From time to time we profile some of the best climbs in Wester Ross so here are a few shots of gofurther’s Paul and Colin on Snowflake - one of the best routes on Goat Crag which is one of the best sport-clmbing crags in Scotland. The pictures, taken in the last couple of weeks, hopefully capture how steep the crag is yet, after the mid-height crux, the holds become a lot more forgiving as the climb leads diagonally up and left over a massive jagged flake.



The climb starts delicately up a steep face to a bulge above the second runner. The climbing is not hard for the grade here, but the holds aren’t obvious.



The crux section starts after leaving the obvious diagonal break. As the angle steepens the route goes left on good holds before turning back right over the obvious bulge above Paul in this picture.



The hardest section of the route from a different angle. Here you can see the obvious flake line at the top of the picture which takes the climb up and left to a second hard section at the top of the flake, just below the lower-off. A knee-bar rest is possible when you reach the flake.

Snowflake is the furthest left route at Goat Crag which now has more than 15 routes of the highest quality ranging from 6a+ to 8a. A topo should be available from Wild West Topos soon.

Interested in sport climbing or climbing instruction? See our climbing pages for more.

Thanks to local climber Ian Taylor for this bolted line.

Tags: goat crag, Snowflake, Gruinard, Gruinard climbing, Wester Ross

The recent spell of incredible weather saw some new sport routes added over the Christmas period. After Murdo, Paul and Colin first equipped a series of 7s on the main wall a few other lines are now established on Goat Crag. Most recently, Paul Tattersall finished a line left of Teepee - Tom Paine's Bones at 6c. Nearby, Am Fasgadh finally has a sensible warm up thanks to Ian Taylor - The Groove 6b+, the right hand line of bolts following the groove - vaguely.
Right of The Crack (7b) Paul has also bolted The Shield at 7a+ which has rapidly become a classic. Left of The Crack, Ian Taylor and Lawrence Hughes equipped Primo - 7c - which goes all the way up the headwall of perfect rock above the quartz band to a lower-off at 25m. Thanks also to Murdo for sorting out several of the lower-offs at this crag before he was injured. More on Goat crag and Am Fasgadh soon.

The picture shows Jenny Cunningham and Paul 'Storkey' getting to grips with Mac Talla and The Prow respectively at Goat Crag.

Tags: sport Climbing, rock Climbing, goat crag, Am fasgadh, mac talla, the sheild

The gofurther team were hoping to bring you some news about new routes on some of the best sports crags in Scotland; but that will have to wait. Instead we have some bad news at the end of the year....This is a picture of Murdo on Mac Talla (7b) at Goat Crag. Taken the day before he had a serious accident in Torridon. While we're assured he will be fine, he's expecting to be out of action for at least six months and probably around a year. We all wish him as fast a recovery as is possible and a complication-free 'rest'.
Murdo will be sorely missed at the crag, on the mountain and around the table afterwards.

Tags: murdo, goat crag