Winter climbing on Brown Cove Crags

Last weekend, to take advantage of a week of cold, snowy weather across Northern Britain which had brought the Lake District into condition for winter climbing, I visited Brown Cove Crags with two friends.

Brown Cove Crags are on the North Eastern side of Helvellyn. The crags are high up but with uncommitting routes, and are just a short walk from the car park: the perfect venue for a short mid-winter day.

Brown Cove Crags from below

As we walked up, the crags emerged from the cloud. There was already a handful of climbers on the routes.We chose to try the most Northerly route on the crags: Two Grooves. At grade IV (6) we hoped that it would be quieter than the easier routes further along the crags. The route divides into two pitches, each with a groove to climb up.

Looking North from Brown Cove Crags

By the time we reached the start of the route the cloud had cleared. The clear air meant that there were extensive views across the Lake District, free from the haze that is often present on cloudless summer days.

Climber moving onto the crux of Two Grooves, Brown Cove Crags

The groove on the first pitch was covered with a deep layer of powder snow and the turf underneath was not yet frozen. The left face of the groove was iced up however, and using this ice and rock on the righthand side of the groove we were able to climb the pitch, only resorting to snow wading for last few metres.

There were a couple of climbers on the technical second pitch, so we did the obligatory jumping up-and-down to keep warm while we waited for them to finish.

Dave seconding Two Grooves - about to enter the crux groove

Neil led the second pitch, calmly making some tricky moves. Dave followed him up, and I followed close behind Dave, removing some of the pegs and gear that Neil had placed to protect himself. The difficulties began on entering the rocky groove, where I had to hook my tools on rock and find small foot placements to climb. Towards the top there was a featureless slab with a crack on one side that you could jam tools into. A couple of big pulls, hoping feet wouldn't slip, and I joined Neil and Dave at the top of the route.

The snow slope at the start of the second pitch was well consolidated, making for easy, satisfying climbing. Progress up the groove involved a series of rock hooks and bridging/backfooting. The rock faces and the cracks were iced up, rendering cams useless, and ice tools and crampons were essential for climbing.

Brown Cove Crags from the top of Two Grooves

From the top of Two Grooves, we could see that the rest of Brown Cove Crags was swarming with climbers - lots of people were making the most of the great conditions!

Sunset over the Lake District

To finish the day we walked from the top of Brown Cove Crags to Helvellyn, reaching the summit just as the sun was setting.There were large cornices on the Red Tarn face that would make the climbing routes up there more difficult, perhaps requiring some tunnelling at the top of the route, and also more dangerous, due to the possibility of avalanches.