Into the mountains - the leaders under pressure (Monday)

Rob / 15.04.2002

With all the teams getting some rest overnight, the slower teams moved forward on the course, and the race back on it’s expected schedule . It was frosty and cold, but that was because the skies had cleared revealing fresh snow on the Cairngorms, which was where the teams were headed next for Phase 2, the High level stage.

First to go were leaders Goretex Golite followed closely (as they have been for some time) by the unranked Parrot Lythgoe. From the transition checkpoint they set off for the steep climb to the ski station at the foot of the new funicular railway – but they weren’t going to get a ride! After searching among the buildings to find a marshal hidden away in a shed, they set off to contour round the hillside, making their way into Corrie an Lochain. It wasn’t long before they were picking a way across snow covered rocky ground and the cliffs skirting the corrie came into view.

Beneath them were 2 tiny tents in a huge snow filled basin and on a steep snow slope slightly to the west 2 dots were visible - the guides standing a the foot of the fixed ropes. It was time to put on harnesses and crampons ready for the 200m high rope ascent. It took a while to get organised and Jim Davies was smiling, happy to be out in good conditions at last, even though very tired. “I must be tired,� he said as he struggled with his gear, “I’ve put my crampons on before my harness.�

There was no need to wait around at the foot of the ropes, teams could move together up one of the available ropes, toe kicking into the icy slope. It was a bit of a struggle to get across the slight overhang at the top and the next stage was a crossing of the high ground around Cairngorm summit. In near perfect conditions it was one of the high points of the race and Phil Davies said it was fairly easy going, “ just a couple of inches of snow on top of hard ice�.

When they reached the ski slopes there were more special stages to complete, starting with locating a transceiver beacon buried in the snow, which they both did within a minute or two. Unfortunately, the second test, snowblading, wasn’t ready so they set off steeply downhill beside the railway track to get back onto the road.

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