Curve Gully Carrauntoohil.

Yesterday I went back once again to The Reeks in the hope of having a winter climb. The wonderful winter conditions of the previous couple of weeks were gone and a thaw had no doubt done its worst by now. I reckoned that the gullies would still be holding a fair bit of snow so I hoped that I might get to experience a decent winter outing. I had hoped that there would have been a frost overnight but it was a balmy seven degrees as I drove back. A little cloud covered the tops as I left the car and there was no need to walk in anything other than a baselayer so I felt a bit foolish carrying two axes, some rope and crampons but I reckoned that the heavier bag would be good training for my upcoming trip to Scotland. It was pretty clear that there was still a fair bit of snow about but I didn't doubt that it would be sugary and soft. Ah well the perfect winter conditions couldn't last forever and at least I would get a day in the mountains. I decided to have a look at Curve Gully which gives a very nice atmospheric Grade 1 winter route right to the summit of Carrauntoohil.

The lower slopes of Curve,..totally full.

 By the time I reached the second level of Coumeenoughter it was plain to see that there was still copious amounts of snow in the gully and that it was still completely banked out. I could also see that there was a party in front of me so at least there would be some steps to follow. Upon reaching the gully my worst fears weren't realised and the snow wasn't as soft as I feared. There was no need for crampons but I did use one axe which plunged in and through the snow a bit too easily. The gully is initially narrow before swinging around to the left in open ground and once again becomes narrow all the way to the top. It lays back at about 35 degrees with occasional sections maybe five degrees steeper. In leaner conditions it can have some nice icy steps and the bottom section becomes much more tricky but today it was a homogeneous snow slope. Progress was easy and it was like climbing steps of a stairs but it was still nice to be in what looked rather than felt a winter environment.

Looking down from the narrow upper section.

Soft and warm it may be but its still great to be here. 

 Upon reaching the summit the cloud still hung about so there was no view to be enjoyed. I rested awhile and set off towards Maolan Bui or The Bone. This added a further 400 meters of ascent to the day as I had to go over Cnoc na Toinne and Cnoc an Chuillinn before reaching the bone. It is fair to say that I was tired by the time I got there and the heavier boots and bag and perhaps my lack of good living etc were showing. I dropped easily down the long spur and back to my car. Perhaps the next mountain I will set foot on will be in Scotland.

Back down enjoying spring sunshine. Benkeeragh still looking a bit wintry

Another Beautiful Temperature Inversion On Carrauntoohil.

A friend of mine from work asked me to help a group of his mates ,who were on a stag weekend in Killarney, to climb Carrauntoohil. Winter conditions remain on the mountains and while the past couple of days had been a little milder lots of snow remained on high. So a total of fifteen plus myself and the redoubtable Frank set off on an overcast morning and set off into the Hags Glen. I decided that the Devils Ladder route was the only feasible way to go as  none of the group had any winter experience or equipment. Thankfully the ladder was nicely stepped out and we reached the saddle without any problems. An added bonus is that once again I found myself above the clouds in an alpine wonderland. The exclamations of delight from everybody (many of whom this was their first mountain experience) was great and it was nice to share their obvious delight.

A glimpse of heaven

Arriving at the saddle above the ladder

Cnoc Duff peeking the blue.

The slopes to the summit are pretty gentle and everybody made it with relative ease. Upon reaching the summit we were all wowed by the stunning scenery. After a nice lunch and the group photos were captures we set off back down the way we had come. The final slope out of the ladder was smooth and icy so I set up a rope that could be used as a handrail for the first thirty meters and this worked very well. Frank then went to the front of the group and ensured that they stayed pretty close together and we made it carefully and safely down below the the snow and then back to the car. Everybody was delighted with their day and I was delighted to help out and that was made all the easier thanks to Frank. What a pleasure to see this beautiful range in such glorious conditions. An auspicious start to the nuptial celebrations for Joe.

Frank

 

A Moonlight Wander On The Galtee Mountains

For some reason I don't go walking that much at night-time. Indeed the last time I was walking at night on the Galtee mountains must be twelve years ago. It was well past time that I put that statistic to rights and what better time than with a full moon and the mountains white with snow. So I set off from home at 16.30 yesterday and arrived at the carpark on the north side of the mountains at 17.30 and set off on the Clydagh Valley horseshoe, a nice 14 kilometre hike with about 1200 meters of ascent with the added bonus that it takes in Galtymore 919 meters. I was really looking forward to it as the skies were clear and a frost had already set in and the views of the north side of the range as I drove in were great.

A view to whet the appetite.

Despite the chill I was soon warm as I set off up the easy track that rises to the shoulder of Cush 642 meters and then climbed the stiff pull to the summit. I had to stop a few times and admire the view around the valley and off the west the rose red sky after the sun set was truly lovely. Soon the lights of the many villages and towns twinkled in the fading light but I didn't need my headlight before I reached the top at 18.30. What a pleasure it was to pause and take everything in. The mountains looked magnificent in their winter coat and to top it all off to the east a blood red moon was appearing on the horizon. There was a liberal dusting of powdery snow covering a hard frozen turf but there wasn't any need to bring out the axe and crampons. There was also a stiffer breeze than I expected and this encouraged me to keep moving.

Starting up towards Cush looking at the rest of the horseshoe. Galtymore in the middle

Glowing skies to the west

I wish I could get a good picture

The wonderful thing about this frosty weather is that the normally wet, boggy ground was rock solid and made what is often a meandering way to try and avoid the boggy bits a much more direct route. The nearly 400 meter climb to the summit of Galtybeg (799 meters) is never easy but with the moon now higher and casting a brilliant glow upon the mountains I didn't mind it a bit as I was enjoying myself immensely. The wind on the summit ridge was really quite stiff now and very chilly and after I tried (unsuccessfully) to capture something of the majesty of the scenery with my camera I was glad to head off towards Galtymore. The normally terribly mucky/boggy ground from here to about halfway up the summit slopes of Galtymore was frozen solid and the going was so much easier which was just as well as the wind was strong and cold. By the time I reached the summit of Galtymore I had to stop and put on warmer layers. A little misty cloud was scudding across the broad icy ridge and I reckon that it must have been -5 degrees with a thirty mile an hour wind making for a wind-chill temperature of minus thirty. I kept moving and soon was heading down towards the broad flat spur that then drops and curls around above the impressive coum in which nestles the almost frozen Lough Curra. Spindrift was now a bit of a problem but if anything the views were even more spectacular. I opted to drop steeply down to the lake and then followed the easy trail all the way back to the car. I arrived back at the car at 21.30 in great spirits having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even though the there was a decent snow covering higher up there was no need to utilise axe or crampons as it was soft and powdery everywhere. I must do some practice after dark with my camera as I didn;t manage to get one decent picture. I must do more night walks in the future.

Trying to get a bit of shelter on the summit of Galtymore

All layers needed

A Wonderful Winter Walk on Carrauntoohil

As I left home it was snowing lightly and dim and dull. Nothing about the day suggested that I would see any sunshine. The forecast wasn't too good for the afternoon with snow and rain due to arrive and I assumed that it had arrived earlier than expected. All the way back to the carpark the dull leaden skies spat sleety snow and the gloom reflected my mood a bit. Still it would be an outing in the Reeks and who could complain about that. There was no wind but I expected that to change as I got higher so I put on my full winter battledress and set off from the car. There was nobody else about and it promised to be a solitary outing. Soon I was far too warm and despite the 1 degree temperature I was sweating a fair bit and I had to shed some layers. Mist hung low in the sky so it was a pleasant surprise to discover when I entered the Hags Glen that I could see the summits of the east Reeks. Even though the grey was unbroken it promised that I might at least not be in the mist all day. I wasn't really in the mood to wallow up a gully that was sure to be full of fresh powder so I decided to climb Carrauntoohil via the Devils Ladder. It is rare for me to use this, the easiest route to the top but that actually made it something of a novelty for me.

Cruach Mhor and Cnoc na Peiste

Looking across to the Hags Tooth Ridge

The Ladder

There was a descent cover of snow down to about the 300 meter level which was soft and made the going a little tougher and the stream that comes down the ladder was in no danger of freezing. Eventually I started to gain height once I reached the ladder. There were plenty steps in the snow so it was easier to make progress now. It wasn't until I reached around the 600 meter level that some icy underlying snow appeared and made me ponder putting on some crampons. I didn't bother and once things didn't get worse I was able to continue to the exit of the ladder at 730 meters. There had been a distinct brightening in the sky as I neared the exit and it was such a joy to find myself standing in sunshine and able to enjoy a wonderful panorama of winter mountain scenery. My mood suddenly matched the glory of my surroundings and I set off up the 300 meter slog to the summit above me. The going was at times quite tough as I waded through some deep drifts but I didn't care as the beauty of everything around me meant it was no hardship to stop occasionally and soak up the views. It was warm as well and I could really feel the sun even though it was winter. Eventually the summit arrived and I found myself all alone in stunning weather on Ireland's highest peak.

View from the top of the ladder

Cnoc na Toinne

The East Reeks

Towards the summit

Towards Cnoc Duff

I relaxed for a short while and my eye was drawn to the shapely ridge towards Caher and I decided to do an out and back trip and then to cross the Benkeeragh ridge and back to the car. I could see out to the west some dark clouds but I was hopeful that I would get the rest of the day clear. I set off towards Caher and I really enjoyed the trip. The snow was for the most part soft with only occasional icy bits and again I left the  crampons in the bag. The ridge is normally a pleasant airy stroll and it was no different today but there was sufficient snow cover to make it an exposed traverse if it became icy. Anyway as I reached the summit some wispy cloud arrived and started to cover the views. Unfortunately the cloud stayed and only got denser so I made the decision when I reached the top of O'Shea's Gully to forget about Benkeeragh and head down from here. The gully was really well banked out and it is fairly steep near the top so I donned my crampons in case there were any icy bits and I was glad I did as there were frequent sections that only had a few centimetres of powder on a firm icy base. Progress down was rapid and it got faster when I decided to glissade, which I was able to do all the way to the lake. Unfortunately the mist only got denser and I couldn't see any of the ridges to see what their condition was like. Anyway the rest of the descent went very well and I re-emerged under the cloud at around the 400 meter contour. I was still buzzing after the wonderful sunny experience I had on the summit that made the early start and dull weather well worth it. Sometimes it pays to take the chance and venture out in less than promising conditions.

From Caher across to Benkeeragh

The East reeks

Benkeeragh

Looking west to Coumasaharn

The ridge to Caher

Looking back along the ridge as the cloud comes in

Some well rimed up rock

Cummenagearagh Gully on The Reeks.

Saturday Jan 24th;

I went once again with the redoubtable Francis Jan for a climb on the wonderful Kerry mountains. We had had a good bit of snow recently but a mild wet day yesterday put paid to most of it but we were hopeful that perhaps the gullies would still be full and offer some sport. We intended to do the very nice Grade1 Curve Gully on Carrauntoohil but as we drove up to the carpark at Lisliebane the outlying gully between Skregmore and Benkeeragh called Cummenageragh looked nice and as Frank had never been there before we opted for that. It starts at about 600 meters and finishes at the shallow col below Skregmore at just over 800 meters so it is quite low and given the fact that there hadn't been much in the way of a frost I wasn't too hopeful that it would be in good condition. I feared a wallow from the bottom to the top.

Entering the coum. The gully is obvious at the back.

Gaining a bit of height

Francis looking as dour as ever :o)

In the meat of it.

 From the carpark you initially head towards the lower slopes of Knockbrinnia before doing a gradual rising traverse to the right before eventually entering the coum after about three kilometres. The coum is a lovely spot and the gully is plainly visible at its rear. Once we reached the base I was pleased to find that the snow wasn't actually too bad and that as a double bonus someone had been in the day before and there were some nice steps to follow. We set off up and as we gained a bit of height things only got better and indeed the snow at times was really quite hard and needed several kicks to make a decent step. We of course had our ice axes out but at no stage did we need crampons (which was just as well as I forgot mine) and we made rapid progress up the gully. We exited it on a direct line which was for a few moves pleasingly steep and we emerged on to the almost snow free the ridge to be greeted by stunning views and a chill breeze. We turned and climbed the nearly 200 meters to the summit of Benkeeragh where we could see across to a surprisingly snowy Carrauntoohil with the striking line of Curve Gully looking particularly inviting. We easily crossed the Benkeeragh ridge which was mostly snow free and climbed to the top of Carrauntoohil where we enjoyed a nice lunch. The descent towards the Devils ladder was a joy with large patches of neve which was just just about taking a firmly placed heel so we actually jogged down most of it. We then finished our descent via the Heavenly Gates.

Looking towards the top.

Exit directissimo

Towards Benkeeragh

Across to Caher

Towards Cruach

On the Benkeeragh Ridge

Curve Gully looking great

Hmmm, I wonder if we dropped down would we have time to climb it??

Add caption

Summit views

More summit views

 As We got down neat the end of the first step we met a young man who was hauling up a large unwieldly load. As he rested we asked him what it was and he informed up that he was gifting a stove to the mountain and putting it in the emergency shelter. What a generous and lovely gesture by him. His name is Michal Bednár from Youghal. I hope Karma treats him very well.  It had been a lovely day out and it was great to get out on firm snow. Mild again for a few days but more cold weather forecast for next week. Here's hoping for more winter experiences to come. Thanks Frank