Mingin’ on Beinn a Chaorainn
23rd February 2026
Poor quality mountain day on Beinn a Chaorainn. With the freezing level around summits the persistent precip fell as rain at most levels and sleet or snow only above about 1000m. Visibility was poor, too, so nil opportunity to spot any old avalanche/cornice debris from the past few days.
Overnight and tomorrow, wet and mild but becoming showery during the day. With this in mind there’s enhanced potential for cornice collapse over the next forecast period. Full depth avalanches may also rear their ugly heads too especially from very steep snow laden crags such as the ones at the far end of Coire Ardair. Ice and rockfall another consideration in the vicinity of the very same crags. (Creag Meagaidh just keeps on giving, doesn’t it!)
(Above) Terrible, smeary photo showing some limited roller ball activity (snow followed by rain/mild temps) on the steep backwall of the mega coire to the south of the East Ridge.
(Above) The only shot with any real contrast (after much post-production tweaking) above 900m today. An easy-angled couloir on the broad rambling ridge adjacent to the East Ridge. Wet, later moist snow made for pretty good pigeon-hole steps in ascent all the way to 1010m. Pretty decent bumslide down here on the return leg, too!
(Above) Burns and some tracks in spate. The ford downhill of this photo offered a bit of a challenge this morning and more so in the early afternoon.
(Above) Looking across to Aonach Beag 1116m and Beinn Eibhinn. Still holding quite a lot of snow.
(Above) It cleared and dried up a tad in the afternoon enough to capture a reasonable shot of Coire Dubh, an east and south-facing coire part of the Carn Liath massif. Top of the hill here is at 916m and only a modest amount of recent snowfall at this altitude, the bulk of being rainfall/sleet.
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KEITH HORNER
23rd February 2026 5:37 pm
Reminds us that as well as snow, ice and rock hazards, high fast flowing burn levels in periods of heavy thaw can present equally serious dangers for travel in the mountains…..
meagaidhadmin
23rd February 2026 6:20 pm
That particular Beinn a Chaorainn burn crossing, Keith. Really quite swollen just a few hours after I first crossed it when venturing up the track in the morning.
With all the ice there’s been at Meggie recently there’s a plentiful supply of it to fall down now. Hearing but not immediately seeing ice or rockfall is really quite alarming in the vicinity of the crags as you’re really not sure whether you’re in the firing line, or not.