UKH

Hello All

Going up to Aviemore this weekend, but I am getting a bit worried about the potential avalanche risk and so I am looking for more ridge routes and Lurcher's seems to have a few.  Looking for low grade routes.

Does anyone have any info about this crag as I've never been there? Interested in the general avalanche risk compared to the Corries and the approach.

Thanks in advance

Jason

Winds have been blowing from the East and will continue to for the next few days so snow has been/will be deposited on Westerly slopes. Lurcher’s faces West and will likely be buried with considerable avalanche risk (check the current SAIS conditions page - https://www.sais.gov.uk/northern-cairngorms/ - Westerly slopes are already pretty bad). If you can, you’d be best off heading to Lochaber/Glencoe, as they’ll be avoiding the majority of the snowfall over the coming days. If you can’t, routes on Fiacaill Buttress at Coire an T-Sneachda could be okay (NE facing). Creagan Coire Cha-no is another East facing crag that should in theory have a fairly minimal avalanche risk. Keep an eye on SAIS over the next few days regardless.

Agree with the other comment - I would avoid Lurchers. The buttress routes may be OK, but surely the approach slopes will be loaded?

For ridges on the opposite aspect to the above you could consider Glen Einich?  

Thanks for the replies, I will take your advice, sleeper trains have been cancelled tonight, we are travelling tomorrow night so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed.

From what my colleague was saying earlier you'll be able to make a snow hole onboard the sleeper if things keep going as they have done!

Definitely head further west if you can. In any case the ski road is still shut, I think, and might easily stay shut all weekend. https://www.sais.gov.uk/

update: the road's open, but there's not much uplift at Cairngorm. Whiteout, 60mph wind, the usual kind of thing.