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.

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.

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!

17-02-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering

Seth's first day out in the Scottish winter today. The full winter experience, some ice axe arrest practice, walking in crampons and some mountaineering over the Fiaciall Ridge. It was poor visibility most of the day, breezy and cold - enough up high anyhow.

16-02-14, Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering Skills

Some more Winter Mountaineering Skills today. A fabulous day, great views and light winds. The team revisited some essential winter skills, navigation and ice axe arrest, before ascending some steeper ground using the rope to protect themselves along the way. Plenty of folk on Fiaciall ridge, some teams on Fiaciall Buttress, Aladdin's Buttress and the Mess of Pottage, slopes looked very loaded though, especially goat track side. Very busy ski centre this morning, top car park full by 8:30, train not quite open because of too much drifted snow, large queues on the tows.

15-02-14, Cairngorms - Winter Mountaineering Skills

This weekend I am back at Glenmore Lodge on a 2 day Winter Mountaineering course. The weather was not that bad, cold, with poor visibility above 800m, some fresh snow and not too windy. The team of 4 especially wanted to look at using a rope to secure themselves to the mountain when on steep ground as well as revisiting some essential winter skills. We spent a few hours in a classroom, getting some basic rope work and knots sorted. Outside chatted about some avalanche considerations as we ascended a broad ridge line, got to grips with crampons and moving up steep ground. Looked at how we can secure ourselves to blocks and the snow with bucket seats, re-enforced with buried axes, plus how to descend very steep ground by abseiling off a snow bollard.

14-02-14, Sgor Gaoith, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

This week has been has been fairly stormy and challenging. The team have been out in and experienced winter! Now they have some winter skills to unleash in the future. An introduction to navigation on Meall a Bhuachaille on Tuesday. More winter navigation and cramponing on Castle Hill and Creag a Chalamain on big Wednesday. Some snow hole shelter digging on the side of A' Chailleach on Thursday. Today over Sgor Gaith and Carn Ban Mor, putting all skills into practice.

10-02-14, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

 Today I have been working on day 1 of a week long winter skills course at Glenmore Lodge. We walked up into Coire Laogh Mor, discussed much about avalanches and avoidance, there is plenty of wind slab up there. Looked at boot and axe work to ascend and put crampons on to ascend even higher on some scoured icy ground. The weather was fairly pleasant, views and a light breeze. The snow below 800m has been saturated and re frozen where as above it has just been blown and there is plenty of wind slab.

08-02-14, Cairngorms - Stormy end of week review

 Very stormy in Cairngorms, high winds, blizzards, ski road closed all day. Day 7 and last day with me for Karl. No climbing but a review of skills and experiences learn't over the day and a couple of extra technical things that will be useful in the future. The woods on the edge of Loch Morlich at the start, looking at tying off coils, how to climb a rope with prusiks and un-assisted hoists for crevasse rescue. The kind gentlemen on the Ski road closed gates allowed me to drive to the Ciste car park, where we found the first steep bit of snow to re look at snow anchors, bucket seats and buried axes. Then off to Huntley's Cave to put some more rock climbing gear into cracks, looking at making sound belays.

19-01-14, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

Aladdin's Buttress.

 Another ming-fest today. Windy, sleety and warm - not a pleasant combo. Day 2 winter skills, we did some  winter navigation to get into Sneachda and some slush emergency shelter digging, couldn't stay outside in it too long though. We are going through the most substantial thaw this season, most low level snow has depleted but 800m upwards there is still plenty. I couldn't really see the crags that well, some black rock is showing but I imagine there is still loads of snow hanging in there also. Temperature is set to drop over tomorrow so that should transform the snow into fine neve.

Ptarmigan doing their thing.

Students doing their thing.

18-01-14, Cairngorms - Winter Skills

Today we have had some filthy weather. There has been some new snow falling and it is being blown on to W-NW-N slopes. We mainly had sleet at around 850m and didn't go any higher, poor visibility and quite windy. It was the first day of a weekend winter skills course. Coire Laogh Mor had plenty of snow from 700m upwards, to practice some essential winter skills. We noticed some cracking underfoot where the new few centimeters of wet soft slab hasn't bonded to the old pack. Higher up it must be worse and probably harder wind slab has formed on N-NW aspects, making avalanche hazard likely on these steep slopes.

Self arrest.

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!