The morning after the night before
14th February 2020
Car park was, not surprisingly, deserted this morning. The very wet windy weather that passed through our area was enough to put most recreationalists off, I guess. Turned a bit brighter later but it was a day when really the only people on the hill had to be on the hill, like me (* & one other, see below).
(Above) Yesterday’s good weather and abundant snow cover appeared to have brought the skiers (see yesterday’s blog) in more numbers than we’ve seen for a while. Saw one skier out for a late jaunt up the main path otherwise the place was deserted. (* The lone skier is a participant in the SAIS Forecaster Training Program who was out on a ‘logbook’ day, looking at the snow and recording a formal snow profile). The main Coire Ardair path was fine on skis, if wet, but a nightmare on foot due to the depth of the snow.
(Above) The view up the glen towards the Post Face. The weather improved (loose description, that) a little later in the day after the lashing rain subsided. Note the puddle on the boulder. Snow cover is deep where drifted, and quite strenuous ploughing through less deep snow along the little ribs of exposed vegetation. The main path up Coire Ardair had a couple of ski tracks along its full length and one set of footprints. Foot-passage up to the lochan was definitely not for the faint-hearted today.
(Above) NE broad ridge of Sron a Ghoire (again!) having a brief moment in the spotlight this afternoon. Heard several gunshots from the vicinity of the sparse woodland down low in the photo, presumably from the SNH stalkers operating in the area.
(Above) Afternoon illumination of the snow looking down towards Loch Laggan.
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Mehmet
15th February 2020 9:51 am
I’m afraid you’re giving me too much credit there… I didn’t make it onto the SAIS Forcaster Training Programme, but Mark did give me a good idea of the things I can do for a chance in the future.
It was nice meeting you today.
meagaidhadmin
15th February 2020 7:08 pm
Yes, good to meet. Hope you had a good and useful outing in Coire Ardair. Correct me if I’m wrong, Mehmet, but I think you made it onto the backup group ie. those requiring additional experience before re-applying and reassessment?
Mehmet
17th February 2020 12:03 pm
Yes, I’m on the backup group and keen to keep plugging away at it.
The outing was useful and gave me a few more things to think about. I was by the middle stream, of three, a little west of Balloon Gully at around 700m. There was a thick layer of snow which I struggled to decide whether I should record them as two or one layers as I couldn’t identify major differences between them. Something made me think they were distinct enough to record it as two. When I was destroying the pit, the top layer went on a layer of graupel that I’d missed but at the depth where I recorded the change of layers.