Sunday 3 December 2017

IMPROVING CONDITIONS ABOVE 900M

Fiacaill Buttress
Fiacaill Coire Sneacda
Alladin's Buttress
Good snow cover, Coire Sneachda
Good snow cover on the Fiacaill
Rimed ice on the Fiacaill Buttress
Top of the Fiacaill Sneachda
Surprisingly good cover of snow above 800m
The last couple of days the temperatures have gone up, but not too much. Hovering below +10 degrees at sea level  doesn't damage the snow pack too much, as long as it's not for a long period of time! Today in the Northern Corries there was still plenty of snow above 800m The summit temperatures were well below freezing so we've had some consolidation in the snow pack. It was a good day to be out. Light winds, cloud above the tops most of the time and some great snow conditions up high. There was a great mix of firm snow, water ice, rime ice and compacted  snow on the Fiacaill Coire Sneachda. Good snowy ledges and good ice axe placements in some of the icy sections.
Even with some thaw the Cairngorms comes up trumps. Full winter conditions still, unlike most places in  Snowdonia and The Lakes where most snow as been wiped out
If you're thinking of a winter skills course then The Highlands should be your first choice for reliable 'proper winter'. Good to hire a local company too, they know the hills so well! I still have some limited weekend availability this winter. Check out my newly updated website for course content.
Some more mild weather over the next couple of days before we get another Arctic blast on Thirsday. Winter continues.....

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