Old debris
21st March 2026
Cloudy and cooler overnight and during the day. Little change in the prevailing good stability and favorable avalanche hazard. However, those who haven’t visited Coire Ardair before might assume that the sky had fallen given the amount of cornice and avalanche debris we have in our principal low grade gullies and at the base of many crags. All of it old – some positively historic – but it nevertheless creates quite an impression for the uniniated. And it’s quite normal to see this at Creag Meagaidh.
Only a little precip in the forecast, mainly light rain but with a smidgen of sleet over summits. Expected to bring little or no change to the overall good picture of stability and hazard, save for residual cornices which may weaken a bit overnight. Cooler later on Sunday which will help firm up the old snowpack in most places.
(Above) Lochan a Choire, Raeburn’s Gully, Easy Gully and the Post Face of Coire Ardair. Both the aforementioned gullies are complete albeit with softer, moist snow down low and replete with old avalanche & cornice debris.
(Above) The entrance to Easy Gully. Old cornice and avalanche debris from Easy Gully coalescing with what looks like some minor full depth avalanche debris from the much steeper Centre Post. There’s a much larger and longer lobe of debris higher up Easy Gully that extends for quite some distance. Most of this a result of rain after snowfall/drifting overnight 16th/17th March, so all of it old but it creates quite an ambience!
(Above) The steep NNE-facing crags of the Inner Coire of Coire Ardair with The Window prominent on the right. Again, more old debris at the base of these steep crags.
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