Beautiful Winter Route In The MacGillycuddy Reeks, In Recent Snow

Thanks for all the interest in last week's winter mountaineering shots. It was a straightforward enough route, but been on my bucket list and had been waiting for winter conditions for a long time now. The route may not mean much, unless you know The Reeks.

Up Curve Gully to Carrauntoohil for sunset; down Central Gully, back up O Shea's Gully. Across Beenkeragh Ridge in thick powder snow for dusk. Beenkeragh (second highest peak) for nightfall and semi whiteout conditions - which needed careful ice axe probing to ensure I didn't step over the cliffedge. Then down easy side of Hag's Tooth Ridge as the whiteout lifted and the moon emerged.

And in fact with the moon reflecting off the snowpack I didn't need my headtorch whatsoever for the 3/4 hrs of darkness - apart from the occasional map check! Nice 10 hr day; slept well that night!