The leastest & the mostest
2nd January 2020
Least snow and most water.
Not a great day for photography. (Changing lenses: that was fun!)
(Above) Leastest snow here (though mostest water on the camera lens). The Window and the Inner Coire. A miserable, wet and windy day today.
Colder with a showery and strong Westerly airflow on Friday. The Met Office have some difficulty modelling the exact track of shower activity with any accuracy so we may get something in the way of snowfall, or not very much. Maybe see some graupel in the showers, too. If we do receive some snow, slopes like The Window (above, the col summit is at 950m and East-facing) will see some build up of windslab near the top. Since most of the new build up will be one bare ground it’s not expected to pose too many problems, just as long as we get no more than the fairly modest amount of snowfall indicated in our met forecast.
(Above) The large square cut corner left centre is the site of ‘Pumpkin’, one of Creag Meagaidh’s signature winter routes. Ice (and snow) notable by its absence, of course. Much colder overnight but general winter climbing conditions likely to take quite some time to recover.
(Above) It really did pour down for quite some time and most burns responded quickly to the heavy rainfall. There are 3 that drain the Inner Coire, one shown here, and they were all much more swollen on the outward leg.
(Above) Easy Gully and the Post Face of Coire Ardair this morning. Some ribbons of old snow persist at lower altitudes (below 800m) in some favoured gullies.
(Above) Mostest snow here, but that’s no big claim! The short multiple N-facing gullies below Puist Coire Ardair. Best above 850m but still very modest cover, of course. Belleview Buttress is the steep crag on the far right of the shot.
(Above) The main path in the flattest section of Coire Ardair this afternoon. You’d be excused for thinking the path was a minor mountain torrent today. For reference, the path is the watercourse on the left of the photo. Yep, definitely the mostest water here.
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Steve Smart
3rd January 2020 2:57 pm
Finding this weather a bit depressing, new winter boots for Christmas sitting in their box.
Brilliant to see your photos though, great and informative job.
meagaidhadmin
3rd January 2020 4:46 pm
Thanks for your comment, Steve.
You’re right, the weather has been utterly pants and doesn’t look at all promising right through the weekend and into the early part of next week. Indications are for some really fierce winds, too. Let’s not write the winter off just yet though – it’s very early days.
Audrey Kelman
10th January 2020 8:47 am
Enjoyed reading and photos spectacular! Thanks v much…A
meagaidhadmin
10th January 2020 9:17 am
Thanks, Audrey.
Definitely not the best weather day I’ve had!