Gales - Rain - Blizzards - Great Stuff!

Thanks to Andy Ravenhill of Alba Mountaineering again for for this collection below taken on Ben Nevis yesterday. The team managed to stagger up into Coire na Ciste before having to retreat in the teeth of increasingly serious gales.



Now that the high pressure has moved away, some very wintry and unsettled storms are cruising through from the west and north-west. Whilst this is pretty unpleasant, it is depositing large amounts of wet ice and snow on the Scottish hills. This in turn will hopefully add to good conditions when the storms die down.

Many teams have been coming back with tales of avalanches and almost unbearable winds, so route selection is key. Unfortunately the ridges are no fine place to be in strong winds just now. The Ice Factor is doing a roaring trade.