Best Winter Climbs in Sneachda
Here we will outline what we consider to be the 5 best winter climbs in Corrie an t’ Sneachda and why! All of these climbs you can get guided up depending no prior experience, age and wishes open a guided course on the Cairngorms or alternatively, you can use this blog for your own benefit if personal climbing!
1: Finger’s Ridge IV/V
This is highly photogenic and a great intro to grade 4/5. From the corrie, Head up the goat track until just beyond the fingers (if you can see em!) before leaving the track and walking up the steep grass (normally covered in snow) into a shallow gully (well trodden). Route starts from a ledge on the left of the shallow gully with a thread belay low down. It is 140m long and is 4 pitches. Pitches 3 and 4 are the best.
2: Hidden Chimney III
This route starts up Jacobs ladder before traversing off left across the large ledge system 1 pitch up to belay on a large block. It then traverses left again before working its way up the chimney which is hard to see from below, hence the term hidden… The last two pitches are the grade 3 moves and the route just progressively gets harder and harder until the top. It is a classic guiding route for instructors in the corrie to take clients up because the hooks the whole way on the crux pitches are just brilliant and it is very well protected as well. It can be a bit loose early season and does benefit from a good freezing.
3: Invernookie IV/V
An interesting and popular climb which takes a line of ramps on the wall above and right of Fiacaill Couloir. Loss of turf means there are some tricky moves (IV,5 under powder) but these become much easier with consolidated snow or a little ice. Start just right of Fiacaill Colouir. Slant right, then go back left to a short wall which leads to the ramps. Follow these to below an overhanging wall. The righthand corner leads into a chimney-cave from which a right traverse arrives at a groove and the ridge. This is an absolute classic within the corrie and the whole way the climb just keep on giving!
4: The Message IV/VI
This is possibly the most popular route in the corrie because it is steep, brilliant hooks and phenomenal gear the whole way. It is 90metres long and 3 pitches long on the Mess of Pottage. Follow the diagonal break up and left crossing a few problematic steps, to below the much-photographed corner. Climb the wonderful corner, step left and head up and left up grooves to the top.
5: The Runnel II
The Runnel is a classic grade 2 winter gully between Aladdin’s and Fluted smack bang in the middle of the crag. It is a classic route which is rightly popular. At 120m long, it offers great gear either side of the gully and often forms a wee icy pitch in the chimney to finish – the approach slope can sometimes be a bit tricky to manage as it can be quite steep and quite long. If personal climbing you might be happy to move together up this unroped, but for all guided days we ensure this is safeguarded appropriately via ropes. The tricky bit is that sometimes you need snow anchors like buried axes. Sometimes the exit can be quite steep and unprotected, when you leave the chimney it is possible to sue a 240cm sling on the left over a big block.
