#aonach mor

[alpine-aesthetics]

aonach mòr, scotland, march 2018 by #murdomacleod

thanks to #thebigpicture

[last100munros]

#229 Aonach Mor and #230 Aonach Beag

Route: From the ski centre up the red mountain bike track, up the west flank to Aonach Mor, across to Aonach Beag, back to Aonach Mor, down the east flank and then down the orange mountain bike track.

Height: 1221m, 1234m

Date: 17 April 2017

Time to summit: 3h 49mins, 4h 44mins

Total time: 8h 24mins

With: Dominic Williams

Weather: Sun and cloud, tops clear, but cloud came down towards end of day, snow underfoot from ~ 900m.

Notes: Being purists we spurned the use of the gondola and set off along the mountain bike tracks from the base of the ski centre. Initially we went on wide tracks and along the blue routes which gently made their way up hill through the trees in wide zigzags, making mountain biking seem reasonably tempting. The track crossed under the gondola with a critic sign saying that there was a walking route but we couldn’t see any obvious sign of somewhere to go.

Instead we decided to go up the Nevis red route mountain bike track. This was quite good going although the potential for mountain bikers to be coming down fast did add a certain element of danger to it. The route made its way around on the the west side of Aonach Mor, and after not too long there were good views down to Fort William and down Loch Eil as well as across to Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis and to Glen Roy where we’d been the previous day. Underfoot it was a mixture of track, with some large drops over chunks of granite (making mountain biking seem less tempting…) and wooden walkways. We met some mountain bikers who were coming down fairly cautiously which was fine, but then later, as we were at one of the only points where you couldn’t see the way ahead around a corner, we had so jump off the walkway out of the way of some bikers.

Eventually we made it to the level of the top of the Gondola station where there were quite a lot of people going along to the view points. Our way, however, was up. Without the benefit of the mountain bike track this was a case of picking our way up over the heathery slopes along the west side of the ski area. We stopped to eat our lunch just below the snow and then continued on, continuing to enjoy good views of Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg. The snow was reasonably fresh but wasn’t too deep and was fine to walk on as we made our way up to the Aonach Mor summit plateau. If all the ski lifts were running it would be very easy to get to the top!

At the top of the slope it was an easy walk across the plateau following other people’s footsteps to the summit. From there we could see the more rocky summit of Aonach Beg, our next destination. Continuing to follow other people’s tracks we carried on, first going down to the col between the two mountains, and then beginning our ascent. We were now getting views over to the Grey Corries and the Mamors as well. Ascending Aonach Beg required a bit more care as Dom didn’t have winter kit (although he had sticks) and the snow both much icier and and on steeper, rockier slopes. I was quite glad I had winter boots on to be able to kick steps at some points. The rocks were wonderfully folded in places though.

After not too long we made it to the summit, where we took some pictures and had a snack before beginning our decent. Caution was definitely required on the icier bits but it wasn’t too bad in the end. At the col we stopped for a bit of a longer rest before going back up to the top of Aonach Mor. This time, particularly as we were planning on going down the orange mountain bike route, we took the the east side of the ski area. Coming off the plateau the cloud came down a bit, making the ski routes down the back of the mountain look particularly forbidding.

We eventually got below the snow and continued fairly steeply down on heathery, bouldery slopes until we got to the near the top of the Gondola. It was fairly late by this point, just after the last Gondola up, so we were fairly confident that we probably wouldn’t encounter any mountain bikers going down the route. It was certainly direct as a decent route, and most of the time we ended up taking the walkers route just to the side of it because there were huge drops or it was far to steep - occasionally rocks were covered with crash mats. Once in the trees we picked our way through a mixture of routes sign posted for walkers and old mountain bike tracks until we made it back down to the car park.    

[ruanaich]

Nevis Range

DAY 2 OF THE SCOTTISH SEASON 16/17. I  had taken another long weekend off work, and I new I wanted to travel somewhere to car camp again. It looked like Saturday was going to be bright, there had been snowfall and the Friday 6 O’clock News was all about the Scottish Ski areas opening at last. It wouldn’t be ideal though. I think they really want the families up there while kids are off school.…

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[photography-prints]

The building of the St Benedict Abbey at the shore of Loch Ness

[photography-prints]

Beautiful St Benedict Abbey in Fort Augustus

[bethiebathory]

I felt like I’d been given a throne at the top of the world, queen of a wilderness that had so often given life back to me like a syringe of adrenaline straight to the heart.

8.10.16

[itsmosblog]

Speed Bonny Boat

The Girl Next Door was up early for a 6am sunrise.  Now she has gone up Aonoch Mor to face her Demons on the Corrie where she broke bits of herself the last time she tried it.  I think they call it Easy Gully?  But I don't think it's easy.

Spook and I just drank morning coffee in the warm sunshine.  That was easy.

There was some frantic cleaning of caravans and a wee stroll around the Corpach Basin before making ready for going over the sea to Skye.

No blog tomorrow.  What comes first?  The blog or the life/the life or the blog.  Chicken and egg kind of stuff.  I am supposed to be packing while Spook is buying some food.  Best get going.........