This route started out of nowhere, far far away from the rest and be thankfull pass. A bit of an obscure route that I never heard of, it came to my knowledge walking back to gaustablink chalet after a thwarted attempt on frihetsoyla with Stuart. It was described as a brilliant wee route with plenty of exposure and a nippy last 2 metres that sounded memorable. More importantly it came with the full description of what could be the right weather pattern for it.

Did not think about it before I got to phone Chris some weekend since my usual partners were all doing something and the word in the street was that the southern Highlands were in. After debating on it, checking with websites and people, the guru sent me a text from saltcoats "snow on Arran, PBlaze will b fine".

So we set in a glorious weather, the air was fresh, the hills had a dusting of snow and I wondered on the approach if we were really getting the conditions. Me of little faith, there it was in full winter garb!
We racked up on the shoulder of the ridge under the edge of darkness.

After a long traverse, we set a belay way out right and it was quickly agreed that I would climb the hard pitch (the 3rd) and because it was a three pitch route I set first. The first pitch is none descript, a sort of turfy groove at grade III.

Erick Baillot on initial easy pitch of Purple Blaze

The second pitch, however, really reassured me that we had made the right decision in coming here. Chris started climbing up a gully on my left, where he quickly disappeared out of view. I could here climbing steadily until he came to a halt. For some time I heard a bit of humphing and puffing, before I heard our Chris saying " there is a choke stone, it's hard, I don't how to pass it".
My answer to this probably surprised him, but it certainly made him laugh and cheered him up since shortly after my saying "That's good!!!" he passed it and launched himself up and rightward across a long, steep, not too hard but fairly bold, turfy 20 m run-out wall to set a belay into a kind of niche/ platform at the foot of a steep wall. That was a brilliant wee pitch which required a cool head.

My turn came for the lead, and I reread the description. The start is described as being akward and sure enough it is: up a corner with minute holds for your feet and rockclimbing moves and body position. A bit run out in the bargain to keep you awake!! Good, says I to myself, possibly the crux. From this I reached a series of wee ledges going up leftward, quite steep but easy until I came to a wee 3m blank wall barring my progress. Gnarly moves akin to campusing at the top led me to other small leges, It was reasonably protected. Then things started to get more serious. Not difficult, but committed moves led me rigthwards again to a slab with two cracks. Easy torquing led me to what was to be my last bit of gear for the last 20m: an old, but decent peg, and a rock 1. Just up an right, there was a narrow turf ledge (1 foot) changing into a turfy ramp going up and right at a 45 degree angle.

Here came the irreversible mantle move, follow by the easy but gearless walk up the plank until the ramp petered out inot nothingness just above the most exposed bit of the crag. There was only 2.5 m to go to the top and a rock slab with no turf with a dusting of snow. Tons of tiny holds but all slopping downward and feeling precarious foe hooks. There I decided to reverse into rockclimbing mode and crimped my way up leftward until I was able to swing my axes into the totally flat turfy top, a long way up from my last gear. The sun was shining, the wind was cold and I was feeling elated.

Beinn an Lochain, the Monolith - showing the final slab of Purple Blaze

The two last pitches are long 45/50 m, and the crux pitch has three different cruxes, first technical. second athletic, third psychological.
We both had a grand day out and took our time to go down.

(10/06)