In reply to damomcgovern:
> Hoping to do Western Rib, route base circa 900m, on Aonach Mor on Sunday 26 Jan. I am trying to work out if the turf will be frozen or not by then??
Looking at the MWIS forecasts for the next couple of days, it almost certainly will *not* be frozen.
http://www.mwis.org.uk/scottish-forecast.asp?fa=WH&d=2020-01-26
> I suspect it takes more than 1 sub zero day/ night to freeze the turf?
Turf can freeze overnight on a thoroughly cold and clear night. However, we aren't getting any of those soon. Overnight temperatures and freezing levels are simply not where they need to be.
The biggest variable for turf freezing tends to be snow cover. A layer of fresh snow can insulate turf even in seriously cold temperatures. There isn't much of that at the moment so if we did get a few cold nights it could freeze.
Some other reasons I wouldn't bother with Aonach Mor this weekend:
1) There's barely any snow visible on the Nevis ski centre webcams: https://www.nevisrange.co.uk/webcams/
2) Weather forecast is for 60mph S winds turning to SW. The gondola will not be running so you'll have a big walk-in and lose one of the main advantages of Aonach Mor. On the route you'll be exposed to the wind.
3) Weather forecast is for persistent rain with snow higher up, and hills shrouded in cloud. You'll get soaked on the long walk-in and then snowed on higher up. Expect awful visibility. Aonach Mor is a big featureless blob of a mountain and unless you know where things are relative to the ski infrastructure can be difficult to navigate.