17-02-16, Aonach Eagach, Glen Coe - Winter Mountaineering

After a mini thaw, wet, stormy weather of yesterday, lush weather has resumed today in Glen Coe. Aonach Eagach was in a fine winter condition, some new snow, some old snow and ice surviving, gentle breeze, improving visibility. Leo and I had a great time on the traverse.

15-02-16, Buachaille, Glen Coe - Winter Mountaineering

Another excellent day in the west highlands today; cold, crisp, great visibility and sunshine. The boys from Bolton have done well. We split into two teams, I walked up the ridge to the right of Coire na Tulaich and ascended Stob Dearg and Stob na Doire, Adam took two of the more experienced lads up Curved Ridge, we met up for the walk down.

14-02-16, Glen Coe - Winter Mountaineering

Sunshine on Gear Aonach ridge.

The good current run of cold days has continued in the Scottish Highlands. I have spent the past couple of days working on winter skills with different groups, in Cairngorms and Glen Coe. The easterly winds have provided some interesting wind slab on different aspects from the usual. Today I ascended some icy Zig Zags on Gearr Aoanach with lads from Bolton Grammar School. The boys did well, seeing as most of them have never worn a harness. We had a good day yesterday working on essential movement skills with boot, axe and crampons around Stob Coire nam Beith.

Icy Zig Zags.

Screamach to Stob Coire nan Lochan.

Aonach Eagach looking in fine wintry condition.

View towards Rannoch Mor.

04-02-16, Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glen Coe - Winter Climbing

A warm day in Glen Coe, We climbed Raeburn's Route, slightly slushy snow, but climbable as always. Plenty of teams on Dorsal Arete. Freezing level was well above the summits.

03-02-16, Buachaille, Glen Coe - Winter Climbing

High up on Curved Ridge, Buachaille, Glen Coe.

Lovely weather today in West Highlands. light winds, cold great views of snowy mountains. Plenty of soft snow about, made Curved Ridge slightly arduous, but it was still good. Some wind slab about on NE aspects, tops mixed, verglassed rocks, dry rocks, hard neve, hard wind slab. The descent down Coire na Tulloch was hard neve, but low down the soft snow hid the boulders and holes in the gully!

Rannoch Wall.

31-01-16, Stob Coire nan Lochan - Winter Mountaineering

A welcome return to winter and 2 very different days this weekend. Saturday was especially buffeting, we did however manage to get some essential winter skills covered on Buachaille Etive Beag. Today was much nicer weather, we traversed Stob Coire nan Lochan. Many teams climbing on the buttresses, lots of new snow about in the coire and in the gullies, summit tops quite scoured from the wind.

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!

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.

7th,8th January 2015, Ben Nevis, Stob Coire nan Lochan - Winter Skills

Bidean nam Bian.

Appalling weather on Tuesday, heavy rain on summits very windy, complete saturation of everything. We walked up to Coire Leis on Ben Nevis to try and find some wet snow, the river was massive and there were several avalanches evident from number 5 gully, Castle gully and at the bottom of Trident buttress. I imagine the ice up high above 1100m will have improved with the thaw and re freeze that occurred during the following evening. Wednesday was a nicer day but still blustery and at least snowing as the freezing level was below 900m. We headed up Stob Coire nan Lochan, lots of snow about in the wide gullies and around the base of the crags, but very bare in the summit and west ridge. The cliffs did look more wintry with the new snow. We will be storm bound for the next couple if days!

Ben Nevis, Observatory gully, 07-01-15

Ben Nevis, Ciste.