Cairngorm Reports
(Sponsored by
Talisman Winter Mountaineering
updated 01/03/2004)
To shorten download time the previous Cairngorm reports have been archived
on 31st January 2004 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)
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| Lots sun and powder
snow |
Forest Winter
Wonderland |
28th/29th February 2004...Lots sun and snow in
Strathspey...rapid ice development in areas exposed to the sun with powder
snow in the shade. Remember to protect yourselves from sunburn and
snowblindness...as well as from frost nip!
27th February 2004...Lots of fresh low level
snow...about 20cm plus around my car! Low level cross country skiing
should be good at Slochd and Glenmore in Speyside. The avalanche risk is
high (Cat 4) for mountain travel so take care. Lots of powder for Mountain
Spirit telemark festival this weekend in the Gorms if you can safely get
to it...
26th February 2004...Snowing...blizzards on
roads...accidents...drive with care!
25th February 2004...The forecast 15 cm of
snow and gale force winds didn't arrive...it was an extremely cold subzero
day in Speyside yet sunny and clear on Cairngorm...bitter though... Light
dusting of snow tonight...so far....
24th February 2004...Blustery bitter updraft
in the the Couloir today in Coire an Lochain which had great snow ice but
so did our eyebrows and my beard! It was very wintry with rimed rock, snow
flurries depositing isolated pockets of graupel and windslab. Build-up is
still marginal on many of the easier lines although water ice is now
developing. The ice pitches on the Vent, Milky Way, Red and Goat-track
gullies are little more than thin ice or verglassed rock, powder snow and
rime. The Runnel is complete although still bare at the chimney pitch. The
Couloir is good though and the possibly the Escalator...I think! It was
snowing quite heavily this evening so fingers crossed....
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| Coire an Lochain |
cold! |
Couloir |
23rd February 2004...bitterly cold and
blustery with bright spells in the afternoon...the snow was like concrete
making digging snow belays very hard work...but at least they were
bombproof and it kept you warm!
22nd February 2004...another server crash so pages
restored from partial backups will take several days to fully restore...I've
managed to restore thumbnails...let me know of any broken links :-(
Some of the many pictures below from Sunday and
Glenmore Lodges performance climbing seminar...some good shots of climbers
on Aladdin's buttress!
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| Mess of Pottage |
Coire an t-Sneachda |
Fiacaill Ridge |
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| Aladdin's Buttress |
Coire an Lochain |
...the Team! |
19th February 2004...Another great day to be in
the hills with wall to wall sunshine...warm in the sun but absolutely freezing
in the shade. The air clarity is such that the mountains of Scotland can be
seen sparkling white throughout the country from east to west.
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| Creag Meagaidh 19/02/04 |
Angel Peak / Braeriach
18/2/04 |
Cairngorm plateau 18/2/04 |
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| Mess of Pottage 18/2/04 |
Trident/Fluted/Fingers
areas |
Hells Lum 18/2/04 |
18th February 2004...Fantastic...with good if
limited climbing in on the old snow and good off piste skiing on the fresh
snow! Coire an Sneachda looks good but many of the easier gullies were broken
before the recent dump of fresh snow so don't have a good base of old neve.
The few easier lines that had a patchy base of old snow are now in really
good condition...if you know where to look!!
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| Northern Corries |
Aladdin's Area |
Fiacaill Ridge |
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| Cairngorm Plateau |
Shelterstone Crag |
Coire an Lochain |
17th February 2004...Not quite the blue skies
and sunshine hoped for in the northern corries but low cloud and snow flurries
giving the hills a wintry feel. The old snow pack is well frozen with a very
light covering of fresh snow giving limited but good climbing conditions.
The crags and plateau have a good covering of rime ice.
16th February 2004...Really good snow ice conditions
on the remaining lines with rime ice forming and the higher turf frozen. All
the gully lines in the inner Cairngorms in Garbh Choire Mor on Braeriach are
complete and in great condition. The downside is the five hour walk in though
it's definitely worth it! Crampons are useful in the ski area piste!!
14th February 2004...A pleasant sunny day above
the valley mist with good hard snow in the remaining snowpack after an overnight
frost. Unfortunately Coire an Sneachda is virtually stripped and most other
gully lines elsewhere are broken. The Hells Lum Slabs have now been stripped
of snow although the climbs left of Hells Lum may have some potential!
13th February 2004...Still plenty of snow for
snow holes and winter mountaineering skills although many of the popular easily
accessible north facing gullies are now broken. South and east facing slopes
not seen by the webcams have the most snow.
11th February 2004...A pleasant mild day with
firmish snow underfoot on the Coire Cas headwall. The fresh snow from last
week has all but disappeared leaving only the old snow which was firm in the
morning.
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