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Aug 2020
7:42pm, 6 Aug 2020
3,807 posts
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K5 Gus
Strange - Donnie's tracker is up in the main ski centre carpark, but the motorhome tracker is down in the Sugar Bowl carpark.
Hope they've not had a tiff and he's been kicked out and having to bivvy 
Given location of van, looks like avoiding going all the way down to the main Bynack Mor path from Glenmore Lodge, and doing some sort of x-country route
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Aug 2020
10:44pm, 6 Aug 2020
10,824 posts
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_andy
My first thought for tomorrow was on heading straight back up towards Cairngorm and the Ptarmigam cafe, then cutting round to the The Saddle and up Bynack Mor. That would be a drop of 350m plus up to 80m from A' Choinneach (which could be skirted, but that would lose the decent ridge path).
I've done the alternative of heading to Coire na Ciste and east to drop into Strath Nethy, losing 300m of height in total with some fairly rough going. But it's about a mile shorter and feels like a more natural line to me, especially with free-wheeling down the ski road for just over a mile (against the one-way system, but I'd be doing that at 5am!)
Will be a quick drive for the support to get round to (?) Invercauld Bridge in order to get towards Ben Avon with a bike (there's some big estate tracks going into the hills there). Wondering what route he'll take towards an overnighter before Mount Keen (Crathie? track towards Glen Muick?)
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Aug 2020
7:29am, 7 Aug 2020
3,808 posts
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K5 Gus
Day 7, 57/282 completed, 5 planned today
_andy it looks like your initial thought is what he's going for, as he's heading back up Cairngorm
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Aug 2020
7:58am, 7 Aug 2020
10,825 posts
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_andy
Should have stuck with my initial thoughts! Easy ascent up that ski road to the top Funicular station. Much easier underfoot conditions that way.
Sidenote - that climb up to Cairngorm was my first ever Munro, before I even knew what a Munro was; the gully just NE of there is where I snow-holed during winter ML training years later. Lots of memories in these hills!
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Aug 2020
8:10am, 7 Aug 2020
3,809 posts
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K5 Gus
I still think he's made the wrong choice
Ski centre carpark - 630m up to High point just past Ptarmigan - 1150 => 520m
Saddle 807m, up to Bynack Mor 1090m => 283m, plus the 80m lost after A' Choinneach, so a total of 883m
If he'd freewheeled down to Loch Morlich last night then low point would be about 325m, and with Bynack Mor at 1090m then that would have been a 765m climb ( very minimal losses, maybe a couple of small dips around Lochan Uaine, call it 800m max, and some of that he could have done on the bike, the rest on an excellent path.
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Aug 2020
8:47am, 7 Aug 2020
2,079 posts
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flyingfinn
So only 80m difference and the climbing going direct is broken up into two sections rather than one long climb. So I suspect it comes down largely to the fact that at his level of fitness the difference in climb is simply not a factor, particularly when as _Andy says the underfoot conditions are good. So he's just gone the shortest sensible way (any more direct and the drop in and out of Strath Nethy is too steep and potentially rougher). The philosophy I was always taught when orienteering is that in general if you are in doubt about route choice and can take the climb on ok then it's usually best to go as straight as possible and get the bulk of the climbing done as soon as possible on the leg.
There is also the issue of logistics. If he'd used the mtb someone needs to get it back to the van.
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Aug 2020
8:55am, 7 Aug 2020
6,677 posts
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Northern Exile
A quick question for you Munro experts: When doing a circuit of the Cairngorm 4000s, what is the best way down to the Lairig Ghru off Ben Macdui? I'm assuming it's a continuation of the line that Donnie has plotted to the SE of Allt Clach nan Taillear. It would be nice to bag Carn a' Mhaim in the process of doing this, but that descent off the top that is shown on his plot looks mighty craggy to me!
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Aug 2020
8:56am, 7 Aug 2020
3,812 posts
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K5 Gus
True about getting the bike back, but it's been happening other days.
What about the effect on the quads from this morning's drop from Ptarmigan down to the Saddle, about 350m on rough terrain ? The 300m drop on the bike last night would have had pretty much zero impact.
Is that worth taking into consideration or is it more about the climbing at this level ?
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Aug 2020
10:54am, 7 Aug 2020
2,081 posts
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flyingfinn
I think you have to consider that as well Gus but I guess it's all about the context and the level of fitness. If you're fit enough to be giving something like this a real go then 350m is a drop in the ocean. Also the speed he dropped down there suggests that he didn't find it too rough. I suspect he will have reccied it and possibly there is decent line if you know where you are going?
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Aug 2020
11:02am, 7 Aug 2020
2,082 posts
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flyingfinn
NE are you talking about the line down towards Corrour Bothy that Donnie ascended? If so Simon + C went up that way with Jim on his 24 hour record and I don't recall any horror stories about getting through the crags but they will be able to tell you more. It's certainly steep but viewed from below it looks largely grassy.
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