Stag Rocks: Albino and Final Groove.

The early morning walk in.

Shelter Stone looking good and Hells Lum looking loaded.

Davy and I had an explore over on Stag Rocks today. Although there has been a lot of snow it has been on a southerly wind and so this crag was scoured, with concrete turf, bullet proof neve, and plastic chewy ice.
Anyway it’s not every day you can hitch a lift, on approach to a winter climb, so a lift on the Piste Basher to the top of the Cas was very welcome, before we nipped over p1141 and down onto the top of Stag Rocks.
The other crags in the Loch Avon Basin looked good too.
Diagonal Gully with really good neve.

Diagonal gully provides a grade 1 approach to many of the climbs on stag rocks that start on its right wall. This was full of really solid neve, and was a real joy to climb down.
To cut a long story short we ended up doing two routes, final groove at the top of the gully, which was a slaby little route, and a very good route called Albino. (I sent us off up the wrong route at the start of the day, yes it was my fault Davy!!!, but it was all a cunning plan to ensure I got the lead on Albino!)

Davy on Final groove.

Albino route is a little cracker with good climbing all the way. Steady at IV 5 with one or two thinkers but loads of gear. There is a very good picture of this route in the SMC guide, and it lived up to the picture expectations.
By 3pm as predicted the wind picked up and virtually blew us back to the car park in one move! A rosy face evening!

A belay with a view on Albino.