Pristine Ridge, Pinnacle & Ptarmigan. Friday 18 Feb
18/02/11
Despite the thaw low down the Main Ridge has remained in excellent condition for fast progress. We climbed up the An Stac screes on good stable snow with no need for crampons but needed them less than 100 feet higher up.
We hardly touched rock at all from there to the base of the Inaccesible Pinnacle some 400 feet above.
The Pinn was majestic in a garb of ice flutings as it rose into the mist but didn’t entice us to tackle it one bit.
A dream descent on perfect snow into Coire na Banachdaich followed. A final bonus was stumbling across 3 ptarmigan in their white plumage. They disappeared in the snow patches only to reappear as they crossed the rocks.
