crusty snow. It was easy but fun and before I knew it I arrived at the turn back sign near the summit cross. The thaw hadn't reached here yet and the strong wind made it an easy decision to head down. I descended via the Heavenly Gates again and made my back to the car in the wind and light drizzle. Wintry it had been and I enjoyed the outing but it wasn't what I had hoped to find conditions wise. Still there is still hope and time to get more climbing done this winter...❆❆❆

Final ridge

Curve Gully on Carrauntoohil. Winter Grade1 Climb

I went back to The Reeks this morning in the hope of getting a winter route done. There had been a lot more snow on the Kerry mountains over the past few days than on The Galtees so I was hopeful that something might have been in condition. As is so often the case the weather hadn't played ball and heavy overnight rain had stripped much of the snow cover away and the temps were well above freezing as I left the car. Nevertheless I took an axe and crampons but ultimately they weren't needed. As things looked so stripped I had resigned myself to going up O'Sheas Gully to the summit of Carrauntoohil and come down the Devils Ladder. I'm still struggling a little with a lingering flu and I was puffing away as I walked into the Hags Glen. It is of course possible that my overdose of sugar hasn't helped matters either but the new year will put paid to all those excesses. I climbed up into the first level of Coumeenoughter where I reached the first of the slushy snow and things stayed just as soft when I reached the second level. I toyed with the idea of climbing the bottom section of Curve which was still nicely banked out but I feared it would have been a desperate wallow so I climbed into the third level and decided to join the gully higher up.

Most of the snow gone but still very pretty

High in the gully and looking very good. I was tempted to put on the crampons here

Looking down

Final slopes..a bit steeper that it looks here..About 40 degrees on top

A party of four were up ahead and I was hoping that I would be able to enjoy using their steps in the soft snow and indeed I was until I reached the first rocky step before the gully narrows. Here the rocks were covered in snow-ice and the party decided to stop and put on crampons. The snow-ice was pretty soft and was taking a good step so I left the hardware in the bag and continued on up. Things weren't as bad as I had feared and while I had to wallow the odd time, I was able to make more pleasant progress for the most part. Once I reached the final 100mtrs or so of the gully things were actually quite nice and I was even tempted to put on crampons for the final semi-icy difficult step. I got over it easily enough though and enjoyed the final few metres to the summit. It had felt like a proper winter outing with occasional spindrift slides and rime ice still clinging onto the frozen ground. If there is a frost tonight then tomorrow the conditions would be very nice indeed. The summit remained clear of cloud throughout the day and it was nice to be able to enjoy wintry views as I ate my lunch. I returned to my car via the Heavenly Gates and even though I ached a bit and was tired it felt great to have had a proper winter climb. Hopefully there is much more to come this winter (either here of abroad 😊 ).

The Hag Tooth Ridge...A Different Proposition Under Slushy Snow

Saturday Jan 14th;
We have had a quick cold snap during the week and quite a bit of snow fell down to low levels. The mountains were white and while there hadn't been a lot of frost I was hopeful that if there had been a frost up high myself and Kevin might have gotten a decent route in (ie. Howling Ridge). Alas a thaw had set in overnight and it was obvious when we exited the car in Cronins Yard that the snow was being stripped back rapidly and any chance of a winter route was gone. Such are the joys of trying to get some winter climbing done in the southwest of Ireland. We left all the gear bar one axe and crampons (we are nothing if not optimists 😁) and we set off into the Hags Glen.

Plenty snow but a thaw was well underway

Still lovely to look at though.

You'll never guess😉

It is always a bit of a shock to the system when you start out with Kevin and I had to almost trot at times to keep up but things soon smoothed out. We decided that the Hags Tooth Ridge would make a fun outing and so it proved. Both of us had done the route recently but it was a very different proposition today with the rock running with water and slushy snow covering the steps and grassy places. We climbed carefully up to the overhanging section, picking a winding way up through the steep sections. The going was at times delicate and some care was required for safe progress. We arrived at the narrow section near the crest, where a small hole in the rock allowed us to creep through to the other side where we were able to use good holds to join the crest and climb the remaining steps to the top of the tooth. A little down-climb and we continued up the remaining steps towards the summit of Benkeeragh.

Concentration required

Obligatory bum shot

Squeezed through...phew

Oh what we wouldn't give for some frosty weather now.

 Shortly after the tooth I managed to take a nasty tumble backwards after stumbling on snow covers stones but other than a sore wrist and some bruising I was okay. We continued up the ridge, enjoying some nice scrambly sections until we came to a difficult step which neither of us fancied in these conditions so we opted to drop down to the right and traverse below it. We didn't go down quite far enough and we ended up making a rising traverse of some interesting ground that again required care to get past. After this we finished the drag to the top of and descended down the far side where a welcome bite of lunch was had. Here at over 900 mtrs it was windy and cold but the temperature was still above freezing and the snow, while plentiful, was soft and sugary. We traversed the ridge as far as O'Sheas Gully which was banked out but this made for swift easy progress all the way down to the lake. Lots of people were going up and I didn't envy them the job of wading up through the deep snow. We continued down and back to the car and I was back in Killarney in good time to catch the 15.45 train home. Again we had had a smashing day and we made the most of it despite the less than ideal conditions.Thanks Kevin😊

Curve Gully Ridge In Winter.

A few years ago now but here's hoping for some white stuff this winter👀

WINTER CLIMBING ON CARRAUNTOOHIL. "THE STEP" PLUS

Stunning view leaving Cronins Yard

A good dump of snow and a promise of a frosty night meant that Bridie, Denis and myself went back once again to Carrauntoohil in search of a quality winter climb. Having enjoyed a wonderful outing on the Grey Area in recent times, this time I thought the Grade 2 outing "The Step" would make a worthy outing. We reached the second level and arrived at the base of the climb. The bottom of the step is the most difficult section, and in proper cold conditions can offer an icy start with good axe placements, but today I wallowed and waded up through deep powder, and I had to climb the steep slabby left side of the gully. Its fair to say, that finding anything decent in the way of placements was tough and trusting the front-points in soft turf meant that at times things felt much tougher than Grade 2. I got over the difficulties and brought the guys up to join me. I looked up at the continuation of the route and lets just say the prospect of wading up through more deep powder for the rest of the way didn't appeal and I decided to go right to the base of the steeper mixed ground that formed the left side and overlooked "The Lick".

 

The green line is The Step (above the initial section) and the red line is the continuation we followed.

Looking up at the start of the route. A bit steeper than it looks here

Deciding to head up the rocky ground on top right instead of continuing up the snow of The Step

After crossing the deep snow on the right I arrived at a nice looking rocky section. It was steep but it looked okay so after setting up a belay I set off up. It was decidedly sketchy and exposed and I was glad to finally get over the difficulties and reach somewhat easier ground. It was just about 10 meters but the absence of any protection and having to scratch and scrape for foot and axe placements meant it was a high Grade3 section. I brought up Bridie and Denis and we continued up. The remainder was long and interesting and a mix of steep deep snow and rocky steps. We basically were able to look at "The Lick" on our right as we rose. There was some ice on that route but a lot of it was banked out and I guess it would have been pish lower down. We stuck faithfully to the ever narrowing ridge and eventually reached the end where we turned right and made our way up the final 50 meters or so to the cross. It had been a long and interesting outing covering around 300 meters of technical ground. We devoured a late lunch and descended via a well snowed up track all the way down to the bottom of the Heavenly Gates where we finally dispensed with the crampons. We arrived back at the car a full nine and a half hours after setting off, tired but very satisfied with our day. The Reeks were particularly wonderful looking. Next up hopefully more of the same for me in Scotland.

Following on after pitch three

Looking across to the East Reeks

Lovely winter conditions all the way up

People on the Benkeeragh Ridge

Looking across The Lick. Shows how steep the ground is.

Final section

Summit views across to Caher

Almost enough to make you forget the horrible winter