Gap Mountain
 
August 31, 2003
 
Mountain height: 2675 m
Elevation gain:    780 m
 
Scrambling with Mark.  
 
Gap Mountain is exactly as Alan Kane advertises: “indisputable proof that bigger isn’t always a better viewpoint.” It is also a more challenging mountain that we expected.
 
A wonderfully scenic and steep hike up to the col preceded those difficulties. The short, exposed section Kane describes was scary enough for us to pull out the rope – “a fall would be deadly” says it all. After that, though consistently steep, the terrain felt far less intimidating. As promised, the summit view was outstanding, and we took a long break to enjoy it.
 
Care was required for the initial part of the descent, but once down to the col we were able to literally sprint down one of the best scree runs we’ve ever encountered. The ground underfoot here was soft finely-ground dirt, perfect for aggressive plunge-stepping.
 
An awesome and very memorable day out!

Beautiful colours en route to the col



At the col, with the objective behind



The exposed section



Looking down where you would go if you slipped



Mark at the summit, with Mount Wintour behind

The End

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