Latest winter climbing conditions
These are posted as and when I have the time
or information. Climbers are welcome to let me know what they
find anywhere in Scotland, and I will try and post this information
also. Links to other relevant sites are at the top and foot
of this page. Important links as follows:
- The Scottish Avalanche Information Service
- Mountain Weather Conditions
- Metcheck Long-term Weather Forecast
- Snow Forecast - Scotland Next 3 Days
- Met Office Fort William Weather Forecast
- Fort William Live Weather Station
- Aonach Mor Weather (Updates Hourly)
- Fort William Weather
- Useful Links & Webcams
- Pre 2007 Conditions Archive
- Pre 2007 Mountain Diary
Big Avalanches and Poor Weather
Friday, March 7, 2008
Today the plan to climb Point Five Gully only reached the CIC Hut, where the poor weather and attraction of a warm drink inside the hut proved too intense! Yesterday it was raining on the summit of Ben Nevis and the colder conditions only kicked in around mid-night. This left a lot of damp unconsolidated snow in a precarious state in many places.
One team backed off of Green Gully from the second pitch in the face of huge amounts of spin drift. Many groups witnessed the outflow of a big slide from the Castle Gullies, which nearly reached down to the path under Castle Ridge.
Take care folks as the unsettled weather continues and avalanche hazard remains a real issue.
posted by Westcoast Mountainguides @ 9:51 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Alan, saw you coming down on Friday as we were going up. Lots of teams turned round but we managed to get up Tower scoop with another two teams but the ice was poor and the spin drift ensured we didn't see much. There was lots of spin drift coming down into the corrie from the observatory side and lots of deep wet powder at the top of Garadaloo and Tower gully. We reversed and walked out via the CIC.
Wet and horrible!!
Steve
Thanks Steve,
Braver(?) man than me that day. Loads of avalanche activity in all the usual places. Still, plenty of snow around this week, BUT it needs to consolidate.
I wonder if you were the team we met at about 7:30AM Friday outside the CIC contemplating Point Five? We had a very fine time in Glover's Chimney albeit with much spindrift blowing alternately down & up the route. We saw a guided team of 3 heading for Green Gully but I don't know how they got on, and were followed up Glover's by a French pair who seemed to have fun too. A fine & relatively safe day out...
Enjoy the rest of your winter!
Dave Scott-Maxwell.
Thanks Dave,
We were indeed the couple scuttling off down the hill. There were other options open to us, but not the ones we wished to climb. The team in Green Gully also backed off in the face of continual spin drift avalanches. Glover's Chimney was a good choice under the conditions as it does not harbour big snow basins at its top. The avalanche risk was getting serious on that day so my professional 'coward' emotions kicked in!
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