CMC Newsletter Winter News 2026

The winter meets have been pretty well attended this year but nobody has given me a write up on any of them yet – maybe in the next newsletter. I also know there have been a good few trips out on the ice when it has been around. It looks now like spring has been hinted at and quite a few rock routes have been climbed at Shepherds Crag, Langdale and Wyndcliffe Quarry to name a few.

A team of four, Mike and Dorine Tinnion and Dave and Peg Ferguson are currently trekking in Nepal so I am hoping they are taking notes for an interesting article for us – I’m always hopeful! The photos on Facebook look stunning though.

Sadly we lost a long time member Dave Cherry in September last year Phil Tinning has written a lovely tribute to him.

Dave Cherry

Humour with Dave was always much more subtle. Sparring with Mel or George in the pub after a day on the hill or on the drive to a crag or Munro bagging trip, there was always friendly banter scoring points against each other just for the sake of it but all in the best tradition of one-upmanship.

We had many wonderful days on the hills. These were usually long and including multiple Munros and tops. The challenge of high Cairngorm summits, Skye Ridge’s Am Bhasteir, Torridon giants, and the Ullapool Bein Dearg group would be known to many. Other big days probed the remote edge of Knoydart and the depths of Kintail. Lesser-known challenges involved some of the Corbetts – usually with knee deep heather, pathless, boggy, and rock strewn. There were many more than I could list here.

The drives up north were no less epic. Early starts from Carlisle (variable depending on who slept in!) at any time of year saw battles with the A74 roadworks and constant chat putting the world to rights and sharing memories.

Four hundred mile round trips were not unusual reserving the nearby (Crianlarich!) hills for winter trips but occasionally five hundred to the likes of Mount Keen, Fort William and Glenmore seemed quite justifiable. On the way there, pre-internet, we would debate the weather forecast and potential targets. Was the weather better in the west or east? On the way back home, sated by success, where to pull in for a beer or cuppa was decided. Dave always looked forward to a few “scoops” of good beer when someone else was driving. On the many times that I was at the wheel it was Dave’s chat that kept me awake and stimulated. He had many stories of his working life at home and at sea, his general knowledge was huge as he was a great reader of mountain stories, and his opinions were always relevant.

Even though the Munro mission was completed Dave’s thirst for hills continued unabated. From home and seemingly unnoticed, he completed the Donald’s in the Scottish Lowlands and he was relentless in his aim to walk all of the Corbetts eventually running out of those he could top out on remotely within a day’s drive, resorting to car camping in the old school way rather than cough up for an extortionate £30 campsite.

Dave Cherry

First winter meets experience – by Lizzy Dunnett

Despite joining the club in 2018, other parts of life such as work, COVID, a dog (Oakley) and a part time uni course has kept me from getting on any meets away. Having finished my uni course in September and caught up with the back log of other things at home, I was determined to get out on a winter meet in 2025 and experience some winter climbing. I arranged for Oakley to have his own little holiday (in kennels) for the Corran meet so was all set.
An advantage of now working as a Forest manager is that I have an SUV from work for my own use, so having a good sized car, I offered to drive up. Simon and Coups (Mark) took me up on the offer for the way up, and we stopped and had a wander up Ben Vorlich above Loch Lomond as we passed, encountering a bit of snow near the top. Once at Corran, discussion were had as to who was looking to do what on the Saturday. From what I gathered of the chat, the winter conditions weren’t great, but there were routes getting done as mixed. Mark paired up with Andy for the day, while Ray Cassidy and I formed a 3 with Simon and heading off to Glen Coe to do Dorsal arête. I borrowed a pair of ice axes from John Wilson, so lots of people featured in my first experience of winter climbing!

After making our way up to Corrie nan Lochan, we drifted off too far to the left as the cloud was down over the crags. Having realised our mistake and made a detour back, we had a little wait for a party in front of us, but a good opportunity to grab some lunch. Simon lead all 4 pitches while Ray made sure I didn’t do anything daft… I felt it was a really good route as a first experience as the climbing got more involved as we got up the route, letting me get a feel for footwork in crampons and using axes rather than hands before getting to the more ‘technical’ parts higher up. I then made my way past Simon on the last belay and topped out! Absolute buzz and would definitely do it again.
Having sorted all the gear, took a quick walk up to the top of Stob Corrie nan Lochan before decending the grade I gully. I found this harder work on the whole than the actual climb up, resorting to a bit of sliding near the bottom which also used as an opportunity to practice a couple of arrests (why not!). The long walk out was hard, made worse by my boots still being done up tightly… but we made it back safely, if in the dark and a bit late for the pub.
Sunday was a very windy day and I was only giving Simon a lift home. I had my eye on the 2 munros above Ballachulish so we set off to do these up Schoolhouse ridge as bit more than just a walk for Simon! Having done the scramble sections we started getting blown about on the ridge before the first top. Even with crampons and poles, I was struggling to stay upright in the gusts and the cloud was starting to blow in. On reaching the cairn on the first top, I questioned ‘is it a failure to turn back?’ – tongue in cheek, I wasn’t wanting to go any further! So we turned around and went down the other shoulder to Ballachulish, on a much less travelled path which made a nice round. Down by the car, the sun was shining and we sat on some convenient benches for lunch before heading home and getting back at a reasonable time of day.

Very little snow was evident on the hills as we approached, so opted for ‘summer’ gear and leaving a lot of weight behind. Weather was fantastic and could see all the way to Skye, Arran and Mull as well ‘The Ben’. Picked our way across the boulders on the Ben Cruachan, then had a slab run up to one of the other tops. Spotted a ptarmigan flying across below us and one of the Eagles overhead! The last part of the decent was done in the dark and with the drive up to Roybridge it was after 9 when we got in.

Coups went off climbing with Simon the next day, so I did 2 munros to the east of Loch Treig (not the most exciting). Then the 3 of us did Meall Ghaordaidh near Killin on the way back, again with summer gear. Much of the ascent was in good conditions and layers were minimal, however, not far from the top, the temperature dropped and the clouds came in so layers quickly went on. Precipitation wasn’t much, but it was much colder and visibility was reduced. A quick lunch in the shelter at the top before heading back down the same route. I went around the peat hags, Simon and Coups decided to jump across, at the expense of Coups’ pole which got bent! Back over to Stirling then down the motorway to get home early evening. Another good weekend had.
So that’s a summary of my first proper experience of Scottish winter including winter climbing and I will be along to more winter meets, both with and without the dog I expect!’

Memories of Geoff Oliver by Mike Burbage

I have put together the following notes of my time climbing with Geoff which took place mainly between 1966 and 1971. During which we had many memorable days several of the best I have covered below.

A second ascent of Moonday on Scafell seven years after its first ascent, it had been tried by others but it was a wet line and rarely dry. We got to it in a rare long dry spell but still it proved very difficult. (Diary note attached)

We also had quite a few trips to Scotland with others mainly to the Ben in winter staying at the CIC hut. He was a very competent winter climber and by comparison I was a beginner and learned a lot from him. 

Back in the lakes in early 71 there were some good winter conditions. Now this was typical Geoff, he said to me there was a full moon and to be precise Thurs 6th March a work day he had us drive out to the lakes leaving the valley at 7pm for Great End, up Central Gully and down Custs mainly by moonlight and back by 10-20 in time to grab a pint at the pub.

Mike’s diary entry for the completion of Intimidator

Finally in 1971 we went to the Alps together with Bill Young and Geoff Cram. We climbed in Switzerland where we all did the Nollen route on the Monch. Then to Chamonix where we encountered mixed weather but we all did the North face of the Chardonnay together.

Geoff and I had our sites on the Bonatti Pillar. 

We started up the Ice field at 4am, by 8am we were on the Pillar, fantastic climbing on good rock we reached a bivouac ledge at the top of the Red Walls some 13 hours later at 5pm. The weather had been closing in and within half an hour we were caught in an almighty storm that raged on for several hours, very scary but it eased back through the night and by dawn it was gone. Clear skies, ice on the rock and soaked through, but apart from that ok. We set of again at 5am and struggled for a while. After a couple of hours we heard a helicopter making its way up from Chamonix they were checking to see if we and no doubt many others on the mountain were ok. We reached the top about mid day and then another 9 hours back to Chamonix. We both agreed it was our biggest adventure ever in the mountains. 

All this information is probably too much for you but I could not have wished to be with a better guy than Geoff.