The Naked Ice Climber Caption Competition

Thanks to everyone who entered our caption competition. It was supposed to be easy for us. We get a couple of dozen entries, have a chuckle, select a really funny one and make someone happy with the grand prize of a bottle of Benromach 10 year old single malt. (Mmmm..., nice!)


But it didn't turn out that way. Maybe it was all that naked flesh that just got you too excited. Maybe it was the prospect of a free bottle of whisky. Whatever, the couple of dozen entries has run into the hundreds, and it's made a simple task nigh on impossible! Our 'last call for entries' brought in 145 additional suggestions just on its own.

There's also 45 (at the last count) more posts to be found in the comments area of our original blog entry as well. Rescue Choppers indeed, madam!

So, with apologies to anyone that we've missed, we've tried to include all the entries here for you to browse, including various references to cracks and cravasses and having a 3rd ice tool. We've cut and pasted from email, and we've taken some screen shots from Facebook. Please don't shout at us if you can't see yours, we did read them all.


And, oh how we've laughed. Productivity has fallen considerably in June as we've been rolling around the floor at your many captions. Maybe we should be introducing a stand up comedy night in the Boots Bar, as clearly we have so many comedians as customers. 

Choosing "the best" for the prize simply hasn't been possible. The best solution was to put the ones that really made us giggle into a metaphorical hat and put out a winner. 

And the winner is....

Iain Robertson
Glencoe MRT currently warning of dangerous cracks in the ice.  

Nice one Iain. Get in touch and claim your prize. 

We also have some t-shirts for...

Charles GordonFirst Ascent of the Shrivel Devil. Not hard but very severe. (N-HVS).


Alistair Woodburne
Don't look now Rick, but is that a crack in the ice! ;)

Wee Thumb 
After 15 years of winter climbing, Rick should have known that ice screws are not pink
(Not sure if that's a name or part of the joke!)

Peter ToddHard climb, but he rose to the occasion

and finally a cheeky one from

Francis Healy-mcadam  
Tight rope, tight rope, slack rope, slack rope, tight rope, tight rope! Slack! Slack! Tight! Tight! Faster!! Faster!!!......."

Thanks to everyone who joined in with the crack (!) on this occasion. You're all heroes and it's you that makes Clachaig what it is.

Cheers!


--

Don't look now Rick, but is that a crack in the ice! ;)
Alistair Woodburne


Expose yourself to Glencoe
Michael Gomez.

The Iceman Cometh
Gavin Black

So that’s crampons, ice axe and...aye, sacs.

Robin Smith

You’ve all hard of the person who stuck their tongue to a lamp post – err has anybody got any warm water ..............

Sue Hanson

After 15 years of winter climbing, Rick should have known that ice screws are not pink
Wee Thumb

Hard climb, but he rose to the occasion

Peter Todd

“By anchoring point #5, it is now possible to pivot 360 Degrees “

OR

“Who needs Spider Man”

OR

“MR Winky needs a helmet”

OR

“5 points &  2 helmets”

OR

“ enjoying the Beauty of Glencoe….tackling the west face of Aonach Dubh….mistaking Elliot’s Downfall for your wife….PRICELESS

 Joe Lyon

From where I'm standing, this must be the south face!

Andy Holmes

Everything is red from the cold: I'm beginning to look like the five of diamonds ...

DianeG

"Wow! I seem to have developed a third ice pick! That could come in very handy!"

 Sorry :)

 Shauna

 

Did I forget something?

 Aline.Faben

Hands, knees and boomp-a-daisy.

just to keep it clean.

Marie Weir

Gives him an extra digit for his carabiner.

Regards Jims

"It was only now that Rick regretted his parents' decision to have him circumcised...'

 Robert Dann 

Hows about, "It's not my tongue that's stuck this time..."
All the best,
Matt

“Pardon me, do you happen to have any Grey Poupon?”
“Butt of course!!”

Craig S. 

No hot water in shower again.

brodie13r

Gathering new bar nibbles - frozen nuts!

L Weir

"Why did I have to say to her I'll do anything. Flowers. Flowers!"
Andy Colvin

Sadly for Dave, he had misunderstood the pre-climb brief.He was actually told to 'head up for the Bluff'!
Stephen MacPhee



Hope this center peg holds out

Adele Leek

Coasteering with Vertical Descents

Mention to coasteering to people, as I have recently, and the general response seems to be 'what's that?" Surprising really, as I've long since wanted to give it go. Coasteering is basically following the line of the coast - sometimes on the land, sometimes in the water. It's a mixture of exploring that often hard to reach bit where the sea and the land meet - and jumping in a lot!

Actually, I probably already have. Endless trips to the beach, heading off exploring, swimming in the sea, wandering round the base of cliffs. However, the natural progression is to book on a proper Coasteering trip, with knowledgeable and qualified guides. It all steps up a gear then. They know the best locations, and they also know the best places to jump in!

Vertical Descents based locally in Onich offer a variety of water based activities such as canyoning, fun yakking (nothing to do with hairy cows!) and rafting. They also run coasteering trips. Easedale is a little south of Oban, but is a really good venue for it, especially when you catch it on a gorgeous summer's day as I did.

 

 

Great fun. Highly recommended! Read more about this and other water based activities available in the area on our Water Sports section of our web site.

Top Bomby!

I've been going for walks at Inchree for as long as I can remember. Located halfway between Glencoe and Fort William, and being just off the A82 it's a great place to go and get a breath of fresh air, take in the views and stretch the legs.

Looking back down the gorge at Inchree on a perfect October day.

There's a couple of paths set out by the Forestry Commission, the most popular one taking you along and above the canyon. There's a couple of viewing platforms from where you can get a bird's eye view of the river cascading down the tiers of waterfalls beneath. It's a magical spot, with the views to the sea loch and the distant mountains behind. How many times have I stood there looking down into that river!

'Slot and drop'. Getting to grips with the canyon.

Curiosity eventually gets the better of me, and this river gorge is no exception. It's taken a number of years, but eventually I took the plunge. Literally. And signed up with local activity company Vertical Descents for a closer look, and some 'canyoning'.

The zip wire. Quite a buzz.

The descent down the canyon starts off fairly gently. With a qualified guide on hand, a wet suit and bouyancy aid proivided and fixed ropes in place it's a nice start to the new activity that's finding growing popularity with every year. A little bit of sliding down watery shutes, a jump into a pool and for the faint hearted or the more challenging obstacle, a bit of downclimbing into trhe depths of the gorge.

 

The Big Drop. Intimidating from the top, but the greatest feeling afterwards. 

However, there is the odd act of madness thrown in for good measure. The zip wire descent off a particularly big waterfall is just the best fun as you hurtle down into the pool below. And then there's the 'big one'. I have to admit that I had to take a deep breath and a short moment to find the courage to leep off the peaty ledge. But what a rush when it's done!

All in all, it was a blast. Highly recommended for anyone looking to try something a little more adventurous and a little different. For the brave, there's plenty of jumps to tackle. For the more timid, there's a guide on hand to keep you right, and should it feel like a step too far then there's always a chicken run to get you round a particular obstacle. Book your trip now!

Try this short video clip for some more of the action from Inchree falls with Vertical Descents. 

And next week I'm off with Vertical Descents again, this time to try some Coasteering. Can't wait!

 

For more suggestions of  activities in the Glencoe area visit our web site. 

Pulpit Rock - A82 overnight closures

Transport Scotland
4 June  2013

Overnight closures on  A82 as Pulpit Rock  progresses

Preparatory works on the £9.2m A82 Pulpit Rock Improvement scheme gets underway on Monday 10 June for two weeks.

Contractor McLaughlin & Harvey will carry out this early work, including the creation of a temporary platform for siting plant, as part of their preparations for building the new structure.

For the safety of road users and road workers, the A82 will be closed at Pulpit Rock, south of Ardlui, between 10pm and 6am each night with the exception of Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd when the road will remain open.

The A82 will remain open on either side of the closure. Diversion routes for through traffic are:

•           northbound via the A83 at Tarbet, A819 and A85

•           southbound via the A85 at Tyndrum, A819 and A83.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said:

“This early work will represents a welcome milestone in our efforts to finally remove the traffic lights and congestion from this part of the A82.

“The revised closures, welcomed by stakeholders, have been scheduled to minimise impact on local communities, businesses and visitors to this part of the country.”

Drivers are advised to check www.trafficscotland.org for further information about these works and for real-time journey planning advice.

For more information - http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/projects/A82-Improvements/A82-Pulpit-Rock

1. Transport Scotland is the Scottish Government’s national transport agency responsible for; aviation, bus, freight and taxi policy;  coordinating the National Transport Strategy for Scotland; ferries, ports and harbours; impartial travel services; liaising with regional transport partnerships, including monitoring of funding; local roads policy; major public transport projects; national concessionary travel schemes; rail and trunk road networks; sustainable transport, road safety and accessibility; the Blue Badge Scheme. Transport Scotland is an Executive agency accountable to Scottish Ministers. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/
   
2. Information including dates for future overnight closures and the full closure will begin to be publicised in advance as far as possible, using the Transport Scotland website, Traffic Scotland, variable message signs and newspaper adverts.
   
3. The proposed dates for the night time closures are:

·         10th to 24th June 2013 (except 21^st & 22^nd)                   

·         3 weeks in August 2013 & 3 weeks in September 2013

·         2 weeks in October 2013 & 1 week in November 2013

·         Less than 1 week in March 2014

·         1 week in April 2014 & 1 week in May 2014

·         A full closure of less than 1 week in January 2014

·         There may be opportunities for  “wave-throughs”  during the overnight closures in October/November to permit traffic to pass and this will be confirmed nearer the time.

The £9.2m contract for construction was awarded to McLaughlin & Harvey in February 2013.

5 Points of Contact

The world of climbing has moved on over the decades. Boundaries have been pushed and equipment has been improved. The challenges of previous decades have long since been overtaken and surpassed. However, there is still one route that remains elusive, and certainly one style on one route that has yet to be repeated nearly 30 years on.

Anyone visiting Clachaig will be familiar with the west face of Aonach Dubh. The beer terrace outside the lounge bar provides a grandstand view of this precipitous face in Glencoe. In there are a variety of rock climbs on the face, from classic easy mountain routes, to even more classic difficult grades. But in winter, when the face ices up and the gullies progressively fill with avalanched snow, the face really comes into its own. Clachaig can become a bit like Grindelwald beneath the Eiger, as you sit back with a beer and watch distant specs tackle the various gullies and ice falls.

There has to be a long cold spell before one particular route comes into condition. At the bottom of No. 5 gully, progressive dripping and freezing can see the formation of a huge icicle. Named Elliot's Downfall after the shepherd family in the cottage below, it can take several weeks before it 'touches down' and even then it's notorious for being weak and unstable - and steep! But, like bees round a honey pot, the climbers are watching and waiting for their chance at this iconic Glencoe winter route.

Elliot's Downfall preparing for 'touchdown' left of centre.  No 6 gully on the right.

Back pedal to the mid 1980s. Family Daynes had not long arrived to take over tenure at Clachaig (and are still here 30 years later). Mal Duff was running his winter climbing courses based at Clachaig Chalets. Winters were proper winters back then, or so the rumour has it, and the glen was buzzing with climbers. The Boots Bar at Clachaig has probably been guilty of being the starting point for many hair brained schemes over the years, being as it is, the perfect environment for post adventure discussions and daring alcohol fueled bravado when planning the next.

The famous Rick, mid climb. Back in the Boots Bar, where he belongs.

No surprise then that Mal hatched a plan to go and climb Elliot's Downfall, along with Jon Tinker and Rick Nowack, who joined Mal each winter from his usual home in California. However,...

So Elliot's Downfall was climbed naked except for a helmet, harness and some yeti gaiters. Some purists do criticise the ascent however, maintaining that it was akin to aid climbing, as 5 points of contact were used! Peter Daynes got dragged away from the grind at Clachaig to go and record the ascent. Mal's somewhere up there at the end of the rope. Look carefully and you'll see Jon Tinker on a hanging belay, easily identified by his Rasta hat. And yes, that's Rick making history.

Elliot's Downfall is rarely repeated, and we suspect that it'll be a few winters yet before it's climbed  naked once more. Hopefully!

SSDT visit Clachaig Gully

The annual Scottish Six Day Trial, and the accompanying Pre '65 Trial which is based in Kinlochleven is a great event and it's a shame that we always seem too busy to get out to more of the stages and enjoy some of the action.

The organising committee must have taken this on board for 2013, and added in a special stage for us, right on the doorstep! On the way back down the glen, the competitors took on a short stage on the screes at the bottom of Clachaig Gully yesterday. The car parks were full (unless you had a van or a motorbike you'd feel very much out of place!) and the weather behaved - at least for most of the day.

 Really enjoyed the action and hope that we'll see the riders again soon as they continue to battle through the wilds of Lochaber for the remainder of the week.

Here's some photos of the action.