Last week i joined the Royal Air Force Mountaineering Association up in Scotland. I was teamed up with the RAF Regiment team who are heading out to climb Denali in Alaska later this year, with the job of honing their winter skills and generally getting some winter mountaineering done.
We were blessed with mostly excellent weather and also pretty favourable snow conditions. It's been a pretty lean winter so far but we got lucky as the snow arrived just before we did.
We spent a few days around the Norther Coires of the Cairngorms, practicing personal movement skills (use of crampons and ice axe), avalanche awareness and rescue and a day of rope work on and around the Fiaichail Ridge.
A day of white out navigation on Ben Wyvis and a night in the Ling Hut in Torridon topped off a productive and enjoyable week.
The RAF Regiment Denali team, awesome weather in the Cairngorms.
Seeking out some steeper ground. Exiting Coire Sneachda
Rough first day! Lovely day to tour the Northern Coires.
White out on our way to Ben Wyvis
Practicing a stomper belay on our way back down to Coire Sneachda
Fantastic morning in Torridon. End of a great week