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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
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Error on Ben Nevis
Mountain
Weather Conditions
Metcheck
Long-term Weather Forecast
Note: To view previous conditions
click here
 A
good day out on Stob Ban, E Ridge of North Buttress as shown
in Tom Parkin's photo taken with his trusty SLR Canon EOS
350 D. All carried in a neat little Lowe Pro waterproof camera
bag. N Buttress and Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor are
in very good shape as well. North Gully on Ben Nevis was very
deep in unconsolidfated snow on the lower section and very
good neve higher up.
Other reports below
Did No 1 Buttress on Stob Coire nam Beith the
other day. The snow, and what ice there was, was all in appalling
condition. Obviously has not thawed at all and is mostly unconsolidated.
The route was a good steady IV, with some memorable moves
on the first pitch…! Signs that someone had done Arch
Gully, but no-one else around. The crag needs a bit of freeze-thaw,
and then it will be excellent.
With everyone going to Ben Lui, might be worth checking out
Y Gully on the N face of Cruach Ardrain; similar scenery and
quality, with variety of mixed ground. Although not quite
as grand, the walk-in is a lot shorter! Did it on Sunday,
and it was in good condition. Better off parking in Crianlarich
and using the track, rather than on the A82 and cutting through
the forest; very boggy! Duncan
Just a quick note on Meggie. Visited it yesterday
(27th) and found lots of unconsolidated snow in main gullies,
pretty much as one would imagine. However excellent ice present
on high, harder routes such as Smith's gully. A period of
freeze thaw should see it coming into good nick. Like many
others went to Ben Lui (24th) and had an enjoyable day on
Central Gully, snow in pretty good nick and right down to
the corrie floor. Here's hoping for a good month of March.
Ross from Dundee
Thanks to Duncan & Ross for these
reports. This is the story in a number of places. The next
big rains appear to be in mid-March!
Course
availability for March: CIC Hut 5/10th - Intro Climbing 11/12th
- Intro Climbing 12/16th - Intro climbing 18/19th - CIC Hut
19/24th
 Teams
coming back from N.E. Buttress today had a good time, but
rime ice on the eye-brows type weather meant it was 'full-on'
winter conditions. The 'Mantrap' did not quite live up to
it's name, but proved the crux of the route, with the 40 -foot
corner above providing ..."blessed relief!".....
Stob Coire nan Lochan and Central Buttress Ordinary Route
were good to go and all in all the winter is looking good.
One Dutch team who climbed Zero Gully yesterday were not very
impressed by the conditions. Thanks to Ewen Riddell for the
picture. Once again Pentax Optio Wp 5 mps did the trick. This
camera does not like the cold, so keep it down your jumper
for some warmth. My own old Olympus C2020Z although discontinued
and lacking pixels by current standards loves the cold and
uses four rechargeable NmH AA batteries. So, if all you need
is web-based pics, that will do and Ebay may have one for
sale very cheap. If anyone out there has one to sell, let
me know and I'll post the details for you.
Hi Alan,
Went into Beinn an Dothiadh of Saturday. Late start as partner
slept in. Couldn't believe it, we were the only people in
the corrie when we arrived.
We did West Buttress III*. Cracking route worthy of at least
one more star. Turf all frozen solid. No ice to speak of and
snow on the upper buttress was still not neve like. The likes
of Taxus looked lean although
one party was starting it as we were walking out.
Thanks.
Roland
Cold weather continuing through this week and
into March for a while. Still places on the CIC Hut weeks
5/10th & 19/24th March for experienced climbers.
 Another
good day out on Ben Lui (Tyndrum) where the Central Gully
(I) was very popular. Plenty of alternative routes on the
side ridges and buttresses, although the snow is not great
away from the trade routes which have been trod by others.
This is definitely a venue for the winter biker and two wheels
can certainly save loads of hard walking on the approach track
from the A82. Also a very good spot for the easy winter climber
and mountaineer and peak 'bagger'.
Conditions on the East Face of Aonach Mor were
reported as being pretty good with one team on Tunnel Vision.
No doubt the rest of the corrie is okay as well.
 Teams
out in Glencoe on Stob Coire nan Lochan with ascents of The
Tilt plus a few others over the weekend, as well as the usual
groups on Dorsal Arete in the settled weather.
Rumours floating down of a solo attempt on Minus
2 Gully today. Gargoyle Wall has been climbed and a number
of other good routes are coming back into condition.
The forecast for the week ahead shows no let-up
in the cold conditions with one or two snow bands crossing
the country, adding to the current good snow cover. Most of
the snow starts at well below 900 metres unless it has been
effected by a southerly aspect.
We have some places left in the bunkhouse this
week (Tues/Wed) and still places on the CIC Hut courses 5/10th
& 19/24th March
A wee bit drizzle today and a rise in temperature. This could
have a good effect on the snowpack and set it up for better
conditions. Still okay for climbing though.
Alan.......Sorry, bit late with this one, but did Central
Gully on Ben Lui on Tuesday; extraordinary, it is in great
condition, and no-one had been up it! Plenty of scope for
Grade II scrambling all over the face as well, a stunning
location, and completely deserted! Also did N Buttress on
the Buachaille on Monday; in excellent nick at IV,4 and has
seen a bit of traffic.
Duncan
 Such
a good day up here that one of the instructors just phoned
in, to say how wonderful it was on the West Face of Aonach
Mor. When he returned to base he reckoned it was his best
day on the Scottish hills in ten years! All groups returning
from ridges are reporting good conditions (West Face Aonach
Mor - Aonach Eagach - Ledge Route). One team who tried The
Guardian on the East Face of Aonach Mor, backed off due to
poor snow over partly frozen turf. Look for routes that get
some sun to speed the thaw/freeze process. Possibly any of
the corners on the East side of Aonach Mor that face south-east.
We have spare beds at the bunkhouse for Thursday. One bed
on Friday (female), Full on Saturday and three beds spare
all next week (one female). The forecast is good. Thanks to
Dorine Botterill for today's picture taken looking down No
4Gully towards The Douglas Boulder. Camera was the incredible
little Pentax Optio WP 5mb (waterproof underwater).
Alan, ...........An update on the comments on
Observatory Ridge in your winter reports. Climbed it on Monday
- a long day out topping out at midnight. Still no ice on
the slabs, very technical for the grade, I would agree a good
grade V on some sections. Spotted the abseil sling, but we
climbed through the crux with great difficulty and one fall,
then followed a snow runnel on the right hand side, moving
across into Zero gulley higher up. Deep powder made progress
very slow. A very technical climb - but at least
we managed to entertain some folk on tower ridge with the
fall - thanks for the shouts of encouragement (?!). The ice
routes we could see did certainly not look in any sort of
condition.
Andy.
Make sure you bring sunglasses, as many
people are complaining about the brightness of the sun and
snow. It is alpine!
More good weather on the Scottish hills. All
the usual places were full up today so try and find this spot
on Sheet 34 1:50000 GR 437861 ish! Turf is partly frozen and
the snow is consolidating okay and you will not see a soul!
Nothing too difficult but a good day out on grade II/III ground
with one or two little icefalls to play on.
Feedback on the area = Spent a day climbing
and training in that area with mr tighe on a mrt weekend 5
years ago .seem to remember grade 4 single pitch ice falls
at
the back of the corrie i thought it was a wonderful place
Anyone interested in a course at the CIC Hut
week starting 5th March, please get in touch.
 Another
good day out and in a different location. Many of you will
have seen the horned ridge opposite the West Face of Aonach
Mor. The East ridge is grade II if followed completely and
tops out on Carn Dearg Meadhonach. The quickest approach is
via the gondola at Nevis Range. Thanks again to Tom Parkin
for the photo. Plenty of scope for some new routes in this
area.
The N.E. breeze is pretty pokey so goggles might
be worth carrying to protect your eyes
 Still
plenty of good weather and snow. The forecast is set fair
and cold for the west coast this coming week. Most teams I
have heard about have been climbing on ridges such as Curved
Ridge, Tower Ridge and Dorsal Arete. Much of the climbing
on Tower ridge is a little more straightforward than usual
due the the amount of snow build-up.
Thanks too Tom Parkin and his digital SLRCanon
EOS 350 D for this shot on the Eastern Traverse of Tower Ridge
taken today.
 The
snow is showing some signs of melting in places and this will
hopefully aid the consolidation process. However, if it stays
very cold this could take a while. From a distance it looks
as though Aonach Mor West Face will be worth a visit, especially
as the sun hits this face and will start to sort the snow
out a little quicker. Also, the routes are very enjoyable
on this open aspect, so long as you don't mind a little trail-blazing
to access the foot of the climbs.
These last two pictures are taken with a Nikon D70 set on
Auto or P with a monopod and 70-300mm lens, whilst walking
the dog yesterday over by Torlundy.
Teams back from Glen Coe and Stob Coire nan
Lochan, reported good climbing on Central Buttress Ordinary
Route.
Another report here from Rob........Had a good
crack at Observatory Ridge on Saturday. Started climbing at
1000 and by 1600 we were on the last difficult buttress (not
quite half way up). The move onto easier ground was defeating
me. It looked like another 3 hrs to the summit. A lot of snow
and very little ice - the most technical Scottish Winter day
of my life - lots of short steep moves on snowed up rock with
axes jammed into cracks as the only way to make upward progress.
Easily Grade 4 and probably gusting 5 in places. Found a large
block and abseiled straight down Hadrian's Wall into Observatory
Gully and out, as the RAF MR helo buzzed around. 60m ropes
...
Not too sure when to climb it to be honest. I soloed it in
summer and it was a breeze. If you want to record a proper
winter ascent it needs to be covered in ice and I can't see
it doing that a lot. Zero and Point 5 on either side were
not in (although Zero looked steady if it had been). Perfect
weather and very cold.
Cracking day on Beinn a Dodaith (Bridge of Orchy)
on the Sunday (Western Buttress III). Ben a Dodaith was very
good though (frozen turf). This gives an indication that lower
lying cliffs may be worth a visit.
 Wall
to wall sunshine and a frost setting in tonight. Mixed routes
in Stob Coire nan Lochan were getting a pasting today, after
a lot of clearing. Crest Route and The Intruder at least were
climbed and no doubt a lot more. It's good to see the sun
shining and snow down to below 600 metres. Looks very good
weather for the week ahead.
 Bingo!!!
Winter is certainly in the ascendancy for a while. Plenty
of bottomless snow on all the routes, so watch where you set
foot! Teams out on Central Buttress Ordinary Route Stob Coire
nan Lochan, Glencoe had a brilliant day. Curved Ridge was
'hoochin' with teams all clamoring to take the lead in trail-blazing.
In the end it was down to Plas y Brenin to pick up the torch,
having been flanked by a picnic stop by West Coast Mountain
Guides! The descent corrie was full of snow but not avalanching,
so that's okay just now. It's been snowing all day. Bring
your shovel. Thanks to Alba Mountaineering and Andy Ravenhill
for the picture.
Fairly windy today, with blustery showers, but
loads of snow pumping into the west coast hills. Even saw
a few skiers out on Aonach Mor. The weekend looks okay, but
be aware of the avalanche hazard which is pretty scary at
the moment.
The next week or two look to be wintry in nature
with some good days in between the storms, so it looks set
for winter at last!
Thanks to Les Neil for the picture showing him
at work using a pair of Sportiva Extrems as work boots. These
same boots have been up many alpine 4000m peaks in the past!
Teams out today were climbing on Golden Oldy
on the West Face of Aonach Mor (loadsa snow). Siamese Buttress,
but backed off due to snow conditions in the corrie. Some
groups went over towards Nausea and the Web and found better
material than yesterday.
A group just back from the East Ridge of Beinn
a'Chaorainn had a great day out on that grade I/II route.
 The
conditions are not great, but so long as you follow good route
choice and steer clear of major areas of snow deposit basins
and gullies and cornices there are plenty of ways to enjoy
a good wintry day out. The big ridges on Ben Nevis will probably
be hard work under lots of new snow, and time consuming. Steep
rocky buttresses routes could well be okay with a little brush
off!
Moonlight Gully Buttress on Nevis can be okay
under a lot of fresh snow. The same with First Platform of
N.E. Buttress (Green Hollow Route) with an abseil descent,
rather than going over the back into Coire Leis.
 Reports
back from Times Square and Brooklyn suggest it may be worth
a cheap plane ticket to New York. Be careful of wet sluffs
from forty storeys above you! Thanks to Nick x 2 and the ARC
boys. Looks like a good place to be working these days and
snow puts a new slant on ski-shopping downtown.
Please keep sending in your pictures and unusual
stories
Mixed reports from Aonach Mor. Some finding
soft wet ice (slushy) and others experiencing better quality
material. Certainly the area south of Easy Gully is worth
a look. another rope back from No 3 Gully Buttress found good
conditions today. Snowing on the tops today and getting colder,
so everything points to reasonable conditions when it gets
colder! Forecasts for the weekend and into next week say the
weather will turn much colder. See the metcheck link at the
top of this site. Looks good.
 Full
on winter has returned with gales and blizzards on the high
ground. Snow down to 600 metres and plenty of avalanches to
avoid. Apologies to the group of four who received the contents
of an avalanche I set off yesterday from No 3 Gully Buttress
in the basin beneath the top crux pitch of Two-Step Corner.
It was certainly not my intention! Most deposit areas were
building into wind-slab yesterday and this unfortunate slide
landed on a team who appeared to have (quite rightly) retreated
from Green Gully. The only way I managed to avoid landing
on their heads myself was to keep close in to the rocks and
place runners as often as possible, whilst making sure my
axes were in the solid old snow underneath on which the slide
took place. It is of interest to note that a soft cornice
collapse down Two-Step Corner had landed on this slope only
a few minutes earlier, so it is an area to be careful with.
 No
3 Gully Buttress can be a good bet in avalanche conditions
if you can safely reach the foot of the route. Also it is
wise not to follow the exact line lower down, but go slightly
right onto the more protected rocky areas. Sheltered belays
and good runners are possible on this area, although it can
be a trifle harder that the ordinary line. It really amounts
to following a variation of Two-Step Corner until the rightward
traverse ledge is reach. At that point aim to belay at the
toe of the steep buttress which splits Quickstep from Two-Step
Corner. It is then possible to hug the buttress on your let
and place a high runner before moving over right to the safety
of the rocks. The route higher up is always in amongst good
rocks for protection with no big snow slopes to cross. If
in doubt, avoid it and maybe try Thompson's Route around the
corner to the right. This is a grade harder than No 3 Gully
Buttress. In the same area Sioux Wall (VIII,8?) has had a
second winter ascent.
The week ahead looks similar and plenty of wintry
storms laying down more snow on the west of Scotland. A pointer
to anyone buying a new jacket for Scottish winter climbing.
The large velcro flap is pretty useless when it gets snowed
up!
Thanks to Triantafyllos Gkikopoulos, Tim Chappell
and Henning Wackerhage for this report. My spell-checker is
now well and truly confused!
 North
buttress on Buachaille Etive Mor is a IV, 4 climb (III with
good neve) that can be done in most conditions. On Saturday
three teams were on the route because many other climbs were
too dangerous due to the powder snow conditions and the avalanche
danger.
The climb proper starts at the chimney system in the middle
of the buttress after an initial scramble either straight
up or by walking further to the left and then searching for
a doable line through the heather, scree and rocky steps.
On Saturday the rock was covered by loose, increasingly wet
snow. Nonetheless, protection was excellent because the rock
in the gully is broken up with many flares and spikes. The
chimneys required mixed
climbing with a lot of hooking and torquing using the rock
features. It was good but never too hard. At the end of the
4-pitch chimney system the angle eases off and we had to scramble
through knee deep snow in spindrift and > 40 mile/h winds
giving that 'full on' Scottish winter feeling.
We descended via a the 'tourist route' and the thaw now really
kicked in,
changing powder and ice into a soggy mess.
A very good day of cold clear weather today.
Teams out on both the East (Forgotten Twin) and West Face
(Western Rib) came home happy and glowing. One group went
to Finger's Ridge over in Coire an Sneachda and also had a
productive day. Weather looks set to fall apart over the weekend
sometime and next week will bring more rain and then snow
to the western hills of Scotland. Just what we need!
 The
wet weather is away until Friday and has left behind plenty
of new unconsolidated snow. Teams out on No 3 Gully Buttress
today found the going slow and awkward, especially on the
approaches where the fresh snow was covering boulder fields.
Some folk went to Glencoe and climbed on North Buttress and
Curved Ridge, finding good sport in the fresh snow! Some visited
Aonach Mor and carefully descended the avalanche prone Easy
Gully with a top rope and turned south at the bottom to climb
the grade II/III routes close to the mouth of the gully.
Thanks to Andy Forsyth for the following, but
don't be fooled by these boys, they like a good tussle with
'thin' conditions. Those in the rescue team who ascended Tower
Ridge to help on the rescue reported very difficult verglassed
conditions with some loose rock! This possibly led to the
rescue in the first place.
Robin,Nick Harper and I were up on .5 on Saturday
which was excellent,usually banked first pitch had some good
thin moves ,1st steepening good ice,narrows a little soft
and wall excellent with the added bonus of a pitch above this
and a huge cave never seen before 30 ft below top. Smiths
was done allegedly on Friday although the step left looked
very thin. Tower Ridge post saturdays rescue of 2 London lads
was a verglas coated,gear filled most enjoyable wander with
added good rime at the gap.
Looking forward to some snow as are the 2 Italians currently
in hut!!
And from Keith Waddell:
My first time in the CIC Hut, and it was a good one, considering
the conditions.
We did Gardyloo on Saturday; it now has a steep ice pitch
behind the chockstone, and a gap between it and the side rocks
- which made for some entertaining moves! Be prepared to thrutch
as if you were on grit.
On Sunday we did Final Buttress and Bob Run on Little Brenva;
both had good solid ice & some fantastic formations. Really
entertaining stuff. (I tipped off the two Italian guys at
the hut & I reckon they'll be up there today.)
Heading back to the area next weekend, my car knows the way
by now...
Re your comment on 5.2.06 winter climbing conditions
about cameras, try an Olympus Mju400 or a Canon SLR 350D,
I use the small Olympus when climbing or the bigger SLR when
walking. Both are really easy to use and the Olympus is so
light and has recently came way down in price. Hope to climb
something on Nevis soon . Waiting for decent weather, like
everyone else!
Cheers....Stuart.
 Dull
and drizzly today and it appears to be set until mid-week
when another pulse of cold air will come in and the chance
of snow appears high, although the amounts are sketchy. Tuesday
night and Wednesday morning is when the main amounts are forecast.
Until that time it will remain milder.
Thanks to Billy Walker for this lovely sunset
shot taken from Beinn Dorain above Bridge of Orchy last Tuesday.
It could be interesting to know the camera model just in case
any of you are considering upgrading or changing to digital
format. My own pictures are either on a very old 2mp Olympus
2020 or a Nikon D70 which hardly ever gets lugged up the hill.
My Wife recently bought a Nikon Coolpix 7900 and that is a
great little camera for climbers, as it fits neatly into a
small breast pocket. No guys, that is not a reflection on
how my partner is built!
The sunset photo was taken by Billy on his new
sony slim line camera the t7 on auto settings with a quick
focus check and on 1 megapixel. You can pick them up for £250-300
 Best
temperature inversion ever seen according to one or two gnarly
old mountain guides out west, present company excluded! A
report from Lochnagar from a team who climbed Douglas-Gibson
Gully, said that if many more people climbed it the route
would fall down!
Still good climbing on parts of Ben Nevis and
the forecast shows mild then cold weather with some snow possible
for the coming week.
Thanks to Fiona Poulter and Claire Ferguson
for the picture looking west from Macdui (?)
 Thanks
to Tim and Henning who climbed Observatory Ridge yesterday
for this report . The ridge is almost without snow at the
bottom and it is VDiff summer climbing until roughly half
way. We carried on via a gully on the right hand side of the
crest and then went over into Zero gully. The neve higher
up is excellent with a few icy steps thrown in. All in all
semi-wintry, easier and far too pleasant for January climbing
in Scotland! We finished by the Carn Mor Dear Arete taking
lots of photos of the North Face. Thanks for the great website.
Thanks to Henning Wackerhage for these two photos and the
details on Observatory Ridge.
And from Tim, thanks:
Observatory Ridge yesterday was neither IV,4***, its winter
grade, nor V Diff***, its summer grade. It was AD-****! Above
the cloud-sea there were superb Alpine conditions, with acres
of clean dry rock, first-class neve in the hollows and bowls,
and hard water ice on some of the corners and overlaps. Perfect
snow, perfect rock, 360-degree views, brilliant sunshine--
the Ben let us off so lightly yesterday that when we got to
the top we almost felt guilty for not having suffered more.
Most of the big winter face-routes are not so much lean right
now as non-existent, especially low down. (The Curtain is
barely there at all--it looks about grade IX at the moment.)
On the other hand most of the major gullies are in excellent
nick. Hadrian's Wall, Number Two, Comb,
Green, Point Five and Zero all looked pretty well perfect
the whole way down-- we certainly found good snow-ice in the
top two pitches of Zero elsewhere, including a pair following
us (sorry for the ice-artillery,
guys), we didn't see anyone trying either Point Five or Zero.
People queue for these routes every weekend they're in nick,
but yesterday anyone who'd climbed either would have had the
route to themselves. When's it going to snow?!
 A
good shot showing the detail of where the snow and ice is
hanging out of Observatory Gully and N.E. Buttress area on
Ben Nevis
 Superb
weather and climbing, cruising on the Little Brenva Face of
Ben Nevis. This face does receive a lot of sun and up until
lunchtime lumps of ice are loosened off, so take care. It
was noticeable that once the sun dipped away the face became
much quieter. This area has many smears of ice and rocky ribs,
all which go at around grade III/IV. Don't bother too much
with the guidebook and just follow your nose upwards for about
five or six pitches. The routes become much shorter on the
left-hand side of the face and start at around 1100 metres,
so it is a long walk, similar to climbing on Tower Scoop in
Observatory Gully. By the way, Tower Scoop looks okay as well.
Thanks to Lee Freitag for the picture at right.
Due to the thin snow cover, if descending the 'Abseil Posts'
area, it is better to keep well left in descent to avoid the
horrible boulder field in the Coire. Point Five Gully and
Tower Ridge, plus many other routes are getting some traffic.
Both Point Five and Zero gullies appear to have some holes
in the ice from a distance, which could make life very exciting.
No 3 Gully Buttress today was good fun with
a few alternative pitches low down in between Two-Step and
the original No 3 Gully Buttress. Green Gully was pretty full
and teams also out on Tower Ridge. Not sure what was going
on in Observatory Gully. A welcome report below from Beinn
Udlaidh and Comb Gully. Thanks to Sean Tillett.
 Hi
Alan,
Just thought I would post some info if you have
not already received any. Two of my pals Simon & Paul
climbed Comb Gully today they said the route was in good condition
but pretty thin. I myself paid a visit to Beinn Udlaidh for
a look, but it is not in condition at all. The ice is starting
to form but was too thin to even attempt a route, there was
a party of two in Sunshine Gully but they were not making
very good progress when we left the corrie. Think it will
be at least a week before it is worth looking at again.
I climbed The Guardian (IV,5) today on Aonach
Mor East Face. It was a little thin and crusty, but the turf
was in good shape and the second pitch chimney very good as
usual. The hardest moves were accessing the bay at the foot
of the chimney on the first pitch, as the finishing ice/snow
was fairly crusty. The cornice was non-existent. Plenty more
action in other parts of the corrie.
 Hi
Alan, Phil Ashby here. I climbed Point Five yesterday with
Pete Skene (a sport climber who was on ice for the first time
but seemed to be coping admirably). Beautiful weather, no
spindrift, good ice-screw protection on the difficult bits
but it felt "steep" in comparison to the previous
times I'd climbed it. Go for it but make sure you've got at
least 5 ice-screws unless you're braver than me.
Picture on pitch 4 - I put two good screws just
to the left of the cave but then had an exciting time on unconsolidated
mush in the groove above this.
Thanks for that Phil.
 Another
super day above the clouds. The Little Brenva Face did have
teams out on it, but no reports on the quality of the snow.
One team climbed Zero Gully and reported it to be ..."VERY
NECKY"...with soft ice and axes pulling through on the
steep introductory pitches. Another team out on Observatory
Buttress said the initial pitches were sustained and higher
up they entered Zero Gully where the snow was okay. Ice still
building.
Thanks to Tom Parkin for the photo taken from
Carn Mor Dearg
 Another
good day out today with blue sky and crunchy snow. The settled
weather is set to continue into next week, so fill your tank
and head north and west. Plenty of beds in the bunkhouse next
week folks.
Plenty of ice building on Ben Nevis and teams
out on Green Gully and Glover's Chimney, although the latter
looked 'sketchy'
The current conditions are building towards
good ice but still thin with a lack of snow generally. It
may be worth a visit to Beinn Udlaidh, but I have no reports,
so keep me informed if you find out please.
The best conditions are on Ben Nevis and Aonach
Mor, with limited possibilities in Glencoe at the moment.
Temperature on the summits today was cold and
in the next few days it will be worth carrying sunglasses!
Honest.
Thanks to Andy Ravenhill for the photos.
 Teams
out in force today on Left Twin, Roaring Forties and others
on East Face of Aonach Mor. The turf and snow is well frozen
but thin with plenty of rocky moves in between. From a distance
Ben Nevis looks thin but good with ice building. Especially
as we had a good thaw over the last few days, so anything
showing is old ice or snow and should freeze well again if
the current frosts continue. More on that later.
The week ahead is still looking dry and cold
mostly. The west certainly has more snow than the east and
conditions will improve if a cold spell builds as suggested.
Thanks to Keith and Martin for the reports below.
Hi Alan,
The first Highland weekend of the year for me; and despite
the warm & wet weather we managed to have two good days
on The Ben and Aonach Mor.
We did the Ledge Route on Saturday - the snow was soft &
quite wet, and only a thin covering lower down. We traversed
in from the buttress to the left of No. 5 Gully, and saw avalanche
debris in the gully. Conditions were better on the ridge above
the Ledge, and it was an enjoyable scramble. After nipping
up to the summit, we descended No. 4 Gully and got back in
good time.
On Sunday we caught the gondola up to Aonach Mor, and climbed
Right Twin. There is a cover of soft wet snow, lying over
hollow ice in places; so it gave us something to think about!
It got warmer through the day, and topping out was problematical
as the cornice was very soft. I grunted & wriggled my
way over it on the second attempt though.
If there's a good freeze over the next week, I'd say we're
in for some great conditions.
Cheers,
Keith
Had a good day on Saturday - yomped in to Coire
Bhrochain on Braeriach and did an undemanding but very scenic
grade 2 gully. It was cold and wintry enough in the corrie
(ie above 1000m) but thawing everywhere else. There was no
ice on anything harder - just snow over rock.
Martin
New snow fell last week and now we have a reasonable
covering. Not sure which routes are in just now, but it should
be good to say plenty to go for. The week ahead looks okay
on the weather front with high pressure being the dominant
feature. It all depends on where the winds originate from,
but forecasts are suggesting over night frosts and daytime
inversions, which all sound very promising. If anyone out
there wants to send in some info, please feel free to do so.
 Still
quite a bit to go for on Ben Nevis. One group had a great
day out on Saturday on the ground right of Glover's Chimney
by starting up the icy start to Raeburn's Easy Route and then
heading up left instead of taking the rightwards traverse
line. This area provides exploratory climbing around grade
III/IV. Leave the guide book at home and use your imagination!
It really is a good place to climb and finishes around the
top of Tower Ridge. Action also on No 3 Gully Buttress and
No 2 Gully. North Gully was in good shape on Saturday, but
running with water today. There is a dusting of new snow down
to about the foot of N.E. Buttress, but not a lot. However,
this does show that conditions high on the hill are staying
in place, albeit pretty thin still. The picture shows Stob
Coire nan Lochan today with a dusting of new snow. Some of
the snow is older and more solid.
We are suffering from an unsettled spell just
now and the weather has turned mild. However, the forecast
suggests cooler weather following in behind and more snow
on the higher tops. Good conditions need the odd wintry storm
to build a good snow base, so put your feet up for a day or
two until this frontal weather system sorts itself out. Yesterday,
before the weather caved in the climbing was good and many
teams were out over the weekend making the most of the good
water ice which had formed in many places.
Thanks to Tim Chappell for the interesting report
below
Yesterday I cycled up the Cononish Glen to see if Ben Lui's
Grade I classic, Central Gully, was worth the bother. The
conditions were not that great-- it was windy, cloudy, and
somewhere between hailing and
snowing, and there was almost no snow cover below 2800 ft,
and not a great deal even at the top.
In the lean conditions Central Gully was no way the routine
Grade I snow slope it's supposed to be. It was a much more
enjoyable solo than that. I spent about half the route bridging
up water ice corners that would be 3ft under if the route
was in full conditions. That says Grade II to me. There were
moments where it felt a bit IIIish even.
Despite the lack of snow, it was pretty cold. There was a
A LOT of water ice around. On my way down I spent a very happy
hour ice-bouldering on a frozen burn.
If the temperatures stay low, places like Beinn Udlaidh and
other waterfall/ water ice venues will be well worth a look.
That would definitely be my advice if anyone is going out
in the near future, e.g. this weekend-- look for water ice,
not neve.
I'm inclined to think, incidentally, that winter climbers
should make more use of Ben Lui. It's 3708, higher than the
Buachaille and almost as high as Bidean, and a lot closer
than Bidean to Scotland's big towns. (I drove there from Dundee
in 1h20, and I'm no Schumacher.) The approach is quick too,
especially if you take a bike, so it's ideal for short lazy
days (yesterday I didn't get up until 920!). True, there's
only one
corrie, but there's quite a lot of mixed-climbing potential
in it if you keep left of Central Gully: the LH skyline ridge
of Coire Gaoithach in particular looks like a baby NE Buttress
(I believe it goes at II), and
between there and CG there's loads of nice crag which rimes
up well.
 It's
been a pretty good week considering the continuing lean conditions.
Earlier in the week a team on N.E. Buttress reported a lot
of unconsolidated snow and heavy going. Since then the temperatures
have dropped and drier weather has moved in. The usual large
icefall on the east side of Beinn a'Chaorainn is well formed
high up and staying put for the time being.
Aonach Mor has been producing routes worthy
of a visit, especially to the south of Easy Gully. Gardyloo
Gully, No 2 Gully, No 3 Gully Buttress and other ice smears
on Ben Nevis have seen plenty of traffic. The next few days
look to remain cool, so all of the current crop of thin routes
should be worth a visit. Don't expect large amounts of snow
and ice, but be assured there is enough to keep you busy for
a while.
 Looks
like we made a good call today and went over to Cairngorm,
where it was fine and cold all day. It's quite amazing what
a little bit of snow can do to the mixed climbing potential.
Plenty of folk out enjoying the good weather, although I'm
not sure if the teams in the gullies on the Fluted Buttress
area were finding much good consolidated snow. We climbed
'Finger's Ridge' which was in good shape, but not yet really
cold enough to freeze the loose blocks in well on the upper
pitches. The plateau is looking fairly wintry and lots of
large walking groups out enjoying themselves.
 On
the west the story appears to be a little milder with at least
one team retreating from Tunnel Vision on Aonach Mor due to
wet unconsolidated snow. No more reports from the west today.
Happy New Year!!
 Plenty
of action in Number Two Gully today on Ben Nevis (II/III).
The approach is not too great, being on loose or frozen scree
as far as the foot of Comb Gully, which by the way looked
as though it may go at least a grade harder than usual. Garadh
Gully also looked okay if a little 'Norwegian' and probably
a good grade IV. Plenty of good ice on Raeburn's Easy Route
and also lower down in the corrie for practicing on. All routes
are harder than normal if they exist in the current 'lean'
conditions. The forecast for Friday is not great, so the Ice
Factor should see some traffic.
Hopefully the forecast storms will bring a little
snow to the hills and make the approaches and descents a little
softer on the knees!
 Good
climbing today on the East Face of Aonach Mor. Quite a few
teams out on the 0800hrs climber's gondola. We climbed on
a route to the south of Easy Gully. It was about grade III
and in the area of 'Nausea' and was the first major chimney/gully
line about 20 metres away from Easy Gully. Three good ice
pitches, good runners and stances. The turf is well frozen
and most of the snow is bullet-proof with plenty of ice in
between. Conditions are still 'thin' but very climbable. Reports
from the Cairngorm suggest good ice on Hell's Lum, but nothing
much in the Northern Corries. Good weather forecast so head
north if you are not already up here.
 Last
Gondola down is around 1545 hrs and the frozen ground on the
ski area requires care in descent. Plenty of good ice low
down in the Eastern Corrie for practicing on. almost continuous
from the lochan to the foot of Easy Gully, so plenty for the
winter mountaineers or novice climber.
 Another
very cold and clear day. Don't be fooled by the amount of
snow on the eastern aspects of UK. When the Home Counties
are clogged up we normally get fine weather in the north-west.
Rumours are floating down that Gardyloo Gully is in hard grade
IV 'nick' and Number Two Gully is very good on Ben Nevis.
Force Ten Buttress (Aonach Mor) was in good but lean conditions
today. In the Cairngorm Y-Gully is worth a look in the Northern
Corries and Aonach Mor/Beag over this side have some climbs
worth a shot. The Gondola is starting late just now (0930)
so be prepared to walk down. Whatever you decide, start early
and take a torch with new batteries and be prepared for' thin'
conditions.
 Not
a lot of snow around folks, but the weather is stunning just
now. Came past the Glen Coe peaks early yesterday and they
are mostly completely stripped with only thin lines in some
of the higher easier gullies. At a guess I would say that
only the big easy gullies remain just now and even these will
be awkward to access due to rimed scree on the approach. It
is very cold, so some turfy routes may be shaping up, but
the truth is we need a lot of snow and wintry storms to get
things rolling. I was talking to some lads who had been up
into the Northern Corries and they did find some decent turf
and a bit of old snow. They said the buttress routes are all
gone. Anyone out there with some reports, please get in touch.
 Anyone
wanting to get away from the winter blues should try a few
weeks in New Zealand and rent a sea kayak up in the Abel Tasman
National Marine Park. Beaches to die for and very friendly
people with a really good attitude to the outdoors. Risk assessments?
What are they? We are just naturally careful and don't need
to fill in many forms to prove it!
 Just
arrived home from a successful trip to Mt Cook in New Zealand,
so not too sure how things are shaping up here. Anyone with
any info please feel free to send it on and I will post it
on the site. I do know we had some considerable snowfalls
in the last month. Some of this is left in the big gullies
and today we have frost at sea-level. Watch this space.
Here you will find an archive of other years
winter climbing conditions.
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Hi
Alan,
Another
team out on the Carn Dearg Meadhonach had a great day. Pretty
breezy so the action in Point Five must have been ridden with
a fair amount of spindrift up the nose! The snow on this route
was very poorly bonded
February
21st
February
15th
Krystina
and I were on Ben Lui's classic Central Gully on Saturday.
The freezing level was about 600m (at the entrance to the
NE corrie). The lower parts of the route were on consolidated
snow, albeit with bucket steps.
