Ice climbing in Kerry

A fantastic view towards the eastern Reeks



Keith and Niall

Having to sit indoors at work and look out at the wintry weather extend it's grip over Ireland I was determined not to miss the opportunity to climb the Lick on Carrauntoohil on Saturday. I arranged to climb with a Dubliner called Niall Currid and a local guy called Keith Wharton. A thaw arrived on Thursday and was still ongoing when we left the car at 9am. Most of the little snow that we got in the southwest had disappeared and a low cloud base increased the the sense that we were too late for the route to still be in condition. As we progressed  towards the first level we rose above the the cloud and emerged into brilliant sunshine. There was evidence of plenty of ice still clinging to the north face. When we arrived at the second level there was some frozen snow about and the turf was well frozen so we continued with more hope. We rounded the rock buttress and got our first view of the route.   

The Lick rises steeply towards the summit.



Belay on second last pitch

We suited and booted and I led up the first pitch. The ice was a little thin and as is normal on this route, protection was scarce. One sling and an ice screw was all I had before a good spike belay presented itself after about 45mtrs. The two boys followed on and thereafter leads alternated  between Niall and myself. Long run outs were the order of the day and only seven pitches were required to complete the route. Due to having the extra man on the rope and trying to root out decent belays we were quite slow and we didn't summit until after sunset. Still the stunning sunset over the temperature inversion and the surrounding snow covered mountains gave the scene an alpine feel. The exit from the route onto the summit ridge was particularly beautiful. We enjoyed a relaxed bite to eat in the gathering dark and a night descent back to the car. All in all a memorable day out.

Curve gully Nov 27th.

Well I had my first snowy experience in the Reeks this winter. As a cold spell is underway I headed back to Kerry more in hope than expectation. There was a liberal dusting of snow down to about 250mtrs and the place was looking great. I decided to have a look at Curve gully.

Carrauntoohil

Cnoc na Peiste

Gradually as I gained height the temperature dropped and the wind became more intense. Soon enough when I gained the third level there were clouds of spindrift being blown straight into my face. Real winter had arrived. I climbed quickly up to the second half of the gully and was hopeful that at this height (800mtrs) there would be some quality ice appearing. So I donned crampons and brought out the axe and headed up. Unfortunately things alternated between drifting powder and cruddy ice. Still the biting wind and cold (complete with hot aches) made it a genuine winter experience.

Summit cross

Looking up Curve gully

A quick lunch on top and i decided to have a look at thr Beenkeerach ridge. Things were looking great but the wind was problematical so I decided to decend O'Shea's gully instead. Progress was rapid and I enjoyed the decent and the wonderful views. Work unfortunately is in the way to further outings in the next five days, here's hoping the artic weather lasts until next weekend.

The Hags Tooth overlooks the Hags Glen

Hags Glen Horseshoe.

The Cnoc na Peiste ridge

After my recent trip to Scotland I decided to re-accuaint myself with the Reeks near Killarney. I did the Hags Glen horseshoe and threw in Caher for good measure. There was a brisk wind and fairly frequent showers about but on the walk itself I was lucky and was only pelted by hail a few times. I had wonderful views almost the whole time and so when I was finished in the gloom I was well satisfied with a good day. Eighteen kilometers and 1900mtrs plus of climbing.



Towards the Black valley



Cnoc dubh and the Brida valley