What it looks like – Day 1
15th December 2022
Day one of our forecasting season and a promising start. It was a fine day in the hills with light winds and snow lying at all elevations, although mostly cosmetic (snowfall in the recent cold period has fallen in generally light winds and no great build up or drifted areas have developed). Snow quantities, further West here at Creag Meagaidh have been very modest, compared to those in the East, in the Cairngorms.
(Above) The Big Picture – The Creag Meagaidh range from afar on the Kinloch Laggan, A86 at Ardverikie. Sron a Ghoire (Lft) with the Post Face of Coire Ardair hidden under early am cloud. This was soon to clear.
(Above) The path to Coire Ardair, from above the immature birch woods – this was just about useable today for ski access.
(Above) Inner Coire Ardair and the slopes to the ‘Window’. A cosmetic dusting only of snow.
(Above) The Post Face of Coire Ardair, the principle gully lines Lft – Rt: South Post; Centre Post and North Post, all standing out in the ‘lean’ conditions. The talon slopes at the base of Easy Gully devoid of the usual old avalanche debris from overhead cornices and past events. Some ice build up (quantity and quality unknown) noted on some Post Face lines (Last Post) from the narrowing in Easy Gully.
(Above) Raeburn’s Gully. The talon slope at base, again snow and debris free
More snow is expected tomorrow, so hopefully some more significant accumulations, to improve on the largely cosmetic cover to date, at all elevations. Current climbing conditions at best….. ‘lean’!
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