Paul James, MIC - Mountain-Expertise.co.uk - Winter and Rock Climbing Conditions

Tuesday 28 February 2012

28-02-12, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

Very dry Fiaciall Buttress
 This weekend and week I have been working at Glenmore Lodge on Winter Skills courses. MCofS University students at the weekend and a regular open week long course this week. There are enough significant patches of snow on some NE aspect slopes to practice winter skills - Lochain and Cas. There are some deep accumulations still hanging around on the plateau in the usual places i.e. Domhain, Ciste Mhearad and Cnap Coire na Spreidhe, but other than that it is bare and very summer like. A couple of winter routes exist (if your seriously desperate!) in the corries. Basically crags are bone dry and ready for Rock Climbing! Today (Day 2) we headed to Coire Cas, did some more ice axe self arrest, and cramponing up the slope, headed to windy col and descended into Coire an t-Sneachda, marvelled at the glorious dry rock, dug some emergency shelters in the moraines and covered some more navigation.
Mess of Pottage

Aladdin's Buttress

Skiing - closed.

Don't dig too deep!


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