MEET THE ARRAN MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL WALK LEADERS

The next in our series of volunteer walk leaders profiles is Alistair Hume.

Ali (on the right) co-leading last year's Mountain Festival A'Chir walk

ALISTAIR HUME

What do you do when you don’t lead walks for the Arran Mountain Festival?


For relaxation, I play the bagpipes with the Isle of Arran pipe band, I am also a keen sea kayaker and try to play golf as often as I can.

I also work part time for World Challenge, a company that specialises in taking groups of teenagers to mainly third world countries for up to five weeks at a time to experience other cultures and assist in project work such as toilet block construction.

I have also been a member of the Arran Mountain Rescue Team since 1976 and a lot of my time is spent training with them and being on call 24/7.


Why do you volunteer as an Arran Mountain Festival walk leader?

I like to try and help others experience the wonderful mountains of Arran and pass on any local knowledge and history and ensure that they have a memorable time.


Tell us about a favourite mountain moment.

There have been many favorite moments!!! But for feel good factor it must be a time in Northern Peru while descending from a high 4.500 meter pass and at -10 I came across a young local lad, his face full of snot and minus some fingers and toes from frostbite - he was wearing shorts and sandals.


I will never forget the way his face changed when I gave him my cosy warm mountain rescue buffalo jacket that I had cherished for some 20 years.


What is your favourite Arran walk?

Don't really have one, I love them all!!!


Which piece of kit would you not head into the hills without?

A whistle.


What is your favourite breakfast before a long day out in the mountains?

Anyone I can persuade my wife to make!!!


Ali is co-leading the A'Chir ridge traverse.

2011 Arran Mountain Festival A'Chir Ridge Walk

I had never set foot on Arran before, which is shameful considering I live in Glasgow, but I have always heard it is good for walking and climbing. My friend, who has been on Arran several times, heard about the mountain festival and saw there was a guided walk along the A'Chir ridge which he had bypassed on previous walks and thought it would be a great chance to walk it.

We just made it to the outdoor centre in time to get a quick instruction on how to put our slings on, which is when I thought it was going to be more extreme than any scrambling I had done before.

The walk started in Glen Rosa and the weather was perfect, warm morning sun and blue skies. The group walked up Glen Rosa at an easy pace giving the group the chance to get to know one another and hear the guides point out places of interest and tell some stories about the area. We stopped for some lunch just below Cir Mhor where we were told that if we didn't fancy the ridge we could turn back.

A short climb took us to the the start of the rock climbing section where the guides set about putting a safety rope up. It was just as well they did, I was the second person to go along the section and had a wee slip but managed to get to the end of the section safely. There were plenty of other moments where the ropes were in use and I think the group was thankful for that especially at the bad step on the ridge. This was only a gap of half a metre which had to be jumped, but with vertical drops on each side the exposure was something else.

By the time we had reached the top I was a lot more tired out than what I would have expected, mostly from using muscles that aren't usually put to the test. But the wonderful views from the top made it worthwhile and I quickly forgot about my aches and pains. We could see Jura and even all the way over to the Antrim coast.

After the top it there was one more section which required the rope then it was a steady walk back down to Glen Rosa to catch our lift.

Having lacked any previous rock climbing experience i knew this was going to be an exhilarating, challenging and at times apprehensive walk. But with the guides always there to reassure you and advise you along the way everyone got passed the trickiest sections with no problems. I will certainly be back to Arran to walk the rest of the hills and ridges after this.

I must say a big thanks to the guides, Ali and Mick. They were full of knowledge and stories of the area and their times on the hills and you felt in very safe hands with them helping you along the hardest sections of the walk.

Gregor

Winter traverse of A’ Chir Ridge

8/12/10 David Lilly and Darryl Urquart-Dixon

Some early snow and sub-zero temperatures presented an opportunity for some rare pre-Christmas winter mountaineering this year on Arran, so last Wednesday Darryl Urquart-Dixon (of MRT & Balmichael) and I decided we would attempt a winter traverse of A’ Chir Ridge. Having completed the ridge often in warmer clines we knew the route well and fancied our chances in winter. Obviously the gear differs in winter, notably with crampons and axes. I wondered whether Messrs’ Douglas, Campbell, Gibson, Robertson, Fleming and Dr Leith completed the first traverse of A’Chir Ridge on 30th January 1892 in similar conditions - certainly, they had hob-nail boots, woollen socks and tweed, not crampons, multi-layered Gortex and Down jackets!

Without a cloud in the sky we were walking up Glen Rosa enjoying the Sunrise lighting up the summit of Beinn á Chliabhain in silver-white rays, pink fell upon Goat Fell and orange on Cir Mhor. By 9 a.m. we arrived at Coire Buidhe with Cir Mhor’s ‘South Ridge Direct’ lit up above us. We pressed on to join the saddle at 591m where we prepared ourselves for the ridge. Despite the -5°c temperature, perhaps -15 with wind-chill factor, we marvelled at the most breathtaking views across our Western hills and beyond to the Paps. It was a winter wonderland - a carpet of snow from where we stood to as far as we could see, only interrupted by the still icy blue waters of the Sounds of Kilbrannen and Jura. We started to gain height toward the top of the first buttress at about 9.30 a.m. creating the first foot steps in the virgin snow as we went (pic1).

(pic 1/David Lilly ascending 1st buttress North end A’ Chir Ridge)

So far so good, but that soon came to an end. We arrived at the first down climb into the gully that leads to the Mauvais Pas section. In the summer this is an easy scramble but in these conditions we needed to abseil. The first abseil to a horizontal ledge went fine (pic 2). For the second abseil we slung the rope around a conical spike of rock at the far end of the ledge to traverse down the face of the wall below. I remained attached to the rope at the spike belay so Darryl could abseil in safety. I followed, edging my way off the ledge but was unable to guide the rope through a crack, as Darryl had, to keep me close to the face. With the rope running around the outside of the wall I felt myself being pulled away from the face and toward the 100m drop below. At this point the rope started to rise up the spike and with no-one on the belay I was in severe danger had I continued (pic 3), so I climbed up and fixed a new belay, from which I could suspend a Scottish Prop Forward, and made my way down. Any passers-by please note; the 8ft sling and Simond Karabiner on a jammed-rock are mine!

(pic 2/Darryl Urquart-Dixon 1st abseil off buttress 1)

(pic 3/David 2nd abseil off buttress 1)

Nerves in check I readied for the bicycle step chimney, the first part of the ‘Mauvais Pas’ section. Darryl led in his usual voracious fashion, whilst I followed by gentler means only to find again that this ridge in winter shares none of its summer hospitality. Snow and haw-frosted rock aside, I managed to get my right crampon stuck in the chimney and had to lower myself down on one axe to lever it out with the other, then haul myself up until I could get some purchase with my feet. I sat on the 1ft wide ledge looking down the 50m sheer face below thinking how utterly useless I felt. I blethered on about summer sun, vertical hot granite walls, sticky rock shoes and how I was made to go up; not down, sideways and in holes with unforgiving crampons on my feet! Darryl - in his element said; “I don’t do all that fancy dancing about on rock stuff, this is my kind of climbing!” And with that, off he went up the ledge to the next belay under the vertical section (pic 4).

(pic 4/Darryl moving up Mauvais Pas Ledge)

As I arrived at the belay, enjoying the exposure, Darryl asked if I was going to lead my usual bit. Absolutely; it was a perfect almost vertical climb up good rock with a few cracks for solid gear placement to protect me on the way. Clearing the snow out of the seams and flakes with my axe, about half way up I placed a good Cam (pic 5) and then continued up to the top to body belay Darryl behind me. As soon as he arrived, looking at my Cheshire grin, he knew I’d redeemed myself.

(pic 5/David leading the climb from the Ledge to the Mauvais Pas section)

Ahead, we crossed the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (Bad Step) with an abyss either side of the 1ft wide hole, as we approached the chimney leading up the third buttress. We cut our way up the steep 20m chimney, which often wet through summer, was surprisingly void of ice. Instead, unconsolidated fresh snow often gave way under foot and the quartzite rich granite in this section broke repeatedly under the lightest axe placement (pic 6). With little gear placement possible, it became hard work for both of us and at the top we could see our hands trembling with adrenaline from our battle with this unforgiving pitch.

(pic 6/Darryl working hard to lead the Mauvais Chimney pitch onto the 3rd main buttress)

We continued up the ridge toward the summit taking lines as conditions dictated, forgetting our prefixed ideas about the the route from previous summer experiences. Topping out at 745m we considered our options seated in a wind free hole at the summit whilst tucking in to our lunch and some much needed hot brew. At 2.30 p.m. we agreed to call it a day, we were both wearier than expected at this point and needed a further 1&½ hrs to complete the remaining ⅓rd of the ridge plus the down time. We took an exit route Darryl had previously used with Mountain Rescue which leads to an outcropping crag directly East of the summit, from where we looked back at our work on the Ridge (pic 7), and then descended 300m down the northern slope to Corie Buidhe.

(pic 7/A’ Chir Ridge, east facing Mauvais Pas section with line of route, and the top of Glen Iorsa below to the west)

To remind us of how our day started out, we were just down in time to see a different array of colours as the sun set the mountain tops ablaze with crimson. We didn’t feel beaten by the ridge, we felt privileged, perhaps accomplished to have achieved what we did on our first winter attempt. With this experience, no doubt we will be back to complete it another day, hopefully on some harder snow to assist progress. A’ Chir Ridge (Nth-Sth) in winter is possibly a Grade III or IV depending on conditions and a long haul; possibly a 5-6hr traverse with good snow and weather conditions, plus the 4hrs to walk in and out. A high level of endurance is a must and it bears no resemblance with the nature of the route in summer!

A'Chir Ridge.

A week after Arranachs and our visitors had the company of Doug Scott, the first British man to conquer Everest in 1975 and a great inspiration to my life; I would like to share something more historic and emotive in my final summer climbing article unlike my previous detailed accounts.
On 30th January 1892 Messrs’ Douglas, Campbell, Gibson, Robertson, Fleming and Dr Leith completed the first South - North traverse of A’Chir Ridge (‘the comb’) between Beinn Tarsuinn and Cir Mhor. One of the party, William Douglas, an accomplished mountaineer of the Highlands and Alps, once said of Arran: “To know any hill well is indeed a privilege, but to become on intimate terms with a mountain group such as that of Arran, is something that adds much to a man's life.” I appreciate entirely his sentiment. 118 years later this classic traverse remains largely unchanged and it was our turn. On a crisp and slightly overcast morning my great friend Darryl Urquart-Dixon of Balmichael (MRT), myself and Tim Hobden, my surrogate brother from Buckinghamshire, set off to tackle the Ridge in the opposite direction to Douglas’ party.
Approached from Glen Rosa toward Coire Buidhe below Cir Mhor and up to a col at 591m we gained the Ridge along a path leading to the first section of easily navigated boulders. This brought us to A’Chir’s first great granite buttress whose Cyclopean wall dominated the foreground like a mighty rampart protecting what lay beyond. With Tim’s eerie broken spectre below us we scrambled our way up the arête with an airy void to the left which was only broken 40 meters below by a sea of mist.

The views were astounding as we crossed the top of the buttress to reach a sudden drop which, given I think we veered from the route, required a careful scramble descent and an uncomfortable crawl under an overhanging boulder to reach a gully where we prepared for the climb. The very amusing ‘Bicycle Step’ (or ‘Chimney’, SMC Journal Vol.3 No.4) offered the opportunity for some laughs on a damp day as I watch both my colleagues attack head on the slippery polished rock (pic1) as they tried to squeeze themselves through a gap only big enough for a child.



Tim Hobden squeezing himself through the Bicycle Step Chimney on A’Chir Ridge (pic1)

I decided a delicate approach was more my style rather than a full on frontal assault opted for by the bigger men. Traversing along the face on a seam for my feet and the edge of the upper shelf for my hands I pulled up to join my friends, grinning from ear to ear with their boots dangling over the precipice (pic2).



Darryl & Tim on the ledge before the climb up to the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (pic2)

Darryl led the way up the exposed mid-face ledge with its vertical drop at the edge of our fingers as we crept up to a head wall and our first short climb. I volunteered to lead, placing some gear into a crack half way up for the rope to secure me should I fall. Sitting on the platform at the top I body belayed (90kgs of) Tim as he admirably handled his sweaty palms and nerves on his first climb. From this section we reached the ‘Mauvais Pas’ (bad step) after a lofty scramble around some obstacles to reach a narrow flat block which we jumped down to before Darryl, rope in hand, gave us his impression of disco legs as he hopped across the gap in the rock which opened below to treacherous gullies on both sides – bad step indeed! (pic3, below).



Darryl carefully leading Tim across the ‘Mauvais Pas’ whilst Tim’s just hanging on (pic3)

Tim tentatively weighed up his options, knees trembling; crawl or go-for-it. He opted for both! Looking on, keeping to the left and the natural arête of the next buttress we scaled a gradually inclining chimney which was testing in the damp, particularly dodging Tim’s debris as I followed. After an intense deviation where Tim nearly broke his tibia in a deep slab crack as we down climbed, we moved on unhindered to the summit at 745m with about 1km of the Ridge completed. The views back under a clearing sky were breathtaking; the jagged pinnacles of Cir Mhor, the colourful ‘U’ shaped glacial glen of Rosa and Iorsa with Loch Tanna and the Kilbrannen Sound in the distance, and to the South; the blocky Consolation Tor and outline of Beinns Tarsuinn
and Nuis sketched by the sun through misty skies.

The exposure and environment were truly inspiring and thought provoking; more than once we discussed how insignificant we were in this mighty landscape. These views were enjoyed over a brew before we set off on the remainder of the Ridge which offered at least three other interesting challenges: a featureless 4m vertical block with only a rounded foot wide crack to use as best we could, a 10m crumbling chimney and a chock stone defying gravity, especially with me on it (pic4), all of which added diversity to the traverse.

A final contemplation was enjoyed as we looked back at the ridge from Beinn á Chliabhain (pic5), with the knowledge that experience, fair weather and proper equipment make A’Chir a thrilling day’s adventure across one of the finest ridges in Scotland with its own unique character and surprises.



David contemplating his future on the chock stone (pic4)



The 2010 team. Tim Hobden, Darryl Urquart-Dixon and David Lilly with A’Chir Ridge behind (pic5)



Article by D.Lilly, as featured in the Arran Banner, all photos copyright D.Lilly 2010.