30-01-15, Stob Coire nam Beith, Glen Coe - Winter Mountaineering

 Another good weather day in Glen Coe. Winds were light, maybe slightly warmer today but still cold enough for lots of snow to be around. After yesterdays experience of firm, consolidated, hard snow on W/NW/N aspects on Beinn a' Beithir, we had (perhaps optimistically) hoped that Summit Gully on Stob Coire nam Beith may have a similar hard snow within. We managed to get maybe 1 quarter of the way up this 450m grade I/II gully climb, before we could no longer avoid very deep unconsolidated wind blown snow at a narrowing. We were sensible and descended as getting involved in that snow on that terrain would be very unwise!

Church Door Buttress.

Aonach Eagach.

Stob Coire nam Beith.

Approaching Summit Gully.

Too much unavoidable deep soft new snow on a hard base!