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A very cold day in Fort William with no rain
and a brisk NNE wind. Plenty of snow down to 400 metres. Quite
a lot of action in Stob Coire nan Lochan with teams out on
all grades and reporting hard frozen conditions and not a
lot of avalanche hazard, as the wind is scouring that corrie.
Central Grooves, Twisting and a few others saw some action.
A team on Observatory Ridge on Ben Nevis managed the first
four pitches before abseiling off in very thin and difficult
conditions. Zero Gully did not have anything in it and although
Point Five Gully looks okay it could be rubbish! Hard frozen
turf on some routes on Ben Nevis, but quite a lot of deep
snow on the approaches in places. At 1830 hrs the moon is
out and it is still cold.
Early rain and wind has cleared and it is currently
not a bad day. Milder than of late but still plenty of snow
around. Early birds on Ben Nevis said that the gullies looked
scoured, but that the snow and ice which was present is solid.
As mentioned yesterday it looks good but thin from a distance
with plenty of routes in decent nick and ice riming down fairly
low. A team who descended Broad Gully in Stob Coire nan Lochan
after doing Dorsal Arete, said it was solid. Teams out on
Ledge Route reported a lot of slab problems low down on the
approach from No 5 Gully. The week ahead looks unsettled until
Tuesday/Wednesday and possibly getting colder after that.
Watch this space.
Another fine day today with 50/50 blue sky and
cloud, plus some sleet and snow showers down to sea level.
Still very cold this morning, but turning milder as the day
has progressed, with more cloud. Teams out on Left Twin (Aonach
Mor East) reported perfect ice, but soft slab building and
some cornice collapse as the wind backs to the west. Reports
from Curved Ridge in Glen Coe suggests wild weather on the
top of Buachaille Etive Mor. Full on winter folks.
 Snowing
heavily down to sea level on the west coast at the moment
in boisterous showers.Good weather between the showers. Windy
conditions on the high tops, but all in all good news for
the coming weeks and the ski-ing. Groups out on Ben Nevis
today reported much scouring of the gullies from the northerly
wind. What this means in practice is that the conditions in
the gullies could be good. A lot of fresh snow was reported
on the south side of the mountain. From a distance Green Gully
and Point Five Gully looked possible. Also The Curtain is
pretty close to touching down and the upper pitches look okay.
Groups on Ledge Route reported very good conditions underfoot
and Tower Ridge looked fine. We had two big snow showers today
and in between the weather was very good and cold and clear.
Forgot the camera today, which is a great shame
as it was a brilliant day out on the east face of Aonach Mor.
Plenty of action and people completing routes all over the
place. Central Buttress Original Route in Stob coire nan Lochan
also had ascents. A fair bit of snow was falling by the end
of the day, and the cloud was building. Space in the bunkhouse
for Thursday only. Full at the weekend till Monday.
Good weather today with fresh falls of snow
overnight down to 400 metres. Starting to turn much colder.
Teams out on Dorsal Arete today reported good conditions with
a slight covering of fresh snow on top of the harder stuff.
The turf is not yet fully frozen in that corrie and the buttresses
do have a thin covering of fresh snow. Teams also on Central
Buttress Original Route and Crest Route in Stob Coire nan
Lochan. Teams on Left Twin Solar Wind, Morwind, Turf Walk
on Aonach Mor. Much colder weather on the way throughout the
week ahead should further improve and add to the conditions.
It's looking good folks. Some space still left at the bunkhouse
this week, but full for the coming weekend.
Plenty of boisterous snow showers around today
and the snow pack is freezing up pretty well and ice is starting
to form in all the right places. Next week could be pretty
good. A lot of the big classics on Ben Nevis are not in condition,
but the ridges and buttresses should be okay. Space in the
bunkhouse throughout the week.
The weather is drying up and starting to feel
a wee bit colder in advance of next weeks really cold weather
that everyone is forecasting. Not much ice left, but the snow
and turf should lock up with the approach of the freeze. Snow
is also forecast and ice will surely form on the wet areas
created from the last few days. People on Curved Ridge yesterday
reported snow towards the top of the route. One or two beds
in the bunkhouse available this weekend and more next week.
Another mild but drier day and it is getting
cooler. By the weekend it looks like a much cooler airstream
is beginning to arrive and next week the forecast is for snow
and very cold and wintry weather. This will hopefully freeze
the current wet snow pack and form some ice on the routes.
So, the future looks bright for now! Check out the BBC link
above for news on a major mistake published concerning navigation
on Ben Nevis.
 Mild
and damp, but not much wind. forecasts suggest a slow return
to colder weather by the weekend. Still plenty of wet snow
left on the hills.
A very wet day today. Raining at the top of
Stob Ban (999m).
An all together different sort of day today.
Wet and windy, but still snowing on the tops. A team out on
Tower Ridge reported very 'rugged' conditions and completely
'iced up' clothing by the summit. This milder weather will
almost certainly reduce but consolidate the considerable snow
pack and with a hint of possibly colder weather later in the
week, could produce better climbing. Watch the weather forecast
folks and if you see frosts returning, head north! Space in
the bunkhouse this week.
Wall to wall sunshine and coast to coast views!
Stunning is probably not a grand enough word to describe the
weather today. No pictures from me as I was cutting the garden
hedge! Teams out on the West Face of Aonach Mor reported deep
snow on the approaches but much better conditions higher up
where the sun had been on the snow. Poor conditions reported
on the East side of Aonach Mor, where the deep new snow is
blanketing the turf, which is not freezing. The milder weather
which should set in later tomorrow will start the thaw cycle
which is needed to consolidate the snowpack. Hopefully the
mild weather will not last too long before returning to colder
weather.
 A
very fine day today with frost down to sea-level last night
and blue skies with a light N.E breeze today. Snow-level is
down to 400 metres and the ski-ing looks very good. Climbers
might be better off on the ridges in order to avoid the deep
build up in the bowls and gullies. The weekend looks set fair
until late Saturday or Sunday, when a milder airstream will
start to impose itself. This could be a blessing, as it will
consolidate the snowpack, which now has a deep base. Space
at the bunkhouse this weekend and into next week and with
a view like that who could possibly stay away!?
 I
thought up a new grade today (Grade 10 OS plus snorkel). OS
for the uninformed is Oxter Swimming. Check out a good dictionary
if you don't comprehend the word Oxter! We did Dorsal Arete
after a rather laborious approach into Coire nan Lochan. The
best bet just now is to make sure you have quite a few people
in the party to take turns breaking trail. We didn't, but
we persevered and had a great day out. Tons of new snow down
to well below 600 metres. Anyone getting into a gully or large
open snow slope just now needs their 'marbles' checked out.
In these conditions try and find a ridge which is easy of
access. More snow forecast through to the weekend, but the
weather should buck up later this week.
A much quieter day today on the weather front.
Snow down to 400 metres and cold. The weather up to Saturday
at least looks reasonable and cold. Freezing level dropping
to sea level as the week progresses. Could be good for the
turfy routes so long as the new snow is not stopping them
from freezing. We have space at the bunkhouse this weekend.
A return to very wintry conditions with new
snow down to 400 metres. The forecast suggests a similar weather
pattern for the rest of the week. Currently all gully lines
will probably be very avalanche prone, so stay on the ridges,
but be prepared for some trail-blazing in deep snow.
Wet and windy today, but teams out on Ledge
route and Tower Ridge reported wet snow falling down to the
CIC Hut. Tower Ridge had a reasonable cover from below the
Little Tower. Not much ice to speak of on Ben Nevis just now.
Who turned the tap on?! Pretty moist and windy
over the last couple of days. Still reasonable amounts of
snow in the big easy gullies, but very wet and needs a good
freeze. The weather looks to continue unsettled for the next
few days. Colder tonight, but tomorrow it will become wet
and windy again.
A pretty damp day all round today. Drizzling
and mild, but the snow is still well down. A freeze would
sort things out a treat.
A rise in temperature overnight has produced
softer climbing conditions. Still plenty of snow about though
and some ice rime on the rocks, plus frozen turf in many places.
Breaking trail is hard work in the deep soft conditions and
some of the cornices look rather unstable on Aonach Mor. A
pretty good start to the winter though and the forecast for
the week ahead suggests some mild and some cold, so the snow
pack will hopefully hold out. Plenty of bed space at our place
for the week ahead.
 Perfect
conditions today on the Aonach Eagach Ridge. Plenty of good
hard snow low down, but it deteriorated a wee bit higher up.
Arthur on Number Three Gully Buttress (Nevis) had
a first winter ascent today. HVS in the summer and the probably
coming in at VIII.8. Climbed by Bruce Poll and Tony Shepherd.
Arthur was handyman at Loch Eil Centre during
late 60s and he used to "roechel", i.e. make horrific
breathing noises when slightly exerting himself, Gordon Webster
made equally horrific noises whilst following in the summer,
so there is the connection. Apparently the second in the winter
sounded rather 'throaty" as well! Ascents of The Duel
in Glen Coe also reported recently.
Rained all night and up to mid-day. Plenty of
old snow left on the high summits and down as far as 400 metres.
The next few days look like some cold and some mild weather.
So long as the mild weather is not to intense, this will help
the snow pack, which is now pretty heavy and consolidating.
This evening we have clear skies and wind from a west to north-west
direction with a chill in the air.
Here you will find an archive of other years
winter climbing conditions.
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