Today I met up with Lee in Aviemore and we headed into t’Sneachda for some action. I had hoped that being a Monday would mean it would be quiet, but that was not the case! The coire was mobbed with teams everywhere. We headed up towards Patey’s Route but with ropes stretching from top to bottom and three parties already waiting, we headed round the corner to climb Aladdin’s Mirror Direct Start. This was vastly different to the last time I did this route, today the whole entrance gully was literally full of snow and the route gave maybe four or five metres of good ice before we were at the belay. We headed back down towards Patey’s Route, hoping the queues would have cleared. We were being optimistic however as two parties ahead of us were climbing very slowly. We sat at the belay for about thirty minutes and were about to head off to try something else when there was at last movement above. Lee led up the first pitch to belay at the bottom of the corner, being cold I then had incentive to run up the top pitch which was pretty banked out giving easy climbing. The crux moves around the cave were on some very hacked out ice but there was in-situ gear sticking out of every crack and it was quickly despatched. We then romped up the final snow slopes before heading down Aladdin’s Couloir and back to the car. A good easy day on some classic routes, again conditions were helpful making a lot of the climbing easier but fun nonetheless.
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