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 Yesterday we climbed on the West Face of Aonach Mor and it was completely stripped of snow. Today, after a good cold night we went to the East Face and had a very good day. Left Twin is still complete and busy. We climbed the first pitch of Lickety Split in good nick, before transferring to Siamese Buttress. Teams out on Right Twin said it was good but thin. We abseiled in down Typhoon, which looked very thin and hard, as did many of the routes on the Central Buttress area. There is a lot of good frozen turf around on the East Face of Aonach Mor. The forecast looks set to turn stormy and wintry over the next few days, which will top things up and hopefully please the skiers who cannot do anything at the moment.
Very mild and wet today. Tomorrow looks better and the chill will return higher up the hill as the weather front moves through. Still plenty of snow around and some ice still tucked away in nooks and crannies!
 Plenty of ice and snow still on the hill and even the Curtain was reaching the ground at some point today! BUT the weather is very poor and windy and wet. However all is not lost, because this cycle of freeze & thaw is just what is required for decent conditions, when it stops raining. This week looks pretty unsettled, but some more snow on high ground at times.
 Some melt over the last two days will have consolidated the snow pack. Very cold conditions still forecast for the Christmas period if the A74 is not blocked due to trucks blown over by the wind. Sounds pretty bad at the moment. A couple of folk got lost coming off Ben Nevis and landed up in Surgeon's Gully. Seems we need some good waymarking up there! Still it's looking okay for the near future.
On the spot report from Matt Wood, thanks Matt................"We tried to get round the Ring of Steall yesterday (21st) and were beaten back by strong winds and sleet. Fairly heavy deposits of wettish snow (no longer powdery) on the tops with nice cornices forming. A lot of the flat ground above 800m has fairly firm ice on it. However, during the time we were there, the snow retreated up the hills by about 400m at least and everything was melting - sad indeed. Still we had the 18th and 19th out on the hills and they were perfect! Best days out in years!Keep up the good work - we're always riveted to your site"!
 Good news Cairngorm news from Timothy Chappell, thanks Tim! We went to Broken Gully, on Fluted Buttress-(III) in cloud/ sun/ snow showers and it was brilliant. Not much neve but not much powder either: the ice is there, though not very bomber, and the snow is quite deep. A full-on winter experience, one of the best days I've had in December. Same again tomorrow according to the Met. This is definitely a weekend to be out and doing!
From Ron Walker in the Cairngorms as follows: .."Conditions are not great in the gullies or the easier lines, powder and a lot of rock/turf fall"...
Today we have 'wall to wall' sunshine and snow-covered hills out west and even the BBC TV weather forecast is suggesting a cold Christmas after a mild start to the week. So for the majority of you stuck in an office down in Engerland get your skates on and head north for the festive break
Work on the upper part of the Allt a'Mhuilinn path leading to the CIC Hut has progressed a lot this summer, so getting up the hill will be a lot more pleasant than in the past. The work will be fully complete by the end of 2005 hopefully. Feed back and donations to the pathwork should be sent to Nevis Partnership. Check them out at Check them out at Nevis Partnership
The North Face have provided a lot of cash (£50,000) towards this path up-grade so we all owe them a big vote of thanks. For details on other funding partners check again at Nevis Partnership .
Plans to improve the lower approaches from the North Face car park are still being looked at. Anyone with £95,000 (or part thereof) to help buy a commercial forest in good shape, please get in touch. We hope to put a new path through this woodland area in the next few years.
 Plenty of new snow at all levels and a fine clear day today. Work on the upper part of the Allt a'Mhuillin path leading to the CIC Hut has progressed a lot this summer, so getting up the hill will be a lot more pleasant than in the past. The work will be fully complete by the end of 2005 hopefully. Feed back and donations to the pathwork should be sent to Nevis Partnership. Check them out at Nevis Partnership
 Stormy unsettled and cold weather will be the normal pattern for the next week or so. This regime of cold air sweeping over the area will bring bucket-loads of snow to the mountains. At present there is snow down beneath 600 metres and the freezing level will remain beneath the tops. All good news for climbers arriving over the Christmas break. Unfortunately the weather will be unsettled, so you will have to put up with blizzards and harsh conditions and route choice will be critical to avoid avalanches as the snow base builds. Maybe even worth a flutter on a white Christmas, but don't put your mortgage on it! Work on the upper part of the Allt a'Mhuillin path leading to the CIC Hut has progressed a lot this summer, so getting up the hill will be a lot more pleasant than in the past. The work will be fully complete by the end of 2005 hopefully. Feed back and donations to the pathwork should be sent to Nevis Partnership. Check them out at Nevis Partnership
Still unsettled and all the snow has gone. Colder weather on the way later this week. Stay happy and check out the links to Canadian Ice on my links page. I'm glad to arrange a trip for any interested parties later in the winter. Apparently February is a good time.
Yesterday N.E. Buttress was climbed on Ben Nevis. The weather came in mild and wet later in the day and that's the way it looks for the upcoming weekend. The snow level on the Black Cuillin was rising fast yesterday!
More snow on the tops and down to 600 metres. A team out on Tower Ridge today reporting back later. Superb weather today and more to come tomorrow. Very cold just now. Not sure about the weekend. Some action over in the Northern Corries on the snowed-up rock climbs. Hoarmaster, Savage Slit, White Magic and others have seen some traffic. Gargoyle Wall on Ben Nevis has been climbed in good winter conditions.
Tower Ridge climbed today in superb weather. Photos courtesy of Chris Ensoll,IFMGA Mountain Guide from Cumbria (Mr Mega-pixel). Thanks Chris, great pictures on your new Nikon. Plenty of ice and unconsolidated snow, but not a breath of wind.
We are off to Skye tomorrow and will be back late so pictures and report may not appear until Friday morning!
For those of you looking to climb on Aonach Mor a good hike will be required as the gondola is closed for maintenance until mid-December. Telephone 01397 705825 for details
It's all gone pear-shaped for the time being and the Daffodils are starting to sprout! Watch this space.
 Snow down to sea-level last night and cold weather to come. A few hardy folk walked up Ben Nevis today and had superb views and very cold wind near the summit. Climbing won't be up to much just now, but the Cairngorm 'scratchers' and 'turfers' will no doubt be out and about causing t the sparks to fly. for those of you looking to climb on Aonach Mor a good hike will be required as the gondola is closed for maintenance until mid-December. Telephone 01397 705825 for details.
 Well now! Ben Nevis has not changed shape and we do not have perfect conditions or blue skies. It's just that some of you may wish to jump on a plane and head off to Calgary and Banff or Lake Louise for some early winter activity before coming back to the good stuff in Scotland later. This is how the Rockies of Canada looked last week and the flights (Zoom Airlines) are cheap just now. All this lovely white stuff is only a couple of hours drive from Calgary international airport. Anyone interested in an early season guided trip to climb ice in the Rockies and I'm your man!
In Scotland we have had a few dumps of early snow, but nothing appears to be sticking just yet, so watch this space and in the meantime here are a couple more frosty shots to wet you appetite for the real thing coming later, hopefully.
Here you will find an archive of other years
winter climbing conditions.
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