A Varied Life...

Katie Laffoley by Steven Gordon

Its been a busy week. It started with the usual nightmare journey up the A82 in a mixture of rain and sleet on a slidely road avoiding the crack suicide deer squad of the West Highlands. Then up Buchaille Etive Mhor, in the most painful rain, then sleet, then snow, then ice powered on a hideous wind for Mountain Equipment. Dave MacLeod came along, as we rediscovered the joys of walking up a Munro in proper style. They  were taking the staff of Cotswolds on the annual winter skills course, and boy, did they get winter! I realised how spoiled you become by only photographing the routes at the high end of climbing; if the route isn't right, you go home; if it snows, to hell with it, time to go home. Once upon a time you went out whatever the weather, and Sunday was one of those days! Harsh but a pleasure, followed by tea in the Clachaig Inn, somewhere that brings the happiest youthful memories flooding back. But miserable weather... More at http://www.mtnequipment.blogspot.com/

Not too bad to start...

Proper kit needed up top...

Is it rain? Is it snow? Character building, whatever it is...

Dave goes for it on a soggy waterfall

Later in the week I was working for Enable Scotland, and got to photograph the delightful Katie Laffoley, with her inspirational mother Mhairi. Katie was born with part of her brain missing, and has the cognitive ability of a 5 month old baby, but has the most absorbing, wonderful character. Her family spend every bit of energy on her, and worship every move she makes. Her life is very emotionally intensive, but with the care her family give, it is an absolute inspiration. Enable Scotland allow her parents respite and support, and it was a privilege to photograph Katie and Mhairi. More can be read on Enable Scotland at http://www.enable.org.uk/.

Today I photographed the actor Alfie Willcot, ending a busy week. I love the variety and privilege of dealing with people in different circumstances. Don't think I'm ready for an office job just yet....

Finally Some Pictures and Less Text

Dave MacLeod on his new line Jane's Weep, VIII 8(I'd say!) on Aonach Dubh, Glen Coe. Photograph by Steven Gordon

The A82 tried it's best to stop me getting out and shooting some pics but a few rants and some nifty sliding in the snow got me to Glen Coe two hours late. I'd arranged to meet up with Dave MacLeod and Blair Fyffe, who had spotted some new ice lines on the east side of Aonach Dubh. I'd set off at a leisurely 8:00am thinking to myself that one of the greatest pleasures in life is heading the opposite way than the rush hour traffic. When one is headed into the mountains for a day's work as opposed to an office, the perils of the work seem to disappear. Just as my smugness was reaching an irritating level, I ran into one of the worst traffic jams in history. The A82 was closed again, this time by an over-turned lorry, cargo spilled over the road as well as a genourous quantity of diesel. Strathclyde's finest were busy trying to make it worse by sending lorries down side streets and diverting cars going in the opposite direction back into the jam. An hour and a half later I finally abandoned, heading back into Glasgow watching the last cold forecast of the week slip by, thinking that the Mr.MacLeod would be laughing on fat ice while I couldn't make it more than 5 miles out of town. A ridiculous diversion, a dodgy snowy road and 2 hrs late, I was heading up the path for Stob Coire Nan Lochan in Glen Coe. An hour uphill, bit of a sweat and I found Blair disappearing up the last stretch of a beautiful line of thin ice with a mixed start. By the time I was set up Dave was onto the middle line, the one photographed above. A sketchy mixed start, onto an ice dribble, then a push for better ice but slightly overhanging. I'll update the grades and names of the routes, but for now enough of my rambling and here are the pics.

All Photographs, Copyright Steven Gordon

Dave MacLeod

Blair Fyffe

Team Pic, hmm won't be using this for my profile pic...

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

Buchaille Etive Mor on a perfect day

As a winter climber all you dream off is a cold winter; a properly cold one. Unfortunately with this one I'm going to sound like a British tourist abroad moaning that it is too hot, but this winter is too cold... It is pretty hard to explain to the layman that the ice is only forming low down, and that the extreme cold is stopping the buttresses being plastered with snow, effectively stopping all the high end climbing. Or that the acres of powder snow are making many routes virtually impossible to access, unless you have the desire to swim waist-deep for several hours uphill. And finally to the roads, Britain's Achilles Heel in anything below freezing, making the continent seem like some efficient seldom troubled land....

                                      

The road to Glen Nevis

On Tuesday I hatched a master plan, I was to drive to Fort William, arrive by 12, meet with Di Gilbert and Kev Shields and head up Glen Nevis to climb the rarely formed Steall Falls, newly frozen in the recent cold snap. Seemingly they haven't formed as well since the 70's, so the attraction to go was strong. We would have a short day out, then the next day head down to Ben Udlaidh for some more ice. The temperature was low, the sun was to be out, what more could ice climbers wish for?

Firstly the A82 bit back; A truck and a bus decided to play chicken on a narrow bridge, resulting in both getting stuck. 6 miles from my target, and all I could do was get my head down for the next 2hrs waiting on the two lovers forced together to be pulled apart, while the snow continued to fall from the sunshine forecast sky. Kev and Di headed on up the Glen ahead of me, in Kev's swanky 4x4, probably watching some DVD's on the in car screens in the back while ploughing through the snow in absolute luxury, while I'd make my own way up in my humble Skoda, cap in hand to catch up. Just as I thought, "hmmm this road is a bit silly, perhaps I should park up and walk," I came across Kev, Di, Matt and Adam (Matt and Adam had similar fun in their van, read about it on http://hughesmountaineering.blogspot.com/ ) trying to persuade Kev's car to go in a straight line. The afore mentioned 4x4 was abandoned, we all retreated from the Glen to try and summon help to get the car. Alan Kimber came to our rescue, bringing his proper 4x4 to try and haul Kev back down. ,(thank you Allan, but please please rectify the accusation of us being east coasters on your blog. Kev and I have pretty thick skins, but even though Kev is partial to the term "Ye Ken" we are from the West! http://www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk/blog/blog.htm ) With the aid of another Land Rover, we managed to shift the car 10 metres. Imagine driving a car with no control down a single track road, with a ravine on one side and more ice than a devout Scottish Presbyterian father-in-law, and the decision to abandon was made easily. Back to the Fort for tea and medals early, until another rescue bid for the car that didn't deserve this much attention was made by the mountain rescue team of all people...

Dragged kicking and screaming from a warm pub to venture out into a blizzard to try and place snow chains too small for posing tyres in the dark tries one's patients. Try to drive the said car while it tries to drag the Land Rover down the ravine after it while you hang out the door ready to jump also does. Lets say another noble rescue attempt ended in failure and a return to the pub fro my dinner ordered 3 hrs beforehand.

                                     

Di searches for a weather forecast that promises whatever she plans. Joys of the net...

Our plans for Wednesday had now gone the same way as those of Tuesday... Di was of to lead an expedition in South America on Friday as well as battle the snow of the East, and Kev had to get the car down, or it might have lain for a month before the road suitably defrosted. After a night of Arctic training in Kev and Blair's 70's retro pad, I decided to at least get out for a walk, and scope out some routes that I wanted to photograph on. I raced down across a sublime Rannoch Moor to Bridge of Orchy, to try and catch up with Matt and Adam on Messiah, and to see Defenders of the Faith. Once again I may have not climbed or got any pics for work, but it was one of the most perfect days to be in the mountains. I descended in the sunset, with a herd of deer on the horizon as the sun fell casting an orange alpenglow over the whole landscape. It was worth it for that hour alone. Oh, and an RAC guy drove Kev's car down the track...

                                                                   Creag an Socach near Bridge of Orchy

                                                                                                 Matt and Adam on the last pitch of Second Coming

                                                

  View North at sunset...

                                                  Deer on the near horizon above Glen Orchy at sunset