Читать книгу Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms. The Cairngorms and Creag Meagaidh онлайн

16 страница из 64

Grades are given for average conditions, which may or may not exist. A big build-up of snow may make gully climbs easier but buttresses harder, as more clearing is required to find holds and protection. The grades of some routes can vary dramatically, and on some of the harder climbs occasionally conditions are such that even classic routes may be one or even two grades easier than that given. The absence or presence of even one good placement can make a big difference to the difficulty of some climbs. Occasionally a split grade is used in the lower grades to indicate a climb whose difficulty varies according to the build-up – such as when pitches disappear to give easier climbing, often later in the season.

Brian Duthie pulling some steep moves on the first pitch of Fall-out Corner (Number 4 Buttress, Coire an Lochain) (photo: Henning Wackerage)

A combination of short daylight hours and poor weather gives Scottish winter climbing an Alpine-like urgency. Because of the need for speed and the variability of conditions, the use of aid tends to be less rigid than in summer. However, these two requirements, speed and aid, are not always compatible. The more aid used, the longer it takes and the risk from approaching darkness increases.