Wintry!
18th January 2024
(Above) Coire Ardair and the Post Face. The western end of the Creag Meagaidh massif seemed to generate its own weather system today and was wreathed in cloud/mist all day. Only a trace of new snowfall at the time of reporting but much more in prospect overnight and during the day on Friday.
(Above) The main Coire Ardair track today. The ski tracks are from yesterday. Skis would have been a good choice for access today but overall skiing quality is – despite the recent snowfall and drifting – pretty poor, apart from a where a few low angle burn lines have filled in.
(Above) The sunnier, brighter Coire Chriochairein. East and SE aspects on display here where there is significantly more (poor stabilised) snow and developing cornices.
(Above) Coire Chriochairein again, this time showing what looks like a large, long crownwall (orange arrows) but is more likely a feature created by wind which had been tracking left to right between the arrows. Cornices are beginning to develop over most lee slopes (see the yellow arrow top right but you’ll need to zoom in) and will be more of an objective danger and prone to collapse on Friday.
(Above) NE shoulder of Sron a Ghoire with some altitude annotation. East and SE aspects in sunlight. Expecting much more drifting into this favoured accumulation zone (and similar NE to SE aspects) above 750m, with more limited accumulations down to 600m. Friday is looking distinctly wintry!
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Keith Horner
18th January 2024 6:40 pm
Re. Coire Chriochairein crown wall/wind feature – there seems to be similar walls of snow which are sunlit in the top left of the photo on a similar aspect to those you highlight so more likely wind created? Northern Cairngorm forecasters also show a similar snow wall feature which they suggest is wind shaped, so potentially similar wind direction, strength and snow conditions at play in both areas?
meagaidhadmin
18th January 2024 9:01 pm
Hi Keith,
‘…so potentially similar wind direction, strength and snow conditions at play in both areas?’
Entirely possible.
I didn’t see any buried avalanche debris beneath the “crownwall” I highlighted. Though it could have been completely and comprehensively covered effectively masking the evidence.
Just to complicate matters though…there was an avalanche yesterday just up and left of the so-called ‘crownwall’. It has drifted over but there is still a telltale shadow in the snow that’s orientated in exactly the same direction as the others you’ve noticed.
Wish I could offer you a more certain answer! (Have to say though that it’s the first time in the 20 yrs I’ve worked at ‘Meggie that I’ve noticed such a feature in that particular place below the rocky boss.)
Many thanks for your observations.
Keith Horner
19th January 2024 8:43 am
Thanks – looking at the photo in more detail, there seem to be some similar less defined snow features continuing below your lowest orange arrow along the base of the lower rocky outcrop. Also some other defined snow features
low down on the right hand side of the broad snowy gully in the left of the photo, and also some smaller features below the broken rocky outcrops diagonally below your crown wall, along the base of steeper rocky sections. All seem to have similar orientation so clearly something very specific was occurring to create these.