Great ski touring conditions in the Cairngorms last weekend.
We left from the ski centre on Saturday 17th Jan, walked up Allt Creag an Leth-choin (hard-pressed snow), and crossed the plateau to Ben Macdui. The plateau had very little snow (scoured by the high winds last week). We had to carry skis for about half an hour before finding patches that allowed us to climb up to the summit on skis (east/south side has better snow).
Coire Taillear had very hard-pressed snow/ ice and not enough of it, so we abandoned our original plan to ski down to the Corrour Bothy, and headed east towards Loch Etchachan instead, and further down to the Hutchison Bothy were we spent a rather cold night (we did not bring wood for the stove). The run was great, great snow, and despite the high avalanche risk on east-facing slopes these ones felt rather safe, since they were not very steep and the snow was solid. We left the Ski Centre at 10 am and arrived at the bothy at 3 pm.
On Sunday we left the bothy at 9 am, skinned up Coire Etchachan in a snow storm, crossed the bealach towards Glen Luibeg, and enjoyed a gorgeous run down the Glen with solid snow and tail wind (blowing from the north all day). Shortly before Luibeg Bridge we put up the skins again and started a plod with no end through Glen Lui, Glen Dee (now with nasty head wind), passing Corrour Bothy, Lairig Gru, Chalamain Gap and back to the Ski Centre, where we arrived in the dark at 6.30. Skis had to be carried over the rocks on the last portion before the Chalamain Gap - all the rest of the route had enough snow to walk up comfortably on skis (and even sort of ski down Lairig Gru). I would not want to walk there without skis on my feet, though.
With further snowfalls the conditions can only get better. So get on your skis and go for it!
