Winner of the Winter Walking Category: Approaching the Buachaille by Paul Bennett
This image was taken on the walk in to Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mòr. The day was clear with blue skies in the valley, but as we neared the route, the wind whipped up the spindrift, making conditions harsher.
This was an opportunistic shot taken as two climbers ahead approached their chosen route. The way in which the figures are walking out of the frame and the cold, almost monochrome scene, creates a feeling of unease reflecting the trepidation we felt as we approached the route.
We followed some other climbers onto our route without confirming our position and soon passed them. The route should have been well within our ability, but we found it a real challenge. We later discovered we had climbed a different and significantly harder route.
We were slower than expected and topped out as night was falling. We saw enough of the descent to pick up the correct line to follow before we were in complete darkness. Luckily we picked up a trail of raised footprints which lead us in the light of our head torches off the mountain, down to the snowline and back to the car.
My climbing partner commented on how strangely foggy the night had become. This struck me as odd given the crystal clear starry sky above. Upon reaching the pub in Glencoe at last orders it was obvious there was something wrong with his vision as he needed guiding through the door. Fortunately, his sight returned after a night's sleep. We put it down to dehydration or exhaustion. Who knows. A great day out in the Scottish winter!
Nikon D3000 with 35mm lens, 1/800 sec, f/10.0, IS0 400