Aviemore climber wins top title
Aviemore climber Fiona Murray blew away her younger rivals to win a prestigious climbing competition at Glenmore Lodge at the weekend.
The 46-year-old pulled off a superb final-round finish to triumph in the four-part Scottish Tooling Series (STS).
Fiona, the oldest competitor, who has competed five times in the series and won three overall titles, said: “I keep thinking every year that I should retire.
“I’m getting on a bit now, and sometimes I think I’m just too old to win again! But I keep coming back, and I enjoy it so much every year.”
Drytooling involves the use of axes and crampons to cross ground that does not contain any snow or ice – and climbing higher than competitors.
In winter mountains, dry tooling skills are essential for times when climbers need to move from ice, where axes and crampons are most useful, to sections of rock face.
On the rock they must be proficient at finding the right nooks, crannies and holds to make secure moves while still using the axes and crampons.
And like so many winter sports, the discipline has been turned into a competition.
Now in its sixth year, the STS now attracts increasing numbers of competitors.
The four-part contest saw 160 climbers aged 15 to 65 competing in gender and age group categories.
The first round was held at Kinlochleven, the second at Glasgow Climbing Centre, and the third at RGU Aberdeen.
And on Saturday, the final round was played out at sportscotland’s national outdoor training centre, Glenmore Lodge.
Climbers must compete in three rounds to have a chance of winning the series.
Commenting after taking first place, Fiona said: “It’s great to have won again, but really it’s the social side and the practice for the winter mountains that I come for.
“You meet so many people at the STS, and I expect to see many of them on climbing routes this season. I have made some great friends at this competition over the years.”
She took home Petzl climbing crampons as a prize.
STS organiser Neil Silver said: “This event goes from strength to strength, and we were delighted to see so many climbers turning out this year.
“Our thanks go to our sponsors, Petzl, Big Tree Campervans and filmmaker Paul Diffley of Hot Aches Productions. Also, we couldn’t put on this contest without the support of the route setters and the venues.”
He added: “It was great to hold the final at Glenmore, surrounded by some of the best winter climbing mountains in Scotland. We can’t wait to be back next year.”