Alba Mountaineering

24/12/2023

Happy Christmas to all our friends out there on the hill. Looking forward to some winter very soon. I may be retired but that wont stop us having fun in the snow.
Wishing you all a happy and safe New Year on the hills

23/04/2023

A final swansong for Anne and myself to Skye. Anne is my longest serving client at 21 years! How we managed that goodness knows but I will say she is the most dedicated and driven walker I have had the pleasure to meet and I've met a few. Anne needed a few of the more difficult Munro tops on the Cuillin.
So with the weather booked we went for it and had two long days to do Sgurr a Fionn Coire, the Bastier Tooth and Am Bastier on Friday and Sgurr Sgumain, Sgurr Alastair and Sgurr Thearlaich on Saturday.
What a way to finish my guiding on the Cuillin after 37 years wondering about the hills.

11/07/2022

Just back from a wee trip to Skye with Anne my longest serving client for a 20th anniversary trip. We had a mixed few days but managed to do Blaven and it’s south top plus a few other hills in some rather poor weather. Luckily the weekend weather was good for us to join the Munro Society meet at Carbost. On Sunday I did a rainbow ascent if the Dubhs Ridge with Oliver and Paul which was spectacular.

11/07/2022

03/11/2021

Last weekend I was up in Torridon with the SMR rigging team to run a weekend of rigging for the northern teams. The weather was better than expected and we had a great weekend running thru various systems.

24/08/2021

A wee trip down the Grey Coires ridge yesterday including Stob Bhan with Sally and extended family we did three Munros. It was cloudier than forecast but that probably help keep the temperature down.

02/08/2021

This weekend was a tail of two Aonachs. On Saturday I was out with the Rae family, Sally, an old client, wanted her family, Jenny, Adam, Kenneth and Pru to have a good day on the Aonach Eagach in Glencoe. So ably assisted by Tony and an early start we nipped along our first AE of the weekend. Down in plenty of time for a quick pint in the clachaig.
Our second Aonach Eagach of the weekend was on Stob Ghabhar on the traverse of the two Munros we crossed an easy AE section. Super days and good to see Sally again

01/07/2021

Just relaxing and looking at my photos from a trip to the Island of Rum with Anne Ralph and Ali over the past few days. We were out there to walk the Rum Cuillin and the weather really played ball for a change. We did a 20km 12 hour day to traverse the ridge. It started with the mist at 400m then it slowly burned back to a stunner of a day with great skyes complimenting the stunning scenery.

29/05/2021

The longest day ever on Skye. I’m just back from another successful week on Skye and on Thursday we definitely had the longest day you can have on Skye.
Forget the ridge traverse this is definitely the longest day 26Km and 14 hours of effort a diff rock climb and a scarey abseil. Yes you guessed it it was the Dubhs Slabs without the boat.
We walked in from Sligachan 4 1/2 hours to the bottom of the route then up and over and back to Glen Brittle. It was a superb day but I would definitely recommend getting the boat from Elgol in as it cuts the walk in down but book early as they are offering a restricted service.
Well done to Robin and Jan for a super long day.

07/05/2021

Torridon is one of my favourite areas with majestic mountains rising straight out of the moor. Today’s walk was Beinn Alligin a classic Munro with a lot of May snow on it. But the weather was kind too us and the showers seemed to go round us.

01/03/2021

It’s March already and winter is a little patchy at the moment hanging in there on the highest tops, sheltered faces and gullies as usual. But on Ben Sguilaird today it was a walk in the sun.
Obviously my winter work is out at the moment, the first time in 33 years I’ve not done any winter work. Even during the foot and mouth crisis we still managed to get out working and playing in the snow.
Oh well here’s hoping we can get out later in the year. The hills won’t run away.

24/12/2020

Just a quick one to wish everyone we know a Merry Christmas.
We've not done quite as much as usual this year and it looks like our 33rd winter season is going to be a late starter. But we've survived epic seasons before: Injuries, Foot and Mouth, too little snow , too much snow and everything in-between so we will survive this one.
So enjoy Christmas and we hope to see you out on the hill in the New Year.
Cheers.

04/09/2020

Back to Skye for the first time this year and my first guiding work since March. I was out with two old clients for some off the beaten track fun and games. We warmed up on Clach Glas on Blaven doing the full circuit of the coire including Sgurr nan Each which I hadn't done for a long time. Then Monday we went for the tops of Sgurr a Mhadaidh which we normally only do on a traverse, and descended from Bealach na Glaic Mhor.
Then the weather turned so Tuesday we had a wet day on MacLeods Tables. Wondering about in trackless tussocks and cloud was certainly navigationally challenging.
Wednesday was just wet and we didn't go out. But Thursday was better but still very windy so we did half the Trotternish Ridge in a gale.
Well done to the 'lads' with a combined age of 149 there going well!

17/07/2020

For all my friends who are self-employed, or run their own business, or are looking to support small local businesses.

Show me your website and make yourself visible!

A friend did this and it's interesting to see the industry and variety of our extended circles.

Post the link to your website below in the comments. Without description, just the link, it speaks for itself. Anyone who follows me can see this and visit your website.

A little advertising in these difficult times 🙂

Please copy this text onto your own page to give others the chance to reach more people through your contacts. This way we help each other.

28/02/2020

Lovely day climbing on Beinn an Doithaidh yesterday. We had a strategic slow start all the better for not having to break trail after the new snow. I was out with Rob and Jenny and we climbed Salamander Gully which was a bit thin bit all there where you needed it. Weather improved all day, loads of folk out on the crag as it is south-west facing the avalanche risk wasn't as high as other aspects. Good venue choice for these conditions.

26/02/2020

A tough day out with Robb and Jenny yesterday. We caught the early gondola up Aonach Mor and walked round to the west face climbs. Luckily with another team just infront of us.Good effort lads. It was hard going in deep snow to get to Golden Oldie. The other team did some stuff low down and baled. We climbed the route which was in super condition especially the arete on the top half of the route. Things were well frozen, turf all good, Spare Ribb Gully looked good and Spare Ribb was also done by a team from the later gondola. They looked like they were in for a night ascent as we left they were still well down the route and we wallked off.

24/02/2020

Another wild and wooly Scottish Mountain Rescue Winter Rigging Course this week-end. We were based in Fort William this year for a change and team members from Assynt, Dundonnell, Skye, Oban, Arrochar, RAF and even a MREW rep got a true Scottish battering. We were up on Ben Nevis for day one for a wild skills day just above the CIC hut. Lovely stinging showers and 70mph gusts. Day two we managed to get up the Aonach Mor gondola and climbed up onto the Nid Ridge to rigg some systems in a steady 30 with heavy snow showers - nice. A little to realistic for true learning but it was an experience. Sunday was cut a little short when we were asked to assist Lochaber MRT in a search on the Ben so play finished about 2 p.m. and work started again.
Thanks to all those who survived the training and to Iain James and Chris for helping with thetraining

22/01/2020

Its been a slow start to my 32nd professional winter season, a few wet and windy days in early January were unremarkable and went unreported. So Last week-end was the first realy wintery week-end, I was out over a long week-end doing some mountaineering training with a team of folk heading out to various treks abroard. We had fun on the snow on the Wee Buchaille on Saturday and got blasted by the spindrift on the Ben on Sunday. Monday was a bit of a contrast being damp and thawing again but at least it was still snowy.
So it begins the vagarities of winter. I'm often asked is winter getting any better or worse? I can honestly say I dont think theres been much change over the past 30 years. We have allways had dry winters with little snow and good snowy ones. It doesn't make alot of difference professionally we still head out there and enjoy ourselves making the most of the conditions we have. See you out there soon.
Association of Mountaineering Instructors