Yes, I know it's June, but there is still plenty of snow fun to be had in the Sierra Nevada. An early start meant we managed to catch the best snow conditions and had a great days climbing around the Cerro de Caballo above Lanjaron in the Alpujarras.
The track to the Ventura trailhead is certainly requiring a 4WD vehicle at the moment after the downpours of last winter ruined large sections of the road. Knowing an early start would give us the best snow conditions we arrived at the trailhead before 6am. It would have been even better to have camped up there overnight but the events at the world cup got in the way.
We proceeded rapidly in the frosty morning air to gain the broad, easy south ridge of the Cerro de Caballo. Some steep gullies on the right here gave us some initial warm up practice opportunities. The snow was perfect neve, and we spent a good hour enjoying the freedom of movement snow climbing brings. We practised our snow belays and the use of "deadmen" as snow anchors.
Then it was onto the large snow bowl south of the summit area. In normal winters there is a series of east facing gully lines. After the mega snowfalls of last winter though, today all we had was an unbroken wall of steep snow. Technically quite easy, but of 2 or 3 rope lengths in duration. There were no cornices but some of the upper exits to the snow bowl were trickier.
Amazing to think that this was end of June in southern Spain!
Photos below. Climbers...... Richard Hartley, Kiersten Rowland and Clive Fenn.
Winter Mountaineering courses in the Sierra Nevada
Clive belaying Kiersten at the end of a pitch
Snow face at the back of the Caballo southern bowl
Great snow conditions
Richard belaying whilst Kiersten pulls over the lip
Kiersten on the 2nd pitch of Griffon
Clive Fenn on the headwall
Steep snow above the Caballo bowl
Kiersten climbing over a lip