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.

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!

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.

02-03-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Coire an t-Sneachda today, we climbed Invernookie, in good condition lots of snow ice some runners can be found but quite buried. There was some new snow over night blown in with a SW - S wind, the goat track looked very loaded as did the east side of the Fiaciall ridge, we managed to head up some scoured ground all the way to the base of Fiaciall Couloir, with a lot of wind slab to the left (directly below Stirling Bomber) and right (directly below The Seam). Many teams out on Alladdin's Buttress no one on Fluted Buttress way to buried, didn't see Mess of Pottage.

04-02-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering

 Today there was a slight lull in the winds, only the 45mph! Anyway a day to get something done up high. Coire an t-Sneachda, some grade I+ ground up the Twin Ribs onto the Fiaciall Coire an t-Sneachda then over the Fiaciall Ridge. Still windy on the summits and poor visibility. Cornices in general are massive, lots of think rime ice plastering everything, plenty of wind slab about although there was some scoured ground near Fiaciall Buttress. We were joined by many people on the ridge, and there were a few climbers out on the Fiaciall Buttress itself and approaching Aladdin's Buttress.

25-01-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering

On top of the difficulties on Fiaciall Ridge.

Back to Coire an t-Sneachda to try and complete yesterdays itinerary, this time with success. A very wet start with heavy rain in the car park and for the first 30 minutes of the day, until we reached the freezing level and even got a view. The winds had eased to a manageable 40mph. We ascended the Twin Ribs and then took the Fiaciall Ridge direct, like everything at the moment there was plenty of snow on the ridge, the summits hard and icy rime everywhere. We found a couple of teams topping out on Belhaven and Invernookie - 'horredously buried, no runners, couldn't see anything and baltic'. From a distance we saw some fairly mad people topping out on Aladdin's Couloir. Massive cornices around the top of Sneachda at the moment, there must be loads of wind slab on the scarp slopes.

Mess of pottage, Aladdin's Buttress, Fluted Buttress.

Number 4 Buttress, a team on Savage Slit.

Top of the Runnel.

16-01-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Some more climbing in the northern corries today. Strange temperature inversion this morning, -2 on summit, +2 in Ski car park and -2 in Aviemore. The positive temperatures and rain from yesterday haven't affected much of the snow on the buttresses. Low level snow has depleted, but the crags are still plastered with some unhelpful snow. We climbed on the Mess of Pottage, along with many of teams. Some avalanche debris was a at the base of Jacob's Ladder, probably cornice collapse? We climbed Pot Duddles, not a great route or in great condition, slabby, with some ice hidden under some cruddy snow, hardly any runners. Many other teams on Hidden Chimney and the Direct, Slant, Haston Line.

Avalanche debris bottom of Jacobs Ladder.

14-01-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Top difficulties of Patey's Route.

 Final day 3 of private guided climbs in the Cairngorms. Another fine weather day, light winds, blue skies, cold temperatures. We climbed Patey's route, in cracking condition, not guidebook grade IV,5 more like III, a couple of steeper steeps, no overhangs or scratching about! A spike in the temperature with precipitation forecast for tomorrow, this won't be pleasant if your out in it, but we could do with it to get rid of some of the fluff.

12-01-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Coire an t-Sneachda today. Windier than yesterday but very similar conditions, arrived at coire floor at 9ish many parties insitu on Patey's Route - looks to be in excellent banked out condition, quite a few teams headed to Mess of Pottage, many teams around Fingers Ridge, Goat track gully, Red Gully. Everything still buried, hopefully there won't be too much overnight snow, will start to make for some interesting conditions.

Red Gully.

Red Fingers.

Aladdin's Buttress. Patey's route and Doctors Choice well banked out.

Fingers Ridge.

10-03-13, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairgorms

Perfect start to the day.

Another quiet day in the northern corries only a few teams climbing, very fine conditions in the morning with the weather deteriorating in the afternoon.

09-03-13, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Fiaciall Buttress, well rimed and scoured approach.

 Regular Winter service has resumed! plenty of wind and bitterly cold easterly wind. Some new snow drifting and cross loading many slope aspects. We found some very scoured slopes under Fiaciall and a well rimed buttress. We climbed Invernookie, very class, bomber neve everywhere and even though it was cold it was very pleasant. The corries were very quiet. We saw 2 other climbing teams and a few skills groups but not many people at all (probably having it on Ben Nevis).

Bomber Neve.

Enjoying winter climbing!

26-02-13, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Climbing

Fiaciall Butress frame.

 Team tired legs after yesterdays Penguin Gully foray  A mellow walk in was in order, so Northern Corries it was. Clear crisp day again. So far we have done a turfy mixed route, a classic snow/ice gully, so a classic mid-grade Cairngorm mixed route - Fingers Ridge. The corrie wasn't that busy today, everyone is probably ice climbing on Ben Nevis!

Fingers Ridge, classic shot.

Corner pitch.

Initial pitch.