Well it was raining as we left the car at Mardale…… yes RAINING! but not deterred, we walked in to the dam at Blea Water, where we thought we might be able to pick out our routes. No chance. The crag was shrouded in cloud. With Jon’s precise navigation though, we found ourselves at the bottom of Blea Water gill.
The ice was thick with good placements, infact the slight thaw had made the ice less brittle. We did Blea Water Icefalls, and Blea Water Gill, and then made our way to the top of the crag. Blimey! It was further than it looked.
As we climbed, the weather cleared up, with the temperature dropping a few degrees. The wind picked up, but the views more than made up for the extra chill. If the weather stays fairly cold for the next week or so, I’ll certainly be heading back to Blea Water; there looks to be a lot of good ice to go at.
The scenery in my office wasn’t as good. 😥
So how much snow is there up there? Rachel fancies running the course of the OMM this weekend, but we’re not doing it if there’s a foot of snow everywhere!
On the other hand, we might do it on skis!
Great conditions – not too snowy! 😀