UKC Winter Conditions Report - Northern Cairngorms 1.12.15

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ian stewart 01 Dec 2015
Well here it is folks, the first winter conditions report of the season, may it be a long and icy one!!!!

Conditions started last week, with the usual early season routes in The northern corries getting climbed. Routes above gd IV on the more solid buttresses, Mess of Pottage and Fiacaille Buttress.

I was in yesterday and the high winds seemed to have blown the cold snow off most of the crags leaving them quite black. The only place wintery enough was the Fiacaille. Parties climbed The seam, Slaterless, Smokestack Lightning and Fiacaille butress Direct. A team on Fiacaille couloir backed off under the Chockstone, more build up needed to get over it. In Lochain Savage slit and Fallout corner were climbed on Sunday in a gale, with the team returning yesterday to reclaim a stuck rope!

Today is wild again up the hill, with temperatures rising up to 4 degrees this afternoon. The crags will be back to black, but at least it will help to consolidate some of the very deep snow drifts on Eastern aspects. Going cold again tomorrow with some rain/snow which might be enough to rime the crags again, but things will remain fairly marginal until after some more wild weather on friday.

Pictures on my blog:
http://stewartmountainskills.blogspot.co.uk/


On the plus side there are no bears to attack you on the way in! Happy healing Greg!
ian stewart 03 Dec 2015

Hi Folks,

Just a quick update for the weekend;

Sorry to say that the thaw was fairly brutal tuesday/wednesday and has stripped any climbing conditions. Cold again now through the weekend but no real snow forecast into the middle of next week for the Cairngorms. More snow in the west next week so maybe better for the Ben or North West.

Photos here:
https://twitter.com/stewartmountain

 Mike Lates 05 Dec 2015
In reply to ian stewart:

Hi Ian, Anything at all wintery today been reported? Thanks, Mike
ian stewart 06 Dec 2015
In reply to Mike Lates:

Hi mike,

Freezing level only dropped to a useful level last night, just after all the rain stopped! So only a wee dusting of snow on some very wet hills. Will need a couple of days of cold to freeze the turf, and more snow to whiten it up. West is better I think.

Cheers
ian stewart 06 Dec 2015
 Jamie B 07 Dec 2015
In reply to ian stewart:

I notice Invernookie got a couple of ascents yesterday. Would it have been frozen?
1
 Andy Nisbet 07 Dec 2015
In reply to Jamie B:

Look at the logbook and see what you think.
 harry_lewis 07 Dec 2015
In reply to Jamie B:

Did the seam yesterday, Fiacaille Buttress was the only one that was really wintery. Bottom probably could've been a bit more frozen but after that it was pretty solid.
2
 gavmac 07 Dec 2015
In reply to harry_lewis:

So does "it could have been a bit more frozen" mean it wasn't frozen?
ian stewart 10 Dec 2015
In reply to ian stewart:

THREAD CLOSED PLEASE USE THE NEW REPORT HERE:

http://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/t.php?t=630579

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