The White Void
10th January 2026
Period of poor stability tomorrow, Sunday. Expecting some avalanche activity during the morning and then again in the afternoon as the snowfall & drifting morphs rapidly into much milder temperatures and rainfall at all levels. Very poor overhead conditions too with very strong winds, heavy drifting followed by driving rain.
Significantly more snow fell out of the sky than anticipated today. I measured 8cm of fresh (undrifted) snow at 600m late morning with more accumulating as I came off the hill. Visibility was down to 25m for a lot of the time which created the impression of an endless white void once outside the forestry plantation that runs up close to the foot of the East Ridge of Beinn a Chaorainn.
(Above) The white trench up through the plantation, the location of the only real contrast suitable for photography today.
(Above) A climber stops to gear up in the white void just a few tens of metres outwith the plantation. The East Ridge of this popular mountain would ordinarily loom up to the left of the photo.
(Above) The initial knoll of the ridge. Quite wintry here with drifting snow just 100m higher up from this altitude.
(Above) Noticed a few collapsed cornices here in Coire Dubh, 15km east of Beinn a Chaorainn, when passing this morning. Collapsing cornices expected to be a feature over the next 24hrs or so.
(Above) The access gate for the main track up towards Beinn a Chaorainn. Was comparatively busy today with several groups of climbers and a couple of ski tourers. Great to see people out and about but please, good mountaineering folk of the internet, park your vehicles somewhere other than at this bellmouth down at the A86 roadside. Saturday today so unlikely any forestry or estate vehicles required access but entirely possible that Lochaber mountain rescue team might need to get up this very handy hill track with their 4×4 or other off road vehicles to effect a rescue.
I understand the mentality of the parking here, people genuinely endeavour not to block access particularly the early birds but thereafter it’s an incremental descent into a log jam. The first two park left and right thinking they’re doing the right thing, then a third car parks close to the one on the right but leaves a sufficient access gap. Finally, latecomers fill in the remaining gaps. Akin to how this now infamous episode unfolded in Wasdale in the Lake District in 2017, (the first comment best explains how it probably evolved): https://www.facebook.com/Trailmagazine/posts/now-we-dont-know-the-exact-details-so-we-have-to-be-a-little-careful-with-what-w/1852234604847528/
There is parking just 300m east of the bellmouth that would have accomodated most of these cars.
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