20-01-16, Cairngorms - Ski Touring

I have spent to past couple of days ski touring in Cairngorms. Wednesday was ace, cloud free summits most of the time, no wind, great snow. Today not so good, quite a breeze, with plenty of snow movement. It has been great but the thaw and rain forecast may put a stop to the fun for a little while.

 

01-02-15, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering

 I have been working in the Cairngorms this weekend on a mountaineering course. Lots of snow arrived Friday evening, making movement through the snow an issue! Today was less windy and with some visibility. We walked into Coire an t-Sneachda and up the goat track. Most of the coire is scoured, with hard icy snow on approaches apart from the Fiaciall Buttress which has an extensive band of wind slab across the approach slopes.

25-01-15, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

 I have been working in the Cairngorms with students on a MCofS University students winter climbing course. Saturday was windy, but cold, and fairly quiet in the coire. We climbed Hidden Chimney Direct, as usual in fun climbable condition. Today the freezing level was well above the summits, no rain, but very windy, the buttresses are black and the snow moist!

22-01-15, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering

 I have spent the past couple of days in the Cairngorms working on a winter mountaineering course. Fine weather, sunshine and light winds. There is plenty of hard wind slab about on northerly aspects, as well as plenty of scoured ground. Not many climbers in Coire an t-Sneachda.

Brocken Spectre, as we approached Fiacaill Ridge.

Carn Etchachan.

Coire an t-Sneachda.

19-01-15, Buachaille & Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

D Gully Buttress.

 It has been very cold and the snow has remained low in the valleys. I have been working in the Cairngorms at the weekend. Saturday was glorious, Sunday was good but not as pleasant. Hidden Chimney and Haston Line were busy probably with the avalanche forecast in mind! Yesterday Matt and I waded up towards the Buachaille and climbed a buried D Gully Buttress, reasonably tricky for a guidebook grade III! There is lots of snow and ice about at the moment, hopefully it will hang around for sometime.

Buachaille shadow, overlooking a very snowy Lochaber.

Fiaciall Buttress, Coire an t-Sneachda.

Top of Hidden Chimney.

30-03-14, Coire an t-Sneachda - Winter Climbing

It has started to warm up again. 2 days winter climbing in the Cairngorms this weekend. Yesterday the freezing level was 700m and the Fiaciall Buttress was lightly rimed, the freezing level rose through out the day to above the summits and it was plus 3 degrees on the summit today. Not many climbing teams out, some ski tourers walking with skis on the plateau! We climbed on the Mess of Pottage today, the rock was very dry, Yukon Jack start good icy snow for the crampons and dry cracks in the wall for torques and gear, Hidden Chimney not so hidden at the moment, but the snow is quite slushy!

23-03-14, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

Winter has returned and another weekend of winter skills in the Cairngorms. The last 2 days have given some new snow on the East highlands (not as much as reported in Lochaber though), along with freezing level down to 500-700m. Some new wind slab has been forming on lee slopes of the mountain, with a changeable wind direction over the past 48 hours, set to swing around again tonight. It is however quite obvious where these pockets of dangerous snow are at the moment.

'Advanced winter skills'!

Coire an Lochain.

Wind slab forming again.

19-03-14, West and East Highlands - Winter Mountaineering

 After only 3 days of fine weather, it has been back to the standard ming-fest for the past 6 days! Over the weekend I was working on a mountaineering course in the West Highlands, we managed to learn some skills and traverse Stob Coire nan Lochain, then ascend Ledge Route on Ben Nevis in super pea soup, though winds weren't as bad as forecast. A massive avalanche was reported; and we heard it, coming down Observatory gully. Some multi-pitch rock climbing in Polldubh was required on Monday to keep moral going! I have been over East side the past couple of days working on a Winter Mountaineering Skills course. The Highlands have been going through a thaw for awhile now, maybe two and a half weeks? A lot of snow has disappeared, but in the north and east facing corries there is still plenty of snow above 900m. Buttresses are very black, cornices are reducing in size, and falling down, along with loose rocks, the snow has lots of cracks. After wishing for a thaw most of the winter we could now do with the freezing level dropping and some new rime forming!

07-03-14, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

 Another tough week in the highlands. Quite windy and now warm. Lots of snow starting to melt away, plus temperatures on the summits, there have been some avalanches and some cornice collapse but still some monsters hanging in up there. Some stable but warm weather forecast for this week. Possibly time to get the rock shoes out?!

Slides below Jacob's Ladder, Windy col.

Cummingston.

Glacial features below Lochain.

03-03-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

 Today I was in Coire an t-Sneachda with James and Daniel who are on a week long learn to winter lead climb course at Glenmore Lodge. First day, so shake off the cobwebs and a refresher on all things climbing - safe approach, get ropes out, build belays, go upwards, place runners, build more belays. They have both done some trad rock climbing so it should be a quick winter-isation of other winter specific gear placements and art of skillful digging to find runners. We climbed a mixed line to the right of Fiaciall Buttress in 3 pitches, up to grade IV. There was some good chat about avalanche awareness and conditions of routes, mixed climbing techniques to ascend, some fundamental belay and anchor practice as well as some peg placements. The weather was fabulous today, hardly any wind, slightly warm, all in all very pleasant.