Creag Meagaidh weather
2nd March 2017
General rule-of-thumb when describing a winter day at Creag Meagaidh is that you start in the ‘sub-tropics’ (very loose interpretation that!) at 270m and work your way up to the proper sub-arctic. But! The sub-arctic can be at 450m. Or 900m. Depends on what the Weather Gods have determined for that particular day!
Certainly big contrasts today.
Below is a west-facing slope (normally windward) on the side of Na Cnapanan, photographed this morning. On the Coire Ardair path at 500m. The skyline to the extreme left is approx 750m, with Na Cnapanan’s summit at 650m to the right of shot.
(Above) Could be summer here (only if you ignore the tiny patch of snow).
(Above) 1 minute later. Turn exactly 180 degrees from the last shot and you get this on the other side of the glen. East and SE aspects with the top skyline at just over 800m and bottom of the shot is approx 650m. Definitely winter over here.
Distinctly wintry weather in Coire Chriochairein 45 minutes later, below:
(Above) Poor visibility in Lifa Gully, Coire Chriochairein. A lobe of avalanche debris came down about 50m to the left of the icy crag (which forms the northern side of this broad gully).
(Above) A lot of drifting. My rucsac and technical snow kit had to be dug out three times during the course of the primary snow observations – the formal snow profile – at 900m.
(Above) A telephoto shot taken looking West this afternoon. Â Unknown peak (Edit: Beinn na Lap) well to the west of Beinn a Chlachair with a huge amount of spindrift pouring off it.
Comments on this post
Got something to say? Leave a comment
Grant Duff
2nd March 2017 6:57 pm
That’s a great shot of the “unknown” peak in what was a rather biting wind this afternoon.
Mark Bull
2nd March 2017 7:18 pm
I think the “unknown peak” is Beinn na Lap.
Thanks for all the posts!
meagaidhadmin
2nd March 2017 7:27 pm
Hey, I think you may be right!
Thanks for helping out, Mark.