TR: Cairngorm & Ben Macdui

Jiffy said:

Being a nice clear night, it didn't get dark. The moon
and stars were bright and the snow was sparkling like diamonds! It was
bright enough that I only really needed my headtorch for checking the map
once in a while.

Good man! Sounds like an excellent trip oot!

(Thought, from part-way through your TR that you were going to curtail
the adventure because of failing light, good to read you considered
the conditions ideal enough to carry on.)

SteveO

NE Climbers & walkers chat forum;
http://www.thenmc.org.uk/phpBB2/index.php

NMC website: http://www.thenmc.org.uk

SteveO said:

Jiffy said:

Being a nice clear night, it didn't get dark. The moon
and stars were bright and the snow was sparkling like diamonds! It was
bright enough that I only really needed my headtorch for checking the map
once in a while.

Good man! Sounds like an excellent trip oot!

No! I've not got it here: for some reason my news server didn't
deliver it. I'll seek it out...

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

"Jiffy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I plodded up the ski slope and got to the Ptarmigan restuarant in an hour
and ten minutes. By the time I'd used the facilities there, wandered round
the exhibition,

How did you manage to do that?
There's supposed to be a closed system preventing you getting into the
building from the outside, except for emergencies.

--
Duncan Gray

www.duncolm.co.uk
also The Mountaineering Council of Scotland
www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 11:19:31 +0000, Peewiglet <[email hidden]>
wrote:

[...]

Quoted message said:

No! I've not got it here: for some reason my news server didn't
deliver it. I'll seek it out...

I managed to track it down in Google. Great report, thanks 🙂

It all sounds very peaceful up there!

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

"Jiffy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The forecast was great for Saturday so I decided to complete my goal

of

Quoted message said:

doing all the 4000'ers this year by finishing off the last two,

Cairngorm

Quoted message said:

and Ben Macdui. Unfortunately, circumstances conspired against me

making an

Quoted message said:

early start and I didn't reach the Cairngorm ski centre car park

until 2pm.

Quoted message said:

I had been planning to go up the Fiacaill ridge but with all the ice

and

Quoted message said:

snow about it was looking more like a grade 1 winter climb than a

grade 2

Quoted message said:

scramble.

I plodded up the ski slope and got to the Ptarmigan restuarant in an

hour

Quoted message said:

and ten minutes. By the time I'd used the facilities there, wandered

round

Quoted message said:

the exhibition, gone up the final wee bit to the summit, taken

photos, etc,

Quoted message said:

the sun was setting. Being a nice clear night, it didn't get dark.

The moon

Quoted message said:

and stars were bright and the snow was sparkling like diamonds! It

was

Quoted message said:

bright enough that I only really needed my headtorch for checking

the map

Quoted message said:

once in a while. The way was well trodden and easy to follow. A lot

of the

Quoted message said:

way is quite flat and quick progress can be made.

From Ben Macdui, the other 4000'ers looked quite majestic in the

moonlight

Quoted message said:

with their snow covering. My Silva windwatch was recording -9c so I

didn't

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hang around long and headed back the same way I came.

Nice one, sounds like a great trip. Off to do Braeriach on Saturday
so hoping for wether like last Saturday

cheers
Graham

You are allowed in.... You are an income stream you know...

But not allowed out if you come up on the train - planning condition
for the monstrocity.

Richard Webb

(RJ Webb) said:

You are allowed in.... You are an income stream you know...

But not allowed out if you come up on the train - planning condition
for the monstrocity.

Richard Webb

How do they know whether you came in on foot or off the train, when
you attempt to get out again? Or must you then stay in? And how high
is the fence - seriously?

--

R
o
o
n
e
y

Quoted message said:

How do they know whether you came in on foot or off the train, when
you attempt to get out again? Or must you then stay in? And how high
is the fence - seriously?

No fence, but rather intimidating staff. There's one way into the
building, if you come in on foot, and this door leads you into a bleak
room where a number of posters and signs tell you in no uncertainh
terms that you are required to leave your gear and rucksack in that
room, tha you may use the facilities (ie spend your money) and then
must leave Ptarmigan via that very door. You cannot get the railway
down because you won't have a ticket (they're only sold at the base
station), and hawk-eyed staff watch who comes in from the outside.
Also, it is very easy to tell walkers and train passengers apart,
because the latter are seldom dressed in hiking gear (precisely
because they know that they cannot get out of the building).
There is an exception to that if you're wounded or have serious knee
problems.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

No! I've not got it here: for some reason my news server didn't
deliver it. I'll seek it out...

I managed to track it down in Google. Great report, thanks 🙂

It all sounds very peaceful up there!

Hmm, strange. Very strange since we both seem to use Clara!

It certainly was peaceful up there, not a soul to be seen after sunset.

Cheers, Jiffy

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I plodded up the ski slope and got to the Ptarmigan restuarant in an

hour

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and ten minutes. By the time I'd used the facilities there, wandered

round

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the exhibition,

How did you manage to do that?
There's supposed to be a closed system preventing you getting into the
building from the outside, except for emergencies.

There's a sign which directs you to a walkers entrance. This was guarded by
a staff member and you were asked to sign in and out in a visitor book. The
entrance lets you into a narrow corridor with some chairs and coat hooks (at
least I think that's what the eye threatening rods of iron sticking out the
walls were) so you can dump your gear and not scare the tourists as much.

Cheers, Jiffy

<snip>

Quoted message said:

No fence, but rather intimidating staff. There's one way into the
building, if you come in on foot, and this door leads you into a bleak
room where a number of posters and signs tell you in no uncertainh
terms that you are required to leave your gear and rucksack in that
room,

Ooops, didn't read them and wandered round the place wearing a daysack.

Cheers, Jiffy