Start point: Brackenclose (NY 182 074)
Brackenclose – Brown Tongue – Hollow Stones – Lord’s Rake – Hollow Stones – Brown Tongue – Brackenclose
Distance: 3.5 miles Total Ascent: 800 metres Time Taken: 3 hours
Weather: Cold, snow blowing in. 1°C.
I set off with the intention of climbing Scafell from Brackenclose today, however conditions managed to conspire against me. There is no shame in turning back or knowing when to bail out…
NOTE: Do not try to climb Lord’s Rake in winter conditions without crampons and an ice axe (and nerves of steel!).
Strangely clear yet murky in Wasdale.
A panoramic view of The Screes. Select on the image to see a larger version.
Great Gable, Lingmell, Scafell Pike and Scafell reflected in Wast Water.
Scafell reflections.
Lingmell Gill.
A close up on the icy waterfall.
Illgill Head, Wast Water and Middle Fell from the climb along Lingmell Gill.
The Lingmell Gill crossing to Brown Tongue.
The north face of Scafell from Brown Tongue.
Middle Fell and Yewbarrow from the ascent.
Mickledore from Hollow Stones.
Scafell Crag.
Close up on the icicles on Scafell Crag.
Heading towards Mickledore Buttress on Scafell Pike.
Across Lingmell to Haycock and the Pillar group of fells.
Heading for Lord's Rake.
Superb winter scenery today.
Spot the two climbers climbing Moss Gill, there were plenty of them around today.
At the foot of Lord's Rake. It took a minute or two to work out that it actually was Lord's Rake as the snow was pretty deep up there, obliterating all features apart from the chock stone at the top. There were no other footprints in there either, but I thought I would give it a go and was quite prepared to turn back if it looked too dangerous.
The view from half way up Lord's Rake. There are a small group of climbers visible at the foot of Steep Gill.
Phew, made it! It certainly was an exhilarating climb in some deep snow, this view from the top looking towards Pulpit Rock on Scafell Pike.
An icy looking Pinnacle.
Casper has a look around at the start of the first descent on Lord's Rake.
The chock stone at the head of Lord's Rake. When I looked around to the normally easy second section of the Rake, I knew immediately that I wasn't going any further in that direction today. The second col was almost in touching distance but in between was a treacherous slab of snow covered ice - a great chute into Hollow Stones a couple of hundred metres below, and there was no way I was risking that. But which way to go now? I had a look at the West Wall Traverse but the entrance to that was a great snow cornice and that surely would be suicidal to attempt. No, the only way was back down the way I had come but even that would be no cakewalk and I had to carefully descend backwards kicking deep with the crampons and making sure the ice axe had a good, deep bite on each stroke. No photos of any of that as I was too busy with the job in hand.
I passed a couple of climbers going to Deep Gill as I descended, this view is of one of them half way up. Looks like he is following my footsteps to the right of the Rake, the best side to keep out of the deepest snow.
Casper watches the climbers from the foot of Steep Gill - see the end of their rope to the left?
...and when I turned around, the snow and wind had come in with a vengeance, here looking across to Lingmell. That finished the day off for me - there was no point continuing to Scafell Pike in pretty horrendous conditions. However, there was still the small matter of the descent from here into Hollow Stones to tackle, and that was pretty tricky in the snow too. I descended the worst bit backwards once more, the same as I did in Lord's Rake. I was becoming quite good at it now!
Blizzard over Mickledore.
These were some impressive looking icicles, the top ones were a good 20 feet long. I'm not going to stand under those!
Icy Lingmell Gill on the descent.