Poles and axes were wielded high in the air, a celebratory tunnel created by friends and family as I arrived at the summit of Cairn Gorm, my final Munro of the winter. The sound of whooping and cheering consumed me, whipped around by the ninety miles-per-hour wind that engulfed us. I took care with every step as I planted each crampon clad foot into the icy ground, battered by the wind, wary of the embarrassment that would result from a stumble in my little moment of glory. As I reached the summit, I choked on a sudden ball of emotions as my eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. This was it, the end of my crazy eighty-three day winter journey. The combination of total euphoria, sleep deprivation and extreme winds created a surreal cocktail of emotions that will stay in my memory forever.
Enjoying fine weather on a summit
On 13th March 2024 I became the third person and first woman to complete an entire Munro Round in a single winter season. I climbed all 282 Munros in just 83 days, equalling the fastest time set by Martin Moran in 1985. Whilst the mountains of Scotland are relatively short in stature compared to ranges around the world, they truly pack a punch. Their rugged and remote nature coupled with the unpredictability of Scottish weather create a formidable objective at any time of the year. Add in the elements of winter - short daylight, snow, ice and frequent storms - and it creates a whole new proposition entirely. Like Martin Moran, the idea of tackling them in their toughest condition excited me, and the additional pressure of squeezing the whole objective into a three month window, well that just set my heart racing in a way I couldn't ignore!
The winter munro round aligned perfectly with my passions and my skill set. As a goal oriented person, I have a penchant for ticklists, a love for strategic planning, and above all an unshakeable passion for spending massive days in the mountains. With a strong background of alpinism and winter climbing, I was confident that I had the necessary skills to keep myself safe and make sensible decisions. I have always loved coming up with crazy mountain adventure days, and so over the years, I had normalised the idea of 15-plus hour days, being out at night and doing things solo.
Whiteout conditions during a munro attempt
Doing it my way I decided to approach the Winter Munro Round in my own style. I recognised that I thrived on “big-days and rest-days”, choosing to churn out huge mountain days in exchange for more coffees and brunches with friends. I had 67 hill days and 16 rest days, with an average daily ascent of 2100m. My biggest day was climbing ten of the Cairn Gorm munros in 19 hours, over 66km and 4283m. I thrived on the feeling of arriving home at midnight totally depleted and knew that dipping back into “normality” on my days off massively refuelled me. I also did not sleep in a van, several bothies, or travel logically around the country as per my predecessors. I recognised my desire for social connections and home-comforts and knew I would struggle to return to a cold van at night. Instead I reached out on social media for support and was overwhelmed with a tsunami of kindness from around the country, receiving offers of dinners, beds and sofas. I was blown away by the entirely positive response and the generosity of strangers; the outdoor community is a truly special group! And it wasn’t just the people who hosted me. I also had support with car-drops, route advice, condition updates, bothy supplies, kit borrowing, a boat trip, and close friends joined me for many days out on the hill. Beyond even that, I was spurred on by the monumental support I received through social media - every single word of encouragement helped propel me up those mountains! The entire experience was a thousand times better, richer and more fun because of all the incredible people who helped me along the way. I am enormously grateful.
Night time summits are a common feature in winter mountaineering
Over the last few months I have been reliving the experience as I turn my memories (and voice notes!) into a book, which I am hoping to have ready by the Spring. Below is an excerpt from one of those most magical moments of my round, climbing. If you would like to keep an eye out for the book, you can follow my instagram on @rocksandtrails
A magical sunset over the Winter munros
"From the upper slopes of Sgurr a’Mhaoraich, we witnessed the most incredible sunset that I can ever remember seeing. As golden hour fell upon us, the snow turned a soft glowing orange, whilst the horizon was ignited in a deep fiery red. Every time that we thought our panorama had achieved the maximal amount of beauty possible, the light would further transform the spectacle to a whole new unfathomable level of awe. The primal instinct that urged us to descend before darkness stood no hope against the draw to witness the majestic light show from a lofty viewpoint. To the South East we could see the silhouette of Ben Nevis, and to the North West we could make out the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. Once again, I felt a deep sense of gratitude that I was getting to spend my whole winter climbing all these glorious mountains. Magical moments like these filled up my happiness tank to overflowing, fuelling a zest which I knew would see me through all the storms and hardships to come.”
