I had decided to give the work night out a miss on the Friday in the hope that I could get up early on what promised to be a fine but cold day in the glens. As I drove through Rannoch Moor, I was rewarded with an almost magical vista, with snow-clad mountains and completely frozen lochs, as dawn broke. I eventually came to rest down the far end of Glen Etive and donned hat and fleece as it was -5C at this point. The track down to Coiletir was like an ice rink and i seriously contemplated putting crampons at this stage. However, once on to the actual hill, I began the ascent, described in books as 'brutal' and '1000m straight up'. It was a good and firm path and progress was rapid. Within an hour, I was more than halfway up and looking forward to bagging Glas Bhein Mhor too. What I hadn't reckoned on was that at 700m, the 4-5 inches of snow would become 2-3 feet of snow and instead of following the footsteps, I'd be striking out and up on my own, with no tracks to follow. I can honestly say that the next 2 hours of slog were the most arduous on a hill I have so far endured. Several times I would plunge through snow up to my thigh and have to extract myself in a desperate fashion. As I began to near the summit, I was aware of the narrowing precipice, with several cornices not far away. At 1230 (4 hours after setting off!!), I topped out and took this rather knackered shot of myself. No way was I going to do GBM. I descended almost immediately as there really isn't much room at the top of Ben Starav - it is beautifully exposed and rewards great views but my body was telling me to get down as I was buggered. The descent back down was a test of concentration and I was glad when I eventually got back to the car. Brutal is the correct word for it. In summer I imagine it's much easier but when she's fully clad with snow, it becomes a real test of fitness. Two days later, I can reflect and think it was a fab day but the muscles ache big-time.
