Ice Climbing in Donegal, Ireland

 After 5 consecutive days and nights of sub zero temperatures in Co Donegal, the large snow dump from the previous week was showing signs of good consolidation and the high reaches of the counties north faces were beginning to show signs of the promise of ice. Alas the forecast for next few days was for a warm front to move in and for the rains to come in abundance.
 The obvious solution to the crisis was to get out and have a wee look for ice before the weekends rains arrive.
 And so, Kevin McGee, Patrick McDermott and myself went on a wee quest up the north face of Muckish Mountain in search of ice.

A film of Ice Climbing in Donegal, Ireland

Donegal Winter Mountains

 Kevin and myself arrived and set off up the last 500m of hard frozen iced road to the Muckish North face road end, things were indeed very wintery. We headed up towards The Hog's Back buttress where with it's North East aspect, minimal drainage and only partially frozen turf, it was not in a climbable winter condition.  

Muckish Mountain Ice

A winter walk in

A scoured snow scoop 

Donegal Winter Mountains

 We contoured around the coire staying as high as we could passing through many outstanding winterised mountain features inc 8 foot ice chandeliers, ice pillars, walls of drifted spindrift and a cave with an icicled roof. This was an outstanding full on winters journey and it took us to the base of Balor's Buttress, where Kevin had a very cunning plan and out of the cloud, winds and mist Patrick joined us for a wee play.

A winters day on Muckish Mountain

 Balor's Buttress has a much more northerly aspect and has many drainage lines running down it from the turf covered summit slopes above it. As we arrived at the base of the buttress, it was in outstanding winter condition thick iced drainage lines, deep hoar, plenty of windslab deposits and thousands of hoared icicles running the length of the buttress.  

Kevin and Patrick Rack up

 Kevin's plan was to climb a new route up the left hand side of the very steep and ice covered buttress. He led off and climbed a new 25 meter pitch of grade V winter mixed ground to an exposed ledge half way up the buttress. 

 The 2nd pitch above us looked a lot more involved and a tad trickier ie MUCH harder, thankfully Kevin led off up the overhanging groove above. For the next 45 minutes he inched his way up to within a move and a half of the summit and off he came in a find display unexpected airtime as he fell 12 or so foot to be caught by a shallow peg and good camalot. 

 As Kevin stripped the pitch and arrived back on the belay ledge in the growing early evening darkness a retreat to civilisation was called for and we abseiled off the buttress back to Terra Firma. HURRAH!   

Winter Climbing in Ireland

 A most outstanding day of winter climbing and mountaineering in the rare winterised Donegal mountains, alas as we arrived back at the car the temperature had already risen and the icy approach road was now bare tarmac, and then it rained. :-)

Donegal Winter Climbing

 Early January 2010 six hardy souls left the road end at the old church in Dunlewy and entered the the winter wonderland that was the Donegal mountains. After nearly six weeks of almost continual sub Zero temperatures and arctic tundra driving conditions the mountains of Derryveagh Donegal were in immaculate winter climbing condition.

Poison Glen in Winter 2010

 We split into three pairs of climbers and with each of us donning a full winter climbing kit each team picked a prime unclimbed route up three different faces in the Poison Glen. Alan Tees and myself climbed a 450m ice fall up the Bearna Buttress, with several grade IV ice pitches this route was an outstanding winter monster up one of Irelands highest mountain crags. 

Donegal winter climbing Guide

Pitch 5 Poison Glen climbing

Pitch 7ish 

Topping out in Poison Glen

 Anyways, three years later to the day, Jan 2013, four young (and not so young) men arrived on Cruit Island for a days winter climbing. This time there was no technical axes, no G14 crampons, no sub zero temperatures and no down jackets, there was outstanding summer sunshine.

Winter Climbing in Donegal

Traderg Wall, Cruit Island

Cruit Island Rock Climbing

Donegal Winter Sun

 And so, a day of warm Granite, lapping blue seas and sunny skies was the order of the day! The same day three years apart and at polar opposites of winter climbing conditions! :-)

Seasons in the Abyss

Just back from a very spring like Scotland and have a couple of talks lines up. 

Teachers Club in Parnell Square, Dublin for The Irish Mountaineering Club on 31st January 2013 at 9pm

Boole Theatre, University Campus Cork for Kerryclimbing.ie on 7th February 2013 at 7:30pm

 Following on from last years talks in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, this years talks will focus on a continuing mid life crisis, a mild compulsion to being truly alone ideally in mildly terrifying situations and off course the continuing journey deeper and deeper into the Realm's of Chaos.

A wee look over the Edge

 A couple of wee adventures,

 First Ascent of The Sturrall Headland  in South West Donegal and at 750m long this outstanding sea ridge is Irelands longest recorded rock climb. 

Sturrall Ridge Film

 First Ascent of Tormore Island at 160m high this is Ireland's highest sea stack.

 The second ascent (41 years after the only other ascent) of Eagles Rock in Glenade, Leitrim at 330m high this is Ireland's highest free standing tower

Eagles Rock Ascent Film

 First Ascent of Testament to the Insane, a new route up the UK's highest vertical sea cliff, this 477m long route was climbed in a continual 26 hr long push. St Johns Head in Orkney 

 Making the first ascents of over 60 previously unclimbed sea stack off the coast of Donegal. Have a wee look at The Donegal Sea Stack Guide.

 These are just a few wee adventures, I have been involved in other moments of mild concern include swimming with bull seals, paddling alongside a killer whale in Donegal, being blown out to see in a wee inflatable dingy until I lost sight of Ireland, conversing with an angel after falling 20 m into the sea off an unclimbed sea stack and watching my climbing partner die at my feet. 

 But, what all these adventurous days out have in common is that they contained an enormous amount of fun whilst being mildy terrified whilst under the watchful eye of The Reaper. :-)

Donegal's Hardest Rock Climb.

 On a flying visit to Co. Donegal at the end of the summer 2012, Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll and Ben Ditto climbed Donegal's first E7 graded rock climb. Their route takes the huge roof crack and bulging head wall on the Mindcrime Wall at Muckross Head in the South West of the county.
 Muckross Head has traditionally been thought off as Donegal's home of hard rock climbing as most of the routes are in the extreme grades and almost all the rock climbs being overhung or containing roof sections.  Muckross has been home to two E6 graded rock climbs which were first climbed in 1993 by local climber Paul Dunlop.
 Professional climbers Sean Villanueva and Ben Ditto are no strangers to hard rock climbing in locations all over the world with many first ascents on major big walls worldwide. Both climbers won the Piolet D'Or in 2011 for their Vertical Sailing Greenland, Greenland Vertical Sailing adventures.
 Check out the superb landscape and climbing photography on Ben Ditto's website at Ben Ditto photography.

Sideswipe E7 6c

Muckross Head Donegal

 The Muckross Head guide section has been updated and can be downloaded at,

Muckross Head Climbing Guide 

Donegal Winter Climbing Guide

 And sho, Winter is almost upon us once again, it came and went last week with minus temperatures and a couple of inches of snow fall on Derryveagh's Slieve Snaght summit, and in the flash of a downpour it was all gone again.

Errigal from Maumlack Plateau

Winter in Donegal

 Donegal's winter climbing history stretches back to the 1970's when several routes where climbed in the Horseshoe Corrie by Lough Barra, unfortunately the details of these have disappeared into the ether, though I strongly suspect they were in The Morbid Angel falls area of the Horseshoe corrie. Since the 70's less than a route every decade was recorded in the county until 2009. In the winter of 2009/2010 the big freeze hit Ireland and with Donegal resembling a Scotland in miniature and with an almost unlimited supply of previously unclimbed gullies, cascades and ice smears covering the entire county the troops went out to play. With Donegal deep frozen and the road taking an Arctic Tundra appearance travelling by road around the county was an epic undertaking.
 Download the current and up to date Donegal winter climbing guide below.

Donegal winter climbing guide

Slieve Snaght summit, Derryveagh

 With the Donegal roads pretty much undrivable, two teams were out climbing as much ice and neve as possible in this period. Kevin McGee and Patrick Tinney stayed at the Northern end of the Derryveagh range hoovering up a multitude of lines on Muckish, Maumlack and the East face of Errigal. I was trapped at the Southern end of The Derryveagh range and did a similar hoovering campaign in The Poison Glen, Maumlack, The Horseshoe Corrie and Errigal. Many, many outstanding new routes were climbed in all these locations up to and breaking into the winter climbing grade of IV for the first recorded time in Donegal.

At 300m pitch 5, The Poison Glen

The West Ridge of Errigal, Donegal

Scardangal Falls, Derryveagh

 This superb winter cold snap culminated in a weekend visit to The Poison Glen by a group of six from The Colmcille Climbing Club led by Alan Tees. First Ascents of Gullies No1 and 2 high on the Castle face and the 450m long Sruahn na Bearna on the Bearna Face were climbed by separate teams on the first day. The following day a mass ascent of the massive and immaculate Castle Gully was made in outstanding winter conditions.

 Alas, this brought an end to the best winter climbing conditions the county has ever seen as the following day temperatures rose and the mountains returned to their green, brown and damp normal condition.      

 All that was left to do was haste to Scotland where the winter continued for several more months.......

Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis

 Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor

The White Room on The Cairngorm Plateau

High above Glen Coe

The Immaculate Cairngorms Summit Plateau

Donegal Rock Climbing Courses

 And Sho, the task is done and a small rock climbing army has been trained, assessed and qualified as rock climbing instructors, whilst working in secret under the cover of bright sunshine and clear blue skies on the Donegal coastline. The legion has now been duly dispatched back to from whence they came to every corner of this fair island to spread the vertical word.
 Our story begins almost a year ago when HQ at Gartan assembled the recruits and training began. A swift introduction to the ways of the vertical world began with the essentials of safe rock climbing practice and with the troops well versed in the safety chain we entered the fray in search of vertical pleasure.
 The secret to any good rock climbing strategy is in the weather and with all our covert missions operating well with in the little known Donegal rainshadow and we managed to climb from March to November with very few damp days. :-)

Donegal Rock Climbing

The chasm, Cruit Island

Gola Island, new routes

Easter Wall, Gola Island

The Outdoor Climbing Wall

 Progression is the key to appropriate teaching and over the course of the year we progressed through the learning ladder of the vertical world, top ropes, bottom ropes, belay building, escaping the system and a whole plethora of techniques and systems climbers use to stay safe whilst performing potentially dangerous activities. 

 Belay Building

Top Rope Systems

Bottom rope systems

Rock Climbing systems

A climbers committee meeting

Group work at Jock's wall, Cruit Island

 And so, as we progressed through the echelons of vertical teaching to arrive at the turning point of all seekers of vertical pleasure, learning to lead. An act of hand placing protection in the natural features in the rock and then defying logic and reason by climbing above it.

 With flying colours the troops passed through this portal and into the very real world of rock climbing.

Learning to Lead

The Perfect belay Stance

Donegal Rock Climbing

Another day at the office

 At this juncture the troops were signed off as lead climbers and off they went, very soon reports of new routes, unclimbed rock, big falls and suitably scary moments began to filter in from different parts of Ireland as the troops went on their vertical missions. 

Lead Climbing on Cruit Island

Preparing to Lead

 A massive well done to everyone on the FAS instructor course, everyone did extremely well and will go on to push their own envelopes in the greatly misunderstood vertical world.

 My favourite quote during the course came a gentleman upon completing his first lead quipped,

 "Top roping seems kind of boring now," and I'm sure Sean would agree "Exshellent Mish Moneypenny!"  

Rock Climbing in Ireland

    

  

Mountain Training in Ireland

An sho, with the most defo passing of an outstanding summer in the distant North West, long gone are the warm sunny days and bright blue skies to be replaced with snow on the hills (Hurrah!) and white water rage on the coast line.

Ireland's Longest Rock climb

 Having spent the summer guiding people to some of the most outrageous locations in Ireland it is now the time of year to share these skills and the knowledge required to safely visit these outstanding locations and thus allow people to expand their horizons and safely visit their own outstandingly beautiful places of their desires. 

Eagles Rock, Leitrim

Glenlough Bay, Donegal

 Over the last few weeks what started as a trickle has become a flood of people requiring a vast array of different mountain training for many many different personal goals.
 Paid a visit to Dalkey Quarry and ran a days Single Pitch Award refresher course, ran several Learn to Lead courses, a Single Pitch Award Training course, a Mountain Skills 1 Training Course, directed a Mountain Leader Assessment and trained several people with very specific noble goals from sea stack climbing to standing on the summit of Everest.

Night Navigation in Donegal

 Mountain Leader Assessment

12 Bens Connemara

Mountain Skills Training

Learn to Lead Rock Climb, Donegal

Mountain Skills Training Sligo

Single Pitch Award Training

Group Abseil, SPA training

Mountain Skills Training, Donegal

 With continued bookings for many more courses one thing always stands out as a common denominator, there are people from all walks of life with a huge range of life experience all with a common goal and that is to explore, push their personal limitations and have as much fun as possible in the process. :-)