UKH

The last few days have been wild on the hill, but today was much improved. Teams climbing Jacobs Ladder, Hidden Chimney (likely other routes on Mess of Pottage), Aladdin's Couloir, Aladdin's Mirror Direct, Fingers Ridge and many on Fiachall Ridge.
Sheltered areas of the coire were looking loaded with snow after recent weather, other aspects have good neve where scoured although beginning to soften today.
Photos on our FB page: www.facebook.com/CAGuides

In reply to Cairngorm Adventure Guides:

The weather was excellent in the morning, but thought climbing conditions on the buttresses to be a bit on the bare side, Mess of Pottage especially so. Things looked better over on Fiacaill Buttress but then you'd have the approach slopes to contend with.

Aladdin's Mirror Direct was in good nick, though.

In reply to Cairngorm Adventure Guides:

By the time you read this, or indeed by the time I finish writing it will have all changed as now heavy snow showers are falling down in Aviemore. However I was up having a look today at both Corries and as "planetmarshall" says the buttresses were looking rather black. basically the rain that was hammering on the van roof last night fell as rain right up to the summits and washed a bit off. It also completely saturated the snow pack and the less hard neve! Good news is though a fair bit of the ice is still there, it was cooling down all day, -2 top of Lochan at lunchtime, and the gully's are all mostly doable and improve as you move around to Fiacaill buttress. On Mess of pottage about all that wintery is "The Slant" and "Jacobs Ladder" sort off moving around, Aladdins Couloir's still good, "Patey's route" would still work but looks thin! "Mirror Direct" still looks OK though it has diminished some what over the last 2 weeks. All the easy gully's on Fluted are all OK, Fingers etc are rock climbs. Red and Goat Track Gully's looked good with a few Teams on them. Fiacail Buttress looked good for your mixed "hook the rock" routes, (maybe avalanche prone tomorrow on approach though). Goat track itself today was getting wind swiped clean (along with me) so expect it rock hard tomorrow. Moving over to "Coire an Lochan"anything on No1 buttress looked black, the Vent did not look very full but would probably go, No 2 buttress Hmm, No 3 looked good buts there's a large overhanging mushroom threatening Y gully LH. Anyway Photos off the buttresses you can find here! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pass-and-Peak/197397280277028?ref=hl

In reply to Cairngorm Adventure Guides:

In the coire today thought imho conditions were excellent (a Scottish chap agreed!) after a freeze Thursday night.

Fiacaill Ridge relatively bare of ice, rock shoes might have been more appropriate.

The Runnel ice pitch was frozen, cornice solid-ish.

Saw a group climbing AMD looked very blue!

Was a shame to leave...hopefully tomorrow will bring more of the same.

There were a good few teams out on all the popular routes today, including one of our team teaching in Aladdin's Couloir. Reports from him are of soft windslab building on exits with the trident gullies with small cornices developing. That's likely to continue with the forecast for the next few days.

In reply to Cairngorm Adventure Guides:
Coire nan lochain in very good conditions. Frozen with light hoar. Turf bomber on #4 buttress. Approach easy and not too scary (saturday thaw seemed to have firmed up things). V.windy but with correct route choice you could get out of the wind.
On the way out it was staring to thaw from just below coire floor.

In reply to Cairngorm Adventure Guides: We climbed Hidden Chimney direct on Sat which was lean and a bit tougher than usual.
Yesterday went into Lochain and did Central Crack Route which was in great condition.

Euge

In reply to French Erick:
Just wondering if you know what conditions are like in Loch Avon on routes like Sticil Face and Route Major? Hoping to get in there Tues or Wed.

Cheers

In reply to kenneM:

Sorry but I did not look at the back! It was blowing a gale and we managed to get across to the savage slit/ fall out corner abseil station...we're wimps and took the convenience abseil route!