Trail Magazine: Bidean nam Bian
If it’s icy ridge-walks you’re after then mighty Bidean has the white stuff. Join Dan Bailey on a testing winter mountaineering circuit. Scottish mountains don’t get more regal than Bidean nam Bian. Its domineering presence imposes itself on you even before you’ve left the car park. From the menacing ramparts of the Three Sisters to a distant crown of snow-caked peaks that seem to lord it over everything, there’s no question you’re in the presence of greatness. Like the king on a chessboard, the main top throws out an army of underlings, a complex sprawl of ridges and crags, moat-like corries and satellite summits that seem to defend every possible line of attack. It looks forbidding and inaccessible. Yet appearances, as usual, are deceptive. Under snow it’s probably fair to say that there are no genuinely easy ways up. Challenge is the name of the game in these parts. As with any winter outing the difficulty of this route is strongly influenced by conditions on the day. It can vary from a strenuous hill-walk with some easy scrambling to something a little more snowy and memorable. With luck you’ll be straying into the realm of winter mountaineering, albeit only briefly. Bonington-like super-powers might be overkill, but you won’t pass muster without a basic competence on scrambles and steep winter ground. The route starts up the middle Sister, Gearr Aonach. This Grade 1 scramble sometimes leads a double life as a Grade I winter climb – subject to the availability of conditions. If winter is gripping hard and real climbing seems a tall order, then play it safe and approach the peaks up Coire nan Lochan instead. It is satisfying to return to the glen via Beinn Fhada, but this involves an exposed Grade I downclimb on the infamous Bad Step, and then a potentially dangerous descent off the end of the ridge. The easier alternative descent via Coire Gabhail avoids these obstacles at the end of a long day, and so this is described here. Clachaig Inn, Glencoe – tel. (01855) 811252 PLEASE NOTE: The GPX trace on this route is for use as a guide only, its accuracy may change depending on the scale of map you are using. Use in combination with judgement and a paper map. We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure these walks are safe and correctly described. However things do change and all outdoor activities involve a degree of risk. The publishers accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any injuries or accidents that occur whilst following this walk.
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Trail Magazine: Bidean nam Bian