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Summit Gully from the car park, 450m Grade II climb leading up to the snow field at the right of the summit:
The path is fine at the start, then hits a rock band for a damp scrambly bit.
Further up it drops to the side of Allt Coire nam Beithach then gets more indistinct & interesting. It's definitely a steep walk up. Summit Gully is easy to find as the path heads straight for it.
Thought I was the only person on the hill today but a climber caught up, he was having an easy day scoping out some Grade V here and on Bidean after spending an hour hacking through a cornice on Aonach Mor yesterday. He decided to do Summit G as well, then descend at the col between Bidean and SCNL. Start of Gully:
Realised how unfit I am as he whizzed on ahead, left some steps to follow though.
Higher up the snow got softer and his prints led up to a ridge with a mixed scramble at the start. I followed, hoping it didn't lead to anything too dodgy.
Down the ridge:
Summit ahoy.
Gully ends here:
Met again at the summit, he'd detoured onto the ridge as the snow was getting softer higher up and he didn't want a repeat of the Aonach Mor cornice dig yesterday. Soft snow at top of gully:
Bidean:
SCNL, with the planned descent route at the bealach on its right:
Nice clear day and it was still earlyish so I wandered round towards SCNL, might do another gully there. Glen Etive:
Back to SCNB:
Top of Central Gully on Bidean, looks steeper than I remember. I thought I could hear someone coming up then realised it was ice melting and dropping into the gully.
Descended Bidean, looking back to the start of the descent route down to the right:
Busy on SCNL.
Had a look at the descent between Bidean & SCNL:
Then down Broad Gully:
Decided on Boomerang Gully next since it was quiet and ended at the summit.
Then back towards Bidean and followed footprints down to the coire.
Last look back to Diamond & Church Door Buttresses.