The six year curse

 Within the last six months several very experienced paddlers i know and folk who are much better than I am i a kayak, have swam for the first time in around six years, giving rise to what has become known as the six year curse. With my sixth year approaching i knew it was coming!
 Now spring has sprung and the nights have gotten longer it's given the opportunity for adventures long into the evening and with the combination of ligament damage to my finger after the break and wet weather stopping climbing, kayaking has been on the cards. With split shift runs down the Findhorn gorge and a good session after an admin day Monday, it was time for a change of venue. I was keen for some air time so we headed over to the Etive. The granite bedrock slides and drops of the Etive give unique paddling more akin with the rivers of Val Sesia or Corsica than the Highlands of Scotland, and the snow capped peaks gave a stunning back drop. This is a perfect training ground for bigger drops and the rapids give excellent boof and flare lines, enough to give anyone their airtime fix!

After an ace session we head back to Fort William for a fast food fix and decided a quick blast down the Spean gorge was in order on the way home.
 A low level made the rapids technical and a combination of fatigue and being complacent meant some errors were made. Reaching "constriction" i ran first, clipping a rock normally covered in higher water i was pushed into the fold. The water forced me and the boat under the water and pinned me, fully submerged, between the rocks. I wasn't hanging around and popped the deck ending my swim free period! Luckily the force of the water filling the boat was enough to flush both me and the kayak from the pin and nothing damaged but my pride!
Despite the dunking it was an awesome couple days and another reminder why Scotland is the place to be for all outdoor sport!

Back in the boat

Admin day are a necessary evil and the last couple weeks have had too many for my liking! Being self employed for the first time, having to sell and buy a new vehicle, planning trips and courses, has meant i've had a lot. In addition to this i managed to break my finger falling off my bike! 

Stewart punching through

With the finger on the mend and my Five Star Whitewater Leader training this week i managed to get out for a quick paddle with Stewart and Matt this afternoon. Matt hadn't paddled for a long time so we decided to paddle the Top Findhorn as it would give us a good training ground. I haven't been in a boat for a good few months again so it was great to shake off the cobwebs. The rapid just above Dulsie provides a wicked grade 4 section, and it was funn sneaking in a few extra laps whilst Stewart went to get the car!

Dulsie Bridge

Sunshine and spindrift

Torridon's a pretty special place.

The hulking behemoths that are the Torridonian mountains rise from almost sea level to munro height in minimal lateral distance and provide some of the most striking scenery in Scotland, if not the world.
On days like today, when the hills are snow capped and the visibility is crystal clear, i can genuinely say its one on of my favorite locations i have ever had the pleasure of spending time in.
A few weeks back some friends climbed the ultra-classic, four star, North-west Highland V,5 ice route "Poachers Fall"  on Liathach, and when i got a day off with Rob this week, i made the suggestion of making a go for it.

"Poachers" is the obvious central line

 6am saw us leaving en-route to Torridon and having heard from some friends and Lodge instructors, that several days ago they had reached the route by half 8 to find two teams already on it, and with it being Easter Monday we were worried we might not get anywhere near the route via the hordes of people.
Arriving at the car park only heightened our anxiety as there were multiple vehicles parked there, but when the routes came into view the Coire was empty! (reason no.2108 why i love the Northwest Highlands!)
 On the walk in we had managed to nip in front of the only other party we saw all day, a couple of Edinburgh uni students, however, due to rope tangling whilst gearing up, lost our chance of being first on the route.
The two guys were friendly and considerate, however, and meant that it caused no issues.

I lead the route in its entirety, with the first 55m pitch going well, followed by the next shorter and steeper pitch also not providing too many issues. The crux, however, was awkward and bulgy, leaving me feeling a bit battered as bumped knees and shins were the result of trying to obtain good crampon sticks in heavily featured ice.
 Before leaving the belay i managed to drop my belay jacket whilst stuffing it back into it's stow-pocket and watched as it bounced off down the snow slopes below. Having opted to leave the packs and abseil the route, i wasn't too worried it'd be lost forever, and sure enough it was meters from our gearing-up spot on the way down.
 The penultimate pitch, and last of any notability was by far my favorite  with incredibly enjoyable climbing, without the strenuousness of the crux pitches, the only downside being the spin drift funneling down onto my head.
 Abseiling the route from Abalakovs and pegs gave a very European feel to the end of the day, however one look at the breathtaking scenery was all it took to remind me of where we were and why the wild places of Scotland hold so much attraction for me.

The other party on the first of the steeper pitches

Rob nearing the top of the first pitch

Loving Life!