BY IAIN MILLER: After 5 consecutive days and nights of sub zero temperatures in Co Donegal, the large snow dump of the previous week was showing signs of good consolidation and the high reaches of the counties north faces were showing good signs of the promise of ice. Alas the forecast for next few days was for a warm front to move in and for the rains to come in abundance.
The obvious solution to the crisis was to get out and have a wee look for ice before the weekends rains arrive.
And so, Kevin McGee, Patrick McDermott and myself went on a wee quest up the north face of Muckish Mountain in search of ice.
Kevin and myself arrived and set off up the last 500m of hard frozen iced road to the Muckish North face road end, things were indeed very wintery. We headed up towards The Hog’s Back buttress where with it’s North East aspect, minimal drainage and only partially frozen turf, it was not in a climbable winter condition.
We contoured around the coire staying as high as we could passing through many outstanding winterised mountain features inc 8 foot ice chandeliers, ice pillars, walls of drifted spindrift and a cave with an icicled roof. This was an outstanding full on winters journey and it took us to the base of Balor’s Buttress, where Kevin had a very cunning plan and out of the cloud, winds and mist Patrick joined us for a wee play.
Kevin’s plan was to climb a new route up the very steep and ice covered buttress. Kevin led off and climbed a new 25m pitch of grade V winter mixed climbing to an exposed ledge half way up the buttress. Patrick and myself followed him up and Kevin led of the 2nd pitch of very hard climbing indeed. After a bit of airtime from Kevin, (he fell off in spectacular style) and with darkness approaching we abseiled back to the ground and walked off the mountain in growing darkness.
AN absolutely outstanding day out in very rare winter conditions in the Donegal mountains.
For more information and a free guide to winter mountaineering in Donegal, http://www.uniqueascent.ie/winter_climbing
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