It’s snow time
26th January 2007
Top: The Post Face today. All gully routes full of deep, virgin snow. Exit slopes on Post Face routes still suspect as recent slab build up is deep and still cold enough to give easier shears.
Middle: Part of the corrie rim of Coire Chriochairein (we call it the Stone Corrie). Very deep slab also lies here just beneath the cornice line. This shot doesn’t do justice to the size of the cornices but they’re relatively new and a bit fragile. Best avoided at the moment because if a car size chunk falls on the slab below it might just trigger something.
Bottom: The lochain in Coire Ardair with (r to l) most of the Post Face, Easy Gully, Pinnacle Buttress, Raeburn’s Gully and Bellevue Buttress. The top of Raeburn’s Gully has been scoured on one side (left, going up) with a cornice on the right.
Pretty good winter snow cover at the moment. Plateau cover is much improved with good ski touring possibilities, if you can stomach shouldering your gear to about 550m. Doing ‘the round’ from Carn Liath to Sron a Ghoire via The Window should be OK. There will be a certain amount of snow patch hopping but downhill descents much better now that we’ve got a bit of a base.
Some ice now starting to show with some still buried. Quantity is variable, though.
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