|
 How
about this for a good day out in May? We climbed Broad Gully
in Stob Coire nan Lochan (Glen Coe) yesterday in full winter
garb. Not just a few spots of snow here and there, but much
more than in January or early February. The gully is still
complete with old snow, but now has a top-up of new and very
unconsolidated material. The day before we were climbing in
bright sunshine on clean rock just a few hundred metres lower
down on the East Face of Aonach Dubh.
The snow level is now around 800 metres.
The view from the top of the gully was just
about as good as it gets.
 The
Highlands will often get a bucket-full of snow in May, but
recent falls are unusually high for the time of year. They
are known as the 'lambing-snows' as they often catch out the
new born lambs that cannot sustain life in the very cold and
damp conditions.
Also see the note below from a regular correspondence
and take heed.
Dear Alan
I know the winter climbing season is supposed to be over,
but I think I should add a cautionary tale to your archives.
Yesterday (20 May) a friend and I went out to walk up Beinn
Mheadhoin in the Cairngorms. I took my ice tools in case there
were any snow-gullies hanging in, and lo and behold, when
we got to the Hutchie
there was a 400- or 500-foot snow ribbon up Stob a' Choire
Etchachan, with a full-on river flowing out of the toe of
the snow-field. So I went for it while my friend walked round
by Loch Etchachan. When I got to it
it was roughly what I expected-- 45-50 degrees, soft sugar
on top, hardish snow if you kicked in. I huffed my way up
it and it was fine... until I got to a break in the snow after
about 150 feet... and I found
myself looking down a monster hole.
In the middle of the gully-bed the snow pack had melted away
from the rock till there was a 5-foot gap between the underside
of the snow and the greasy 45- to 50-degree slabs underneath.
This gap formed a snow-cave running back down the gully as
far as I could see. The snow roofed this cave in, getting
thinner and thinner towards the break I'd just reached. So
I was standing on a snow-roof two feet thick, looking straight
down a hundred-foot bouncing fall down the slabs. (Looking
back down the cave I could see the undersides of my footsteps!)
I got out of there fast, and delicately. If the snow had
caved in under me, I'd have gone straight down the slabs and
disappeared into the bottom of the cave: effectively, I'd
have fallen to the bottom of a hundred-foot crevasse.
I try and budget for all the reasonably expected risks--
but I've never seen anything remotely like this in Scotland
before. Perhaps it's caused by a combination of unusually
high snowfall followed by unusually quick snow-melt. In any
case, I think your readers should be warned!!
Yours (happy to be alive)
Tim
Ed:Thanks Tim. This is often the case on Ben Nevis in the
spring below Orion Face and other areas. Some of the holes
are huge and not obvious and those unfortunate enough to 'drop
in' may spend a while trying to find a way out if they are
lucky enough not to be seriously injured or die! One consolation
is that you get to collect plenty of kit dropped by climbers
during the winter.
 Yesterday
we had the warmest day of the year so far, followed by some
serious thunder storms and overnight rain. This has stripped
out plenty of the snow and good ice, but some seams are still
hanging in there as can be seen from the picture opposite.
Hadrians Direct can clearly be seen as complete. A really
cold spell will bring some of the old ice back in, but hey
it is May after all. Unless I hear of anything significant
getting done, these pages are being tucked up until the next
snows appear in October & November. Thanks to all of you
good folk out there who continue to provide feedback on the
winter games you play. Your support and enthusiasm for my
site and the best Scottish season (winter) is appreciated.
I will post some stuff on the Mountain Diary site from time
to time. The link for which is on the left frame of my home
page.
Take care.
 Just
when you thought winter was down the drain, it has snowed
down to 600 metres overnight. This really means that some
of the routes on Ben Nevis will still be okay, especially
as they had loads of snow on them to start with. I have not
been up recently, but would hazard a 'guess' that Point Five
Gully will be with us for a wee while longer if the colder
temperatures persist. The short-term looks coldish until mid-week.
Not many people climbing on Ben Nevis just now, so you could
have it all to yourselves. The end of this week and next Saturday
6th May are looking to get cold again with the high pressure
over Scandinavia starting to impose itself more than of late.
Don't go away just yet!
We climbed Hadrian's Wall Direct on Saturday 29th April. 1st
Pitch was a little thin for screws but the ice was excellent
and felt really solid so run outs felt ok! The Ice Chimney
was horrible unconsolidated powder but good ice was found
high on the right hand wall. We did the Left hand rib finish
and the ice was excellent all the way to the summit (and it
took screws). One party made good progress on Tower Ridge
(Alpine conditions), a Spanish team traveled to climb Number
4 Gully, two ski tourers around Number 4 Gully and two boys
struggling with downhill ski equip (!!) below Number 3 Gully,
apart from that the Nth Face was empty.
Thank You
Richie
Just had a day on the Ben on Saturday, glorious weather,
very warm, hard work, I have climbed on the Ben over the last
thirty years, never seen so many ill equipped people on a
mountain in my life, wellies, vests, no rucksacs, water, food,
insanity. Welcome to the 21st century, dehydration must have
been high on the cards for most.. One day I feel that things
will go really pear shaped, well done to the footpath people
making an excellent job, great web site really informative,
keep up the good work. Happy hunting
Went up to have a look at the Etive slabs on Sunday, a word
of warning to the unaware, the approach is infested with deer
ticks. Even after de lousing back at the car park found three
of the little sods attached to my legs on returning to the
north east, as I’m sure your aware the disease they
carry has irreversible effects on humans, so wrap up well.
I have been advised that waterproof trousers are the best
defence against the little sods. Cheers
Steve Jude
 Hello
Alan had a great day on saturday and the sun god was with
us did the ridge to Mullach Fraoch-choire in Glen Shiel (picture
on right) great views of the Ben in the distance also you
tick off two Munros thanks for keeping us updated with Gods
country.Thanks from Nigel one the chaps you took to the Alps
with the not rights in the Fire Service.
Camera used was an Olympus stylus 800. Superb, one of the
chaps put me on to it he uses it for recording at concerts,It's
8m pixels and i bought a 1 gig card so record for 45mins also
scenic settings, grid lines for composition , camera shake,
large viewing screen, i could go on and on. It fits in a Magellan
Berghaus carrying case the hardest job is stopping my daughter
sneaking off with it who's in a degree course in art at Manchester
 A
muggy sort of day today. This week has produced some clear
nights and lower temperatures, but not the really cold stuff
I would prefer. The hills still have plenty of snow which
will remain for some time to come, especially on the north
facing aspects. Climbers and mountaineers with lower grade
gully ideas will have plenty to climb for weeks yet. The ridges
will probably strip off first. The harder routes at this time
of the year will all be on Ben Nevis, but reliant on cold
nights and early starts. Point Five Gully is probably still
complete, but the quality of the ice and snow may be suspect
at the moment. Still, it has turned out to be a very snowy
winter after a lean start. I'll keep reports coming in for
April, especially if I hear of anything good being climbed.
Alan,
 i
have one of the cameras you mentioned earlier this month (supermarket)
and cannot recommend them enough for the hill. get decent
quality pictures (see attachment) for forty quid and for that
if it drops it drops ! had a good day as i,I'm sure you did
on 21 April (noticed the passion wagon) found snow soft on
tower ridge (my first grade 4) but weather was glorious and
got a bit of a tan ! did your group notice the chaps who traversed
from castle to ne buttress (looked awesome from Tower Ridge.
jason
Thanks Jason. I agree your pictures look very
good and would blow up to a good size print
A really early start will reap rewards on many
Ben Nevis routes and a spot of cooler weather does appear
to be around during this week. There are still many big cornices
above most aspects, so avoid these areas in a big thaw, especially
the gully lines. Let me know how you get on as I'm not on
the hills this week. I would be grateful if you could email
me any pics as well.
Tower Ridge in fine condition yesterday but
by 3 o'clock the snow in Coire na Ciste was knee to thigh
deep porridge, saw the parties on Hadrian's (making good progress),
Smith's sounded to be a bit tougher (a lot of falling loose
stuff) and the team on Glover's said it was really enjoyable.
Regards,
Al
What do you make of this
folks? Remember it was April 1st!
 For
what they're worth, I've attached a few pics from my camera
phone. Including one of an elephant found at the top of Mitre
Ridge. Do you have any idea what it is doing there? Written
on its back were the words "All animals die alone".
It must have taken a fair bit of effort to get it there!
Cheers
Pete and Vince
Hiya Alan
 You
don’t know me but I thought you may be interested to
know that we did Hadrian’s Direct today (Sunday) and
found it in reasonable nick – we certainly really enjoyed
it. There was some thin ice low down but it was of good quality.
Generally we found the ice to be really good and took screws.
The short chimney pitch was excellent. Spindrift caused some
‘amusement’ occasionally. We saw a pair in Zero
and saw some tracks from the top of NEB but otherwise it appeared
that only Tower Ridge was being done. Oh, and one pair at
least did Glovers. Orion looked thin.
It was just a pity that the blue sky didn't’t appear
until we were off the mountain.
Thanks for all the info on your site – keep it up.
Gary Baum and Steve Prior and a Canon Power Shot S60.
A very 'soft' day today with extremely high
winds and outstandingly mushy snow conditions. A freeze is
required to bring climbing conditions back.
 An
early start from the CIC Hut and climbing by 0700 hrs produced
one of those great Ben Nevis Days on Point Five Gully as shown
by this collection of pictures. The conditions in the gully
were pretty good until the last couple of pitches, where we
headed off right towards the plateau. At this point we found
plenty of crusty unconsolidated snow with a little slab on
the top three or four inches.
Plenty of enthusiasm from the lads climbing
on Point Five Gully today. Those of us who don't have a warm
cosy home in Fort William, had travelled up for the day from
Sheffield and Chester yesterday, either camping beneath the
crags or supping Jura malt in the CIC Hut. Take care with
the speed cameras on your way home guys! Five and half hours
from Chester sounds like a few points on the licence to me.
By the way, we could not find the ice-screw
dropped from Point Five yesterday. In fact we added to it
(?).
 There
were also climbers in Zero Gully and on N.E. Buttress. It
would appear that a good deep freeze is needed to get the
face routes back into shape, such as Orion Direct. All of
the iced slabs on the sides of Point Five Gully were in poor
shape. There is still a great deal of snow on the hill, right
down to the hut and it will stay on for a while, even with
a big thaw. One team persevered up to Indicator Wall, only
to find a lot of poor snow and ice. We descended past the
Little Brenva Face, which has plenty of ice and snow, but
due to it's sunny outlook is not a good bet unless a freeze
and clouds move in.
 There
is still plenty of scope for great days out on the big ridges
and CMD Arete, all of which are carrying plenty of snow.
The summit cairn is now level with the snow
compared to a few weeks ago. The snow on the ordinary 'Pony'
track starts at around 700 metres, so crampons and axe are
advised for people wishing to walk to the summit, especially
if the temperatures take a downward turn.
 The
weather during the coming week looks set to warm up, with
only a glimmer of cold conditions on Friday 28th April. However,
any overnight frosts, coupled with an early start and good
route choice could give more late winter conditions. Plenty
of scope for the steep gully ski freaks!
Hi Alan,
We climbed Tower Ridge yesterday (19th) and found it to be
in good condition except for a few places where the snow was
soft. There was certainly plenty of it. The cornice at the
top of Smiths Route looked very exciting- we watched Phil's
party clamber up left of it! Plenty of other parties in the
corrie although later in the day there were also of sounds
of moving snow and ice as temperatures warmed up.
Cheers,
Lucy and Wally
More from
Isle of Skye
 Hi
Alan,
Sadly this mornings report is dated already-I've been getting
reports that our lovely hard snow pack has turned to deep
sugary slush except for north facing patches above 2900 where
it's still rock hard. Folk with axes but no crampons still
turning around on Bruach na Frithe today. The picture is from
the best day out I had this winter on 18 March. See next mail
for route pic. Nine wonderful pitches; tried to ab off into
the Stone Shoot after 6 but no anchors so had to bear right
along an unlikely looking snaking fault-line over into Collies.
Snapped toebail (MT Vipers) and then topped off with front
pointing down 700' of convex solid Stone Shoot and northern
lights. Who needs the Frendo? A great winter on Skye; nearly
believed those days were gone.
Cheers,
Mike.
PS Camera is a £40 5.1 MP from the supermarket
chain that owns Inverness!
And more from Nevis
Minus 2 in great nick yesterday (18th). Likewise Smith's
Route today (19th).
Climbing as group of four with a fearless Czech and talented
South African...
Watch out for snow blindness!
Happy climbing,
Phil Ashby
Today on the Ben must be pretty peachy away
from the big cornice routes! The original forecast of three
days back did not materialize, but better weather prevails.
Friday looks like the best day this week with the weekend
becoming wet and windy. Towards the end of the month conditions
may turn cold for a while. Any overnight frost will produce
good climbing for early birds, so get your alpine hats on
for a late Ben Nevis winter spree.
And from the misty Isle..
Hi Alan,
This is as much a word of warning for folk planning their
May trips as anything else. The Cuillin Ridge is still in
full winter garb with the snow pack solid from just above
2000'. We've been a couple of degrees colder than Fort Bill
consistently over the last 3 weeks. Not too much depth of
fresh snow but westerlies have been riming rocks that would
normally be clear by now. Doesn't look like Traverse conditions
(3.5 hours from An Dorus to Banachdich last week!) but all
the usual descents require axe & crampons. I'd guess this
will be the case well into May. Please spread the word to
avoid the mass disappointment that the Easter visitors had.
Bruach na Frithe was reached by some but not much else to
my knowledge.
See ya soon,
Mike Lates.
Skye Guides.
t: 01471 822 116
m: 0775 438 1963
 Pick-sucking.
chalky styrofoam of the best quality ice on Italian R-Hand
today. Loads of spindrift, but just superb climbing on the
first two pitches. Two 60 metre ropes allowed an abseil in
one go for the descent back to the foot of the climb. A lot
of good ice in unusual places between this route and Garadh
Gully, which does not show very often. Orion is looking good
and possibly Minus Two Gully.
 The
temperature was higher today and the approaches to routes
are soft and deep in many places. A big thaw will bring down
a lot of cornice debris, so keep an eye out for that and maybe
the odd frosty night towards the end of the week. Plenty still
to go for on Ben Nevis.
Alan,
Read your post about chap looking for a climbing partner
I am in a similar position. Be obliged if you would pass this
information on. My e mail address is billsturrock@blueyonder.co.uk
Tel 01355 234413 (East Kilbride), mobile no 07734058399
Regards Bill
 Plenty
of action on Ben Nevis today. One team on Hadrian's reported
reasonable conditions, but loads of spindrift. Another team
on Sickle and a report from the crew who bailed on Orion Direct
last week, said it was in good shape when they climbed it
yesterday. We climbed Comb Gully and made sure we hugged the
right wall with plenty of runners all the way to avoid avalanche
hazard, which was pretty obvious today! After the final ice
pitch we made a route up a mixed groove on the right (Grade
IV) in the buttress to avoid the final basin which was loaded
with unconsolidated snow and a bigger than usual cornice for
this route. It would also have been reasonable strategy to
have abseiled back down the route if clear of parties behind.
The forecast suggests a spell of milder weather,
possibly followed by high pressure, which could bring overnight
frosts. This is just what is required for the big routes to
come into great shape. So please keep your winter ambitions
alive for a while longer.
I climbed Point five Gully - Zero Gully and
Orion Direct in one fabulous day on April 23rd 1989, so all
to play for at the moment.
Be careful on any open slopes and avoid routes
such as No 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 Gullies and Tower Gully and Gardyloo
Gully, unless you want to take the big ride. We saw another
team at the foot of Vanishing Gully, but no report on how
it went. Thanks to Doug Nicholson again for snapping away
with his Sony Cybershot 5.1 mp digital camera.
 Vanishing
Gully is still hanging in. The first pitch is fairly 'soft'
and requires delicate handling. The steeper second pitch is
pretty good, but the final moves need a similar soft touch.
Good protection on both pitches, generally on the right walls
for nuts and slings. The second pitch did take one reasonable
screw! Thanks to Doug Nicholson for the picture of my rear
end. As you can see the pro is reasonable.
Yesterday we abseiled into Central buttress
on Aonach Mor East face for a rather agricultural ascent of
Morwind. It was not frozen at all. Currently the freezing
level appears to be hovering about the top of No 4 Gully.
If the illusive deep freeze slides into place the conditions
will be brilliant. Please look out for soft cornice collapse,
as today some large lumps were walloping down No 5 Gully and
lots of debris in other places. The cornices are pretty big
and a thaw will start off some serious slides.
 Plenty
of snow and ice still on Ben Nevis today. A forlorn looking
rope hanging down Orion Direct tells it's own story (?) Crews
disappeared into Point Five Gully today and quite a few ropes
on Tower Ridge. One group on Good Friday Climb looked to be
having a good time. Much of the snow from last week has now
settled down and the final pitches of Tower Ridge were pure
Styrofoam man! Quite a bit of riming forming and from a distance
Orion Face did look as if more ice was forming. Maybe the
stuck abseil line was left from a few days ago when the conditions
were much less good. Plenty of avalanche debris at the foot
of Castle Gullies and No 5 Gully.
Well done Sunderland. Your goalkeeper was awesome
tonight******** Good to see Ole back.
One team backed off of Castle Ridge yesterday
in very wet and dangerous conditions. The main hazard was
finding a safe route on to the ridge which was protected from
possible avalanche hazard. More mild weather on the way, but
it may clear for Easter.
An interesting report below and good photos
from Andrew Marsh. Samsung V3 digital camera
set at normal-res settings. Nothing special really but excellent
quality photos for a digital camera that cost £130!
Well done Marsh Junior!
 Had
an excellent day on East face of Creise on Sunday. Climbed
Inglis Clark Ridge an excellent Grade III with the Crux in
superb ice condition. The climb was my 16-year old sons first
ice climb and he really enjoyed the climb as well as his first
Top and Monroe. We experienced all weather conditions during
the day finishing the climb in a white-out and then continuing
on to the summit in fantastic sunshine but very high winds.
Buachaiile Etive Mor and curved ridge looked superb but busy
hence why we went for Inglis Clark Ridge, all-in-all a much
more enjoyable climb as we were the only climbers on it. An
excellent day.
Regards,
Andrew
 Another
cold day. Picture is from yesterday. Looks like more snow
on the way folks. Maybe a little drier for the Easter weekend.
Plenty of people phoning up to see if I can organise some
guiding or courses in the coming week. Please give as much
notice as you can and also consider coming along towards the
end of the month once it has settled down a little.
 Oxtar-humping,
ball-breaking, neck-deep, thigh-high unconsolidated snow on
Ben Nevis today. It was noticeable from our perch on Vanishing
Gully (superb nick) that few if any people ventured up into
Coire na Ciste today. Some activity on The Douglas Boulder
and a valiant ascent of Tower Ridge, whilst others bailed
out. Those who did make it to the foot of Observatory Buttress
found poor conditions on the icy slabs. By comparison we had
a great day with plenty of plastic ice in most places on Vanishing
Gully. The cave is nearly full and the steep pitch after the
first cave is easier than usual. We abseiled back down 1934
Route. The approach to the route was pretty slow in the deep
snow.
The snowpack needs some dampness in it to settle
things down and then we should see some good late winter climbing
Point Five Gully has been climbed as early as
November (?) and as late as May, so it is clear that the winter
could extend for another month or so if the current weather
patterns continue. some unsettled and milder weather is set
to slide across the country later this week, and that could
be just the recipe for some more plastic ice to form up, just
so long as we get some clear frosty nights.
Photography at this time of the year is just
the best, especially if you have the patience to wait around
for the evening light to cast across the Orion Face. Also,
early morning is pretty good as well.
Some other groups were out in the sunshine on
the West Face of Aonach Mor. Thanks to the folk in front,
who broke trail all the way. It certainly pays to start later
by 30 minutes in these conditions!
All in all a good day, especially as Man Utd
beat Arsenal and I was down in time to watch the match! Rooney
was robbed of a dead cert penalty in the first half. Watch
out Chelsea.
Plenty of deep snow on Central Buttress Ordinary
Route in Stob Coire nan Lochan today, but it was great fun
and safe, The first chimney in particular was well plastered
and protected. Two more teams out on Dorsal Arete but apart
from that we had the place to ourselves. It has now been snowing
on the tops and down to lower levels for a day or two and
more to come by the looks of things.
Lots of fresh snow and thawing temperatures
when we left!
 Looks
like these guys lead charmed lives! It was Cat 4 avalanche
hazard on Wednesday. Or was it? Didn't seem to bother the
Raeburn look-a-like team either!
Report below
LOCHABER
AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS WED 5/4/06
Heavy snow and strong Westerly winds have affected the area
today. Unstable windslab has accumulated on steep North-East
to
South-East aspects above 950 metres. Scarp slopes, crag aprons
and gullies are especially affected. The avalanche hazard
is
High (Category 4). Large and unstable cornices are also present
above these aspects. Bad visibility hindered observation of
any avalanche activity.
 Thanks
to Henning for the picture. Here it is. The quality is not
that good because of the large magnification. However the
hat and tweed can be seen. Maybe it is Raeburn himself!? Heaven
might be too boring for him!
By the way I think the centenary of the first
ascent is the 21st of April. I think SR meant they cimbed
it in the same month 100 years after the first ascent.
Ed: Watch out for crowds on 21st April!
My climbing partner and I met three climbers
just as they topped out of Green Gully on April 5th. They
were using metre-long axes, hawser laid ropes tied directly
around the waist, wearing tweeds and one sported a Stetson.
They told us that they were celebrating a Green Gully centenary
and that they had cut steps up the route - but they did have
crampons. It was pretty much a white-out at that time
By the way I think the centenary of the first
ascent is the 21st of April. I think SR meant they cimbed
it in the same month 100 years after the first ascent.
Ed: Watch out for crowds on 21st April!
 We
stayed at the CC hut in Roybridge from which base other occupants
climbed Zero, Point Five and Hadrian’s Wall Direct on
the 5th. We had spent two days on the Ben after a fifteen
year layoff (our combined age gives the dreaded cricket score
of 111). Our return is largely due to the information and
inspiration that your excellent site provides. Thank you.
I have attached three photos taken with a Fujifilm FinePix
F401. They show Alan on pitch 4 of Green Gulley, Alan belaying
me on the Eastern Traverse of the Great Tower on Tower Ridge
and a view across to Hadrian’s Wall Direct where the
second is just reaching the first belay. Also visible are
three climbers in Point Five.
Regards and best wishes, Falko Rech
 Thanks
for that Falko. Good that you saw the 'fancy-dress party'
on Green Gully, rehersing (?) the 1st Ascent re-enactment.
What a bunch of whimps without the tackety boots! I wonder
how the first ascenders navigated off of the hill? GPS or
map & compass? Almost certainly followed a line of posts
and waymarks to safety. Must have been a lot harder when climbers
did not have the benefit of staying in the CIC Hut and driving
up through the forest to the Dam.
Good to see you are still using some old kit. Is that a pair
of first generation Koflachs I see on your feet Alan? They
really crucified my feet when I tried a pair. I ended up filling
the shells with boiling hot water and jacking my car up on
top of them on an alpine campsite to try and spread them out!
 Good
to see the Ben hanging in with all the ice and snow. Lots
more cold weather to come, but a real danger of avalanche
for the unwary. Take care folks.
Route choice will be everything in the coming
days if you don't fancy taking the bumpy, long slippery slide
in an avalanche. It has been snowing rather a lot and is set
to continue that way towards the weekend, which will be very
cold if the forecast holds. The north winds may scour some
of the hazard away onto the southern aspects, but please keep
an eye on the build-up and wind strength and direction. If
you don't fancy testing your luck it might be wise to attend
the Avalanche weekend at Glenmore Lodge on 7/8th April! At
least you will be in the company of many experts who themselves
have lots of experience in and out of avalanche incidents.
Have fun.
Hi Alan,
Yesterday we finished the season (probably!) with a flourish--
Green Gully and then Glover's Chimney in a 15-hour return
trip from the North Face car park. Wonderful weather, with
pleasantly little wind, dramatic sunshine early on, and then
some very atmospheric light snowfall-- it was like being inside
one of those paperweights. Both routes in excellent condition,
with first-class plastic ice pretty well everywhere you needed
it. Some wading in the easier sections, and a fair bit of
spindrift, but no real problems, and no sign of avalanche
activity. The big cornices that are building will get worrying
when it warms up,though.
On our approach we bumped into A Well Known Guide Editor
Who Likes To Put Up New Routes (no names, no pack drill).
He told us that we were climbing Green Gully on the exact
100th anniversary of its first ascent, but he wasn't letting
on where he was headed!
TDJC
(till May 2006:) Reader in Philosophy, University of Dundee
(from May 2006:) Professor of Philosophy, The Open University
Thanks to Stu for this report below.
Just for your information myself and 2 other
troops from RAF Kinloss MRT
were in the inner corrie on Sat 01 April and whilst it was
melting fast on
the Post Face, The Wand proved to be in fine condition with
good ice all the
way, although the ice umbrellas have yet to form. The Pumpkin
and Diadam
were looking good too, whilst conditions underfoot were ok
too. Two more
guys went in on Sunday and reported that it was still in good
nick. The
Post Face was looking good so the cold weather expected should
bring it in
nicely, regards.
Stu McIntyre
Deputy Team Leader
Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team
 A
pretty good weekend all in all. Some cornices built up yesterday
in the fresh wind and did fall off all by themselves! Many
soft cornices remain above some routes. On Aonach Mor yesterday
we climbed Siamese Twin, which was in good shape, as was Left
Twin. Left Twin in particular is not held hostage by the early
morning sun on this face as it is tucked away in a north-facing
corner and is therefore well sheltered. We descended Easy
Gully to access the climbs. Many of the other routes are being
stripped by the sun and mild conditions, although yesterday
the temperature fell as the day progressed.
We also climbed Morwind and the lower pitches
were fairly 'agricultural' and the turf was not that solid
at all! Not recommended unless it turns very cold.
Today (Sunday) we had a nice quiet ascent of
Glover's Chimney. The first steep ice pitch had some very
good ice in most places, but the finish was steep and sugary
in part, so a right-ward move allowed a more sensible finish
to that pitch. The middle section of the route has plenty
of snow, but the quality is patchy, unless of course you find
a line of foot prints to follow. This morning it was fairly
cold on Ben Nevis, but felt a little warmer by the end of
the day.
 We
spoke to a couple of campers who had tried Orion Face yesterday
and had to bail-out into Zero Gully, due to poor conditions
high on the face, so that route does need a good freeze. Other
parties today were on Point Five Gully, Central Gully R-Hand,
Thompson's Chimney, No 3 Gully Buttress, Green and Comb Gully,
Ledge Route and Tower Ridge.
Smith's Route looked complete from a distance,
although the icicle was not quite touching down. Also Vanishing
Gully is still hanging in, but looks to need a good freeze
for a sensible ascent.
 The
week ahead is still forecast to turn colder and that should
make a big difference to the climbing conditions, which at
the moment are good in places but not in others. A deep freeze
could sort out the approaches and also those tricky little
bulges of steep ice which get the heart beating as your feet
skitter through some crusty stuff just as you make that final
decision to go for it. Some of the ice is really perfect though
and definitely worth a visit. Winter on Ben Nevis is set to
go on for a while yet folks, so leave the chalk-bag in the
cupboard for a little longer.
Here you will find an archive of other years
winter climbing conditions.
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Hi
Alan,
HI
Alan
