Cairngorm Reports

(Sponsored by Talisman Winter Mountaineering updated 15/12/2007)

To shorten download time the previous Cairngorm reports have been archived on 31st December 2006 and can be found here

For full weather details see Geoff Monks weather reports for the East Highlands here or West here (Adobe PDF reader required)

See the SAIS Cairngorm blog here

Mess of Pottage, Forty Thieves and Aladdin's areas	Aladdin's to the Coire an t-Sneachda headwall
Steve comments this is really hard work...!	Steve and Steven approaching the top of Jacob's Ladder

Easter Monday 9th April 2007...We had a great day and midday finish before the winds increased and the rain started. An early alpine start made the best of the snow conditions and more importantly made sure nobody was climbing above us...! The snow was actually ok and quite firm for climbing on but extreme care was required in selecting safe rock anchors as much of the rock when not frozen in situ is very loose in the popular gullies. The snow is now starting to melt away from the gully walls and several of the popular winter gully lines will start to break up over the next few days...

Blue skies and Coire an Lochain this morning	Jacob's Ladder is well banked out and the exit is straight forward when frozen. The Mess of Pottage is now snow free!	Aladdin's Couloir is still wide and complete though away from the snow there is a lot of loose rock to watch out for...
Central Gully and the Runnel are still complete though thin in places.	Steve and Steven in Point Five gully	Practising ropework and snow belay in the sun. Sunglasses and sun cream essential....!
Tricky cornice exit to the left of the gully provides entertainment!	Coire Domhain and Ben MacDui still have good snow cover	The view into Coire an t-Sneachda from the plateau

Saturday 7th April 2007...It turned out to be a fine dry and sunny day. Early morning a few climbers were taking advantage of the slight overnight frost and were climbing in Jacob's Ladder, Aladdin's Couloir, the Runnel , the Vent and the Couloir all of which are still complete. The snow in the gullies was fairly firm first thing and we climbed up onto the plateau via Point Five to explore the snow holes and practise snow belays in the sun...!

Northern Corries 6th April 2007

Friday 6th April 2007...Overcast with a cold northerly breeze. The spring snow was firmish on north aspects though soft elsewhere. The ski area was surprisingly quiet for a bank holiday weekend...!

Northern Corries 4th April 2007

Wednesday 4th April 2007...Despite the blue sky, sun and high temperatures there's still plenty of snow in the corries for winter fun... Places still available on the Easter mountaineering and skills courses. See www.talisman-activities.co.uk

Day one, Oli on the ice Cascade...!	Day two more perfect ice in Comb Gully after a very, very long wait behind a novice uni club team who managed to dislodge a huge amount of debris and had difficulty finding good belays or runners. Worth practising the basics first on lots and lots of easier routes.	Day three Al joined Fi and Oli Nick and I  for more perfect ice on Green Gully. Picture shows Fi on the ice pitch at the start
Oli and Nick on 2nd pitch following in the footsteps of Alan Hinkes solo the previous day. We used the same ropes that Alan H used to descend No. 3 in unusual non text book style!	Just close your eyes and hook your axe in or if you want more of a challenge like Fi and Al, avoid the trail and take the direct icefall finish...	Nick on Green Gully steep ice pitch exit

1st to 3rd April 2007...Great perfect weather, great perfect ice, great perfect climbing, it was perfect and it was great....! :-)

With regard to soloing please DON'T do it when there are other parties on the route as you are putting everyone's safety on the line not just your own...!

Fi exiting out into the sun. Photo courtesy of  Steve Lynch.	With weather and views to die for we were caught on camera unawares. Myself (helmet askew!), Oli and Nick topping out  on the Ben Nevis plateau...Photo courtesy of Fi.

Northern Corries 31/3/07

Saturday 31st March 2007...Lovely sunny spring like day today. Despite the warm sunshine in Aviemore, Cairngorm was still looking white this afternoon!

We're based in the CIC hut with Olli and Nick until Tuesday so no further updates until Wednesday. There are still places available on our Easter Mountaineering courses next weekend so please text my mobile to book. See www.talisman-activities.co.uk See also the recent climbing reports form MacMountaineering.

Friday 30th March 2007... A grey drizzly day...

Thursday 29th March 2007... Colder and wetter with overnight snow down to 400 metres though this soon melted below 700 metres though it meant the rock was wet today...

Wednesday 28th March 2007... Very hazy today but nice dry rock for practising ropework and climbing on in the Chalamain Gap.

Mess of Pottage, Jacob's Ladder and Forty Thieves	The morning sun on the coire headwall and Fiacaill Buttress area	Aladdin's Couloir to Goat Track
well frozen snow ice in Jacob's Ladder	Michael posing for camera!	Stephanie climbing and Andrew belaying...
Keith having a breather...!	Looking across to some climbers on the rhs	Andrew approaches the cornice with Fiacaill Ridge in the background

27th March 2007....With an early start another fantastic sunny day on brilliant snow ice...! Care required with loose rock where the snow cover is thin or later on in the day...

26th March 2007...Another great sunny day and tomorrow looks the same... Good firm snow conditions and great ice reported on several popular classic gullies!

The buttresses are black and could be climbed in rock boots whereas the gully line are still in excellent condition and filled with great snow ice. There's even climbable ice on the Mirror Direct and Red Gully and several good icefalls at the back of the coire...	Another group photo with Fiacaill Buttress and Ridge behind. There's a good firm snowy trail through the boulder field...	Complete snow cover on the plateau from Cairn Lochain all the way to Ben MacDui. Even better cover over on Angel Peak and Braeriach. The gully lines and grooves into the Lairig Ghru look to be holding plenty of snow for climbing up or skiing down!
Deep snow cover on south east aspects with this area completely banked out. Again good snow cover in the gullies but the crags such a Hells Lum and Stag Rocks snow free and very dry	Looking towards the head of Loch Avon and the Shelterstone cliffs on the right. The Needle and Steeple look in good summer nick yet there's lots of ice falls near bye...!	Absolutely great cover in Coire an Lochain from the coire floor to the plateau with gullies such as the Vent nice and icy. Spot the two telemark skiers descending the headwall on the lower right. They were returning from a great day on Ben MacDui

Sunday 25th March 2007...Another perfect alpine day in the Scottish Mountains and it's forecast to continue.... :-)

Great snow cover on the plateau to Ben MacDui	The view from Windy Col west to Fiacaill Ridge	Winter course members braving the harsh Scottish conditions...!

Saturday 24th March 2007...Stunning conditions, warm yet with hard frozen snow underfoot in the north facing gullies and headwalls. A bit too icy for comfortable ice axe braking but perfect for crampons and step cutting. Lots of ski mountaineers on the plateau with what looks like complete cover of spring snow from Cairn Lochain all the way to Ben MacDui. Some of the buttresses between the icy gullies are now bone dry and would be good for rock climbing on...!

Coire Cas and Coire ant-Sneachda	Coire an Lochain

Friday 23rd March 2007...Blue skies and warm sunshine yet hard frozen snow in the shaded gullies...! Fantastic weather for the weekend and well into next week. With the settled high pressure, low humidity and clear skies over the coming week we should will be able to rock climb on the dry south facing crags and ice climb in the frozen shaded north facing gullies (Google the the 'wet nappy' or is it 'wet bulb' effect...)!  Perfect weather so make the most of it and remember to pack the sunglasses and sunblock... :-)

An atmospheric Coire an t-Sneachda	Great conditions in Jacob's Ladder	Looking south towards Carn Etchacan on the plateau

Wednesday 21st March 2007...A dry bright, calm and pleasant climbing day. Apart from the soft slab on the approach slopes Jacob's ladder was in great condition with good bomber neve from bottom to top. It was late afternoon before the weather deteriorated and temperature rose sharply. The rime was dropping off the buttresses and the wind increasing as we left the corrie around 15:00 hrs. It's to cool down again for the weekend...

Old A9 20th March 2007	Slochd 20th March 2007

Tuesday 20th March 2007...Lots of snow....Fi reported great silky smooth snow on the cross country trails. Also, I managed to get into the Cairngorms today. The walk in to Coire an t-Sneachda was easier than expected as long as you weren't breaking trail... North facing aspects were wind scoured and well frozen though there are some deep drifts on crag aprons and exits and in the gullies. In contrast any sheltered east to south east aspects were absolutely loaded with soft slab. We had great fun on the easterly aspect of the moraine ridge assessing avalanche risk, practising snow belays and climbing through the monster cornices. I assume similar aspects on the other side of Cairngorm plateau will be similarly affected and heavily corniced, so extreme care will be required...

20/3/07 Mess of Pottage with climbers on the Message and Hidden Chimney	20/3/07 Aladdin's Couloir and Buttress
20/3/07 Fiacaill Buttress and Ridge	A well rimed James and Anthony get plenty of practise in climbing through deep soft cornices and coping with icy spindrift...!!

Saturday 17th March...Spring snow on the Corrie Cas headwall was perfect for ice axe braking especially when caught unawares by some of the strong gusts of wind...!	On Sunday 18th March overnight snow and cooler temperatures provided great neve for cramponning and step cutting...	Great snow for snow holes with ensuite facilities and plumbed for cold running water if required...!

17th and 18th March 2007...Strong westerly and north westerly winds closed the ski area on Saturday however it was fairly sheltered in the lee of the Coire Cas headwall apart from the odd extreme gust! Extremely windy and wintery overnight and on Sunday morning. The roads were very slippery and ski area road was closed all day. However by mid morning onwards the wind dropped and it brightened up to give quite a nice day for step cutting, crampon practise, avalanche awareness and digging emergency snowholes in the shelter of Coire na Ciste... The storm winds have blasted the fresh snow off the higher slopes into gullies and hollows on east aspects and into the lower valleys and forests. A lot of snow this evening so the roads will again be tricky on Monday...

Windy Col, Mess of Pottage, Jacob's Ladder and 40 Thieves areas	Aladdin's Couloir, Trident Gullies to the Goat Track from the boulderfield
John climbing up to the belay scoop just below the easy cornice exit	Looking towards Carn and Loch Etchacan on the plateau

Wednesday 14th March 2007...Milder but dry and less windy so fairly pleasant climbing on softer snow. Yesterdays fresh snow had disappeared but the old spring snow was still firmish on the approach and in Jacob's Ladder. The gully is very well filled and the exit is well banked out and now straightforward. Currently the snow build-up in the main gully lines is the best of the past few seasons. With the forecast colder weather from Friday onwards the Scottish climbing conditions could be really fantastic for the Easter break and well into April... :-)

Fiacaill Ridge from Mess of Pottage	A belay with a view!
John Whites mountaineering group on the plateau	Coire an t-Sneachda 13/3/07

Tuesday 13th March 2007...A bit mixed today with sleety snow showers and gusty spindrift interspaced with some sunny spells. The snow was firm without being icy and was very  pleasant to walk and climb on.

Northern Corries 12/3/07

Monday 12th March 2007...The snow froze overnight to give icy conditions for the skiers but much improved conditions for the walkers and climbers. The main gully lines are all still pretty complete though much of the cover on the buttresses was stripped during the weekends heavy rain. There is still some snow on ledges and white slithers of ice in grooves though. The general snow cover above the corrie floors and on the plateau is still good and there are interesting cornices above many of the popular routes. There been some fresh snow today. Plenty of routes to go for as long as they are well frozen....

On Friday Stuart returned for the third time to enjoy some Scottish conditions. Last year we had chest deep snow and a stranded helicopter this year lots of wind, snow then lots of wind and torrential rain...GREAT!	Good fat ice pity about the spontaneous avalanches thundering down from above...!	Fi sitting on the avalanche debris from around Number 3 and 4 gullies...FANTASTIC!
A bit of visibility...looking towards Tower Ridge and Vanishing Gully before it vanished!	This picture of Stuart and Fi in Glencoe sums up the ice climbing on Saturday!!

Friday and Saturday 9th/10th March 2007...We've been over in the west doing some private guiding so sorry about the lack of reports from the east. On returning early today from a very mild and extremely wet Glencoe and Fort William we had a good look at the Northern Corries. The buttresses have been stripped black today but all the gullies and corries are still well filled with snow. Once this refreezes condition will be good. On Ben Nevis on Friday there was quite a bit of fresh snowfall and this combined with the westerly gales provided great avalanche conditions. Many gully lines were banked out on Friday including Green Gully and the approach to Glovers Chimney. We saw the debris of major slides from the previous night in Coire na Ciste and witnessed several very close range large spontaneous spindrift avalanches down gully lines. One of the slides arrived just in time to persuade us that climbing the fat ice we had spotted was not such a good idea....! It's interesting to note that the snowhole site above the little Coire na Ciste Lochan had been completely buried by the long avalanche run out from number 3/4 Gully more than 300 metres above and around a third of a Kilometre away...!!! Despite this several climbers were heading of towards Green Gully and Number 2 Gully. I wonder how they got on? Since Friday it has been very mild and wet so conditions will have changed.

A stormy Loch Morlich

Tuesday 6th March 2007...Over the past few days the snow has continued to drift into the Northern Corries and has improved the ski runs such as the White Lady, Cas, Ciste etc. Many of the popular north facing gully lines such as Jacob's Ladder and the Runnel are also well filled and now have sizable cornice exits. Dave and Karl made an early start as the forecast winds briefly dropped this morning and bagged a route over on Hells Lum before the winds increased again during the afternoon. See the report below:

Dave climbing on Hells Lum	Belay on Hells Lum	Dave heading towards top of gully

Hi Ron,
David said he'd spoken to you today about our trip over to Hells Lum, photos attached for you to use if you wish. The snow wasn't the best on the climb some collapsing footholds gave cause for concern but there was ice on the steeper sections and the cornice is easy to out flank on the right. All in all a good day, another team on Hell's Lum with us and another team on Escalator.
Cheers
Karl

Peter and Dave sheltering from the wind and having an early lunch  in Coire an t-Sneachda

Sunday 4th March 2007...What a contrast from yesterday. Very stormy with the strong southerly winds (128 mph recorded) picking up by early morning. We were dropped off at the Coire Cas carpark to avoid returning to the car and finding the windows blown in...! This frequently happens when the southerly winds pick up to over 100 mph and any unsheltered cars and buses are blasted by ice, grit and stones! Walking into the Northern Corries was difficult due to the painful blasts of spindrift and frequent gusts. We struggled into the corries to find a tranquil refuge in a snow shelter in the knowledge that coming out would be a lot quicker and less exhausting than going in with a good tail wind...! Peter and Dave learned a lot about coping with stormy weather, making sensible route choices, clothing and equipment organisation and how good a shelter can be given by a snow cave. On return to the carpark I recounted tales of old about ice axe braking on the tarmac when winters were winter and the winds really were strong....!!!! A report from Pete MacPherson on the climbing on Sunday can be found here. It sounds like they too weren't expecting the storm winds to arrive quite so early....!

Coire An Lochain this morning	Several parties on Savage Slit viewed from near the top of the Vent	Shan enjoying sun on the sparkling Cairngorm plateau
A busy day on Hells Lum with several parties of climbers on the main face	David and Peter with Carn Etchacan and the Sticile behind though we didn't spot anyone climbing there...	Snow cover on the plateau looking towards Ben MacDui. Several ski tourers were taking advantage of the good snow cover
Crocodiles in Coire an t-Sneachda	Peter and David near the start of Jacob's Ladder	Looking towards Cairngorm from Cairn Lochain
A busy and banked out Aladdin's Couloir	The Mess of Pottage and a banked out Jacob's Ladder	The overhung and droopy cornice on Jacob's ladder caused problems for several parties today!
	Looking west towards Fiacaill Ridge and a very white Braeriach plateau	Groups of climbers descending Fiacaill Coire Cas

Saturday 3rd March 2007...A fairly sunny day though with a biting cold wind and the odd snow devil and blast of spindrift. Conditions varied from wind scoured neve to deep soft wind slab. Some large cornices over routes such as Jacob's Ladder although Aladdin's Couloir was ok and is well banked out at the dogleg. The snow was quite slabby in places so care was required to avoid it breaking away underfoot. The corries were very busy with some huge winter skills groups and many foreign climbers left over from the BMC International Meet. Over on Hells Lums several parties were climbing on the main face although the exit slopes looked worrying from afar! The cover on the plateau is good for ski touring and several off piste skiers were taking advantage of the Scottish powder snow conditions...

Friday 2nd March 2007...After the mixed weather this week the mountains are sparkling white. A great day to be out on the hill. Calm, sunny and very frosty (minus 8 Celsius at 9:00 am). Photographer forgot to take photos today!! Both the climbing and the skiing is reported as being good. Recent updates on MacMountaineering page.

Also, text report from Oli saying good day on the Ben with queues on Point Five and Indicator Wall. They climbed Gardyloo Gully which is blocked by cave and not banked out leading to an interesting traverse right...

For more reports and lots of photos of the BMC International Meet which finished yesterday. See the BMC website here, Alan Kimber's West Coast Mountain Guides blog, James Edward's High Mountaineering blog and Rob Jarvis of Highland Guides condition reports here

Northern Corries 27/2/07

Tuesday 27th February 2007...Overnight snow and a brief thaw after Mondays freeze before the temperatures drop again on Wednesday. Stormy with more snow for the hills. The south easterly to south westerly winds will help the snow and ice build up in the northern corries though the avalanche risk is currently very high at Cat 4 down from today's Cat 5!

Monday 26th February 2007...The forecast freezing level of 600 metres, light winds and sunshine actually came true and it seems the whole of the winter climbing population headed for Ben Nevis to enjoy the superb snow and ice conditions on the higher routes. Car parks were full and routes were full too...! Lots of the harder lines and a even a few new routes were done by folk on the BMC International Climbing Meet. See the BMC website here for more details. Conditions on the day could not have been better though queues could have been a lot shorter!

We joined the queue for Two Step Corner and had a long wait at belays due to bottle necks above. It was worth it though as snow conditions were perfect on the day as for the cornice it was well frozen BUT I was happy for Fi to lead it... The full story of our climb on Two Step Corner can be found here.

For more reports and lots of photos see Alan Kimber's West Coast Mountain Guides blog, James Edward's High Mountaineering blog and Rob Jarvis of Highland Guides condition reports here

Shan at the foot the Mess of Pottage heading for 'Windy Col'	Looking through the rather dodgy cornice into Jacob's Ladder	Generally poor visibility all day with snow showers mid afternoon

Sunday 25th February 2007...Shan finally managed to get out on the Scottish hills despite his arduous train and bus journey from London due to the train crash near Kendal.

Despite poor visibility and wet snow conditions there were quite a few teams out climbing along with guests of the BMC international meet at Glenmore Lodge. Most of the easy gully lines still appear to be complete and will be transformed when they freeze up tomorrow. It's likely to be very busy though...!

The ducks are happy after yesterdays rain. There's still good cover high up for ski touring on the plateau and the easy gullies are still complete though the low cloud has obscured it...	Snow cover on the east wall of Coire na Ciste 23/2/07

Friday 23rd February 2007...Unfortunately it clouded over just as we drove up to take the photos. The snow cover on the plateau, gullies and coire headwalls looks more or less intact though the rock buttress are now pretty black after yesterdays rain. The forecast for Saturday looks fairly mild, damp and grey with the freezing level at around the highest summits (fl 1200 m). Sunday looks a bit brighter and drier and with the freezing level dropping from 1150 to 800 metres on Monday the snow pack should freeze up well in the gullies and will be good for climbing on. It looks like it could become stormy again with more snow up high for the coming week. This is good news...

Fi's new variation on Indicator Wall (LH to RH) with a belay on one ice screw and thread on the steepest section after she ruined my plan of getting the hardest pitch....!!	The easier 2nd pitch leaving Fi with the Cornice on the third pitch so I got my own back (we used 60 metre ropes)....;-) Read the full story here

22d and 21st February 2007...Temperature have been fluctuating but with the summit temperature at or near the summits during the day, night time frosts and snow showers on the tops the cover on the plateau and high corries is still ok.

Over in the west on Ben Nevis on Thursday the forecast was good and we had a great day on bomber thick ice at 1200 metres and above. Graham E and client had also made the same journey from Aviemore with the same very early start! Misty on the climb but blue skies and sunshine once you climbed through the cornice onto the summit. The original forecast did suggest perfect blue sky conditions not mist, snow and spindrift! Ice conditions on the 'Ben' are similar to a very good April and May with many of the high grade V classics in great condition. The four hour walk in from the North Face carpark was more than worth it...

Northern Corries 20/2/07

Tuesday 20th February 2007...Some snow overnight, it was lot nicer than the forecast and still freezing on the tops.

Corie Mic Ferachair 17/2/07	Aladdin's Couloir 18/2/07

Monday 19th February 2007...Milder and over cast today with the freezing level just below the summits. Just received a report from Rob and Dave on their trip up north, see below:

Hope all is well, had a really good weekend, stayed in the Ling Hut in Torridon on Fri night and arrived at 2am after a long drive up! On Saturday we ventured into Corie Mic Ferachair and saw the beginnings of ice building up on the Liathach north side corries down to about 850 m in Corie Dubh Mor etc. Almost no snow however and only the highest peaks had a dusting. In Coirie Mic Ferachair ice was falling off the face and there was next to no snow, fuselage gully was broken and had two rock pitches on the left hand branch below the plane.

On Sunday we drove over to the Cairngorms an did Aladdin's Couloir, which was great, hard icy snow, with the ice pitch on the right before the bend banked out, harder finishes up steeper snow existed to the left at the top of the route with near vertical 3-4 m pitch at the top left of the gully . Many people had climbed the route on Saturday and it looked busy from our return route vantage point thus giving steps the whole way up!

Hope all is well and this is useful,

Rob

Sunday 18th February 2007...What a fantastic day truly magical. Lots to do and see though the twenty odd climbers in Central gully and the Runnel had very limited vision and a very long wait. The ice has now been hacked off Red Gully. I'll leave the small selection of the 170  pictures we took to tell the story...!

Thanks to Fi, Gareth for the photos of Hells Lum and Smiler, Dave, Andy, Derek, Ruth, Rob and the many others we met for their updates on the climbing conditions.

On Saturday it was on the warm side so not great for climbing due to soft snow conditions and easily damaged routes. On Sunday it was a different matter as it froze hard with the turf and old still partially frozen from last week in many places setting solid especially so on NE aspects. The more recent snow on NW aspects from last weekends storms have undergone several melt freeze cycles so froze hard though it was a bit crusty in places at the top of some routes.

We saw climbers on Honey Pot, Hidden Chimney, Jacob's Ladder, Forty Thieves, Aladdin's Couloir, Mirror, Central Gully RH (a queue of 18!), Runnel (again very busy), Crotched Spiral, Fingers Ridge, Red Gully (ice hacked off), Goat Track gully, Fiacaill Couloir, Invernookie, Belhaven/Rampant area?, Fiacaill Ridge, Milky Way (cornice apparently ok), Astroturfer, Couloir and many more no doubt in Coire an Lochain. Over on Hells Lum, the Escalator and Hells Lum gully were climbed though the icicles were dropping off the Chancer wall and Salamander areas in the warm sunshine (falling icicles fairly normal so climbed early or late or when overcast at this time of year!). Gullet was ok and climbers were on Sneer which is really fat with ice. Blunderbuss and Garbh gully over on the other side of Loch Avon looked nice and icy too though as usual this area was deserted. I haven't mentioned some of the harder routes, Ben MacDui and the Braeriach corries as anyone thinking of climbing them should be able to work out the conditions for them selves from the photos.

Finally, I used to think it was obvious to all and sundry BUT all the pictures are thumbnails so if you click on the thumbnail image you can view them full size and maybe even spot yourselves climbing..!

Coire na Ciste has good cover on the East Wall	Cnap Coire na Spreidhe & Bynack More
Shan climbing up the stream in Coire Laogh Mor	Anna & Paul with old cornice behind in Coire Laogh Mor

17th February 2007...Very busy in Coire Cas and in Coire an t-Sneachda so we headed for Coire na Ciste and had Coire Laogh Mor to ourselves. The freezing level was near the summits and the snow had softened up a lot by midday. Apparently there were lines of folk in many of the easy gully lines with the Runnel being particularly busy. Red and Goat Track gullies were busy too so I'm not sure how much ice will be left in them now. From the safety point of view it's crazy for so many climbers to climb beneath one another as it's inevitable that loose rock, ice, climbing equipment and even fellow climbers will obey Newton's laws of gravity. Over on Hells Lum it was a lot quieter. Folk were climbing on the Escalator and Hells Lum gully itself was complete though it has tricky rock step at the first chockstone. Overnight and tomorrow the freezing level is forecast to drop so the snow should freeze hard and bring the easy gullies into proper condition.  It's a pity folk couldn't wait today for it to freeze up properly on Sunday as some of the softer and thinner ice will have been trashed by todays heavy traffic.

See http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/winter/winter_mountaineering_courses.htm

Stephen belaying... Great for digging bucket seats and snow belays but watch out for weak layers of slab if you don't want your bollards and axe belays to act like cheese wire.. !!	Stephen climbing... NE aspects had been wind scoured at the weekend so were a safer bet than risking the fresher snow & cornices on NW to W aspects!	Mathew climbing on some surprisingly steep snow ice There was even enough ice for ice screws...!
Andy climbing and ignoring the runout to the frozen Lochain below..!	A content Andy, Stephen & Mathew	A sparkling Coire an Lochain a lot quieter than Coire an t-Sneachda
Sparkling but very busy Coire an t-Sneachda	Cornices & deep snow on NW aspect of Coire an Lochain could be the reason a few people backed off the Milky Way area...!	Jack and Becky enjoy stunning conditions with Fi

14th February 2007...Great snow conditions and great weather, lots of routes being climbed in Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain, everybody is happy! Generally good firm snow and ice for climbing on but care is needed in places due to week layers in the recent snow pack.

Report from Fi: Views right across Cairngorms - stunning. Droopy cornices over the routes in Lochain. Jacob's Ladder reported to be great but very steep for last ten metres and exit to the right. Folk climbing all over the place - spotted people on Aladdin's Couloir, Finger's Ridge, something alongside Fiacaill Couloir. Fiacaill Ridge and more! Coire Cas busy. Also folk out ski touring -saw trail coming down ridge at side of Coire an Lochain! Ski area seemed quite quiet! Maybe they were all at the top runs.

Mess of Pottage & Jacob's Ladder	Aladdin's Couloir & Buttress	Fiacaill Ridge & Buttress
The Goat Track area	Trident Gully area

12th February 2007...Despite the SAIS report Monday was a lot clearer than expected and actually quite clear in Coire an t-Sneachda so we got some good views of the snow cover and ice build-up in the coire. Things are looking surprisingly good and there's more ice about than I thought. As expected the windy col area, Mess of Pottage and Jacob's Ladder had really benefited most from the stormy wintery weekend weather. With the SE winds this aspect had really filled in with snow. Aladdin's Couloir and the Trident Gullies had also all filled in with fresh slab. The gullies around the Goat Track had less snow but were very icy looking. The Fiacaill Buttress area looked good and has a good covering of old neve as well as some fresh snow. During the day some of the rime was dropping off the buttresses in the milder temperatures and crampons were balling up badly. The melt freeze cycles over the next few days should quickly consolidate the fresh snow to provide good climbing conditions for later on. In the meantime care will be needed in some of the gullies with the large cornice above Crotched gully probably best avoided.

BTW Innes, Pennie and Fi were relieved to find the winds had dropped after an interesting night in snowholes that consolidated through the night...!

Cairngorm link ski road 11/02/07 after the ploughs had cleared the drifts	Fi, Innes & Pennie off sowholing	Huge low level drifts on NW and W aspect are ideal for snowcraft and snowholes

Sunday 11th February 2007...Dry, less windy and milder today although the ski road was closed for most of the day to allow the staff to dig out the buildings, tows and to prepare the ski runs. Officially the ski centre was still storm bound but a much nicer day than yesterday and it was good to see where we were going. There are now some excellent snow drifts at fairly low level for snowholing. The deep snow drifts had consolidated well overnight and were far more stable than yesterday at around 700 metres. This evening we left Fi, Innes and Pennie who were adding the final finishing touches to their designer snow shelters where they are staying the night...! For the skiers and boarders, I had a good view up Coire na Ciste and was pleased to see that the black run, East gully had completely filled in. The west side of the Ciste gully had good cover although the stream was still visible as the bed of the gully is still only partially filled. The west wall was wind scoured. Tomorrow we're in Sneachda but I'm pretty certain, Jacob's and Aladdin's will have filled in so I'll try and get some pics for tomorrow. Fi's just reported that it's now snowing heavily at the snowhole site!

Conditions 10/0207 photo courtesy o Fi Chappell

Saturday 10th February 2007...The ski area was stormbound today so Fi, Andy and I walked up into Coire Cas from Glenmore with our winter skills and mountaineering groups braving the strong SE winds, painful spindrift and periods of whiteout. There are some large snow drifts on sheltered NW aspects while many other areas are now severely wind scoured. Conditions were perfect testing goggles, equipment and clothing to the limit. We had plenty of opportunity to examine the fragile cornices and for for digging avalanche pits in some of the large snow drifts. These showed several very week layers on a NW aspect. The soft slab was also great for digging snow shelters and for ice axe arrests. The wind scoured old snow proved excellent for step cutting and cramponning. I took plenty of photos of iced up faces and snow pits but on returning home realised I'd forgotten the memory card...! From what I could see in Coire na Ciste and Coire Cas, the climbing areas in Coire an t-Sneachda on a NW aspect such as the Mess of Pottage, Jacobs Ladder and possible even Aladdin's will have filled in with the drifting snow and will likely have large cornices and a high avalanche risk while other areas such as the Fiacaill area will have been wind scoured. With regard to the ski runs it looked as though the bottom of the Gunbarrel had been filled in and the White Lady looked very snowy too whereas the lower Zig Zags and many other areas alternated between thigh deep drifts and wind scoured rocks and heather. Lots of x-country skiers in the forests...

White Shark top of 1st pitch	Climbing 2nd pitch!	2nd pitch 8/02/07

Yesterday was our rest day so with the promise of more blue skies and sunshine we headed west to Aonach Mor to sample condition in the west! Unfortunately not the blue sky day as promised and the gusting spindrift initially gave us second thoughts walking up and especially trying to get down Easy Gully. However once down in Coire an Lochain and on White Shark it was relatively calm and on Thursday the snow and ice conditions, although slightly lean, were absolutely fantastic with first time bomber placements and delicate hooks as it thinned out on the crux. The upper slopes and the cornice were well frozen too so compared to a few days ago presented few worries...

Ira, Paul, Jan at belay	Ira climbing....
Paul climbing...	Alpine glow on a sparkling white Coire an Lochain

7th February 2007... More snow overnight and a very cold, calm and sunny day. The cliffs are rimed white, the turf frozen and ice is building fast. Lots of people out enjoying the climbing though the fresh powder does require some clearing. The temperature at the carpark this evening was minus 6, absolutely brilliant..... :-) Looks like the cold weather is set to continue for some time with more snow forecast. Becoming more unsettled at the weekend with winds from the east. This should benefit the west facing gullies as the fresh snow finally drifts into the lee west facing slopes.

Almost 12 cm of ice buildup in the  lochan over 3 days!	Very wintery Jan, Ira and Paul have all been buying new gloves...!!

Monday 5th February 2007...Cold and snowy with limited visibility. There's several cm of fresh powder in the Coires and the lochans and seepage lines are very icy. Judging by the rimed eyebrows and beards the crags are rimed too...! The lochans that were completely ice free on Friday are surprisingly thick with ice now - in fact almost 12 cm in places. See photo above and photo below of same lochan on Friday 2nd February...! Needless to say the old snow is very icy and the descent from the plateau via the Goat Track is treacherous with areas of hard water ice.

A rather busy snowhole...	abseiling off small cornice in snow shower...

Sunday 4th February 2007...Misty on the tops with some light snow showers. This was ideal for Fi and Al's winter skills group, navigation, snow shelter and emergency ropework day. The coming week is to remain very cold and there is substantial snowfall forecast for the Highlands so fingers crossed....