Drenching mizzle
15th March 2017
(Above) Ventured into Coire Chriochairein today. Drenching mizzle en route there & back. There’d been a little light snow above 800m overnight/first thing but it didn’t amount to much. Freezing level then went to above summits with drizzly rain thenceforth. Snowpack is pinned back to above about 800m with longer ribbons reaching down to lower altitudes in some principal low grade gully lines. Pictured above is what we call Lifa Gully – a broad snow holding feature which is bounded on its northern side by short crags. Methinks it’s some sort of geological fault. (?)
(Above) Cornices – occasionally sizeable – remain in situ above some very steep lee slopes, though many have collapsed/slumped elsewhere. This is a steep East to ESE aspect in the coire.
Some evidence ‘glimpsed’ (Health Warning: visibility wasn’t great in the mizzle today!) of fairly recent but minor full depth avalanche debris at the base of the Post Face. Still some residual hazard of minor full depth avalanches from these very steep E to NE-facing crags, though the overnight re-freeze will have ameliorated the situation somewhat.
Winter returns tomorrow afternoon. Freezing level forecasted to fall from 2500m overnight to 500m by late Thursday afternoon. Snow in the forecast, too, from midday onwards.
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