Today I’ve been helping out for the Association of Mountaineering Instructors, making a short promotional film over in the Cairngorms. The plan had been to get some footage of some steep classic climbs of fellow MIC Stu and I. However, the weather had conspired against us and heavy snow had closed the road up to the ski area, forcing us to hike up from the bottom of the road!
With the summit weather station clocking an almost constant 100mph wind and the added walk in distance meant that climbing on the main cliff was out of the question. Instead, we battled up into the headwinds and aimed for the Ciste Crags.
We filmed as we went to get various different angles and shots. The spindrift was everywhere and as soon as we stopped to gear up, our rucksacks started to fill up with snow and our gear started to become buried.
Stu led up some incredibly steep mixed terrain. Thankful he is well acclimatised and a very good winter climber as I needed a very tight rope to follow! Axes had to be hooked on to granite crystals and there were some seriously precarious moves!
After battling to the top of the crag (a few times for different camera angles!) we filmed some navigation shots as the snow whipped around us.
Then (of course!) as we walked away, the sun started to come out!
It was great fun to be a part of and hopefully, we got some useful footage despite the conditions. We de-briefed over an all day breakfast down in the excellent Mountain Cafe in Aviemore, before heading back over to the West Coast ready for more adventures tomorrow with Jamie.
It was a wonderful drive through the Scottish Highlands, past lochs, forests, castles, a few big stages as I travelled into a colourful sunset. Mo and Jamie even had dinner ready for my arrival! Great day.
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