December 2005 Conditions Reports

31st December 2005

We have had quite a lot of snow over the last couple of days but possibly not as much as Kent! Last night the temperature rose so currently we have wet snow lying down to 700m and it turns a bit more dry above 1100m. I went up Ben Nevis with seven guys from Sandhurst via Coire Leis. The organ pipes and drainage lines down at 600m to 800m (Waterfall Gully etc.) were all quite well iced up and there was quite a depth of fresh snow in Coire Leis. All the buttresses are covered in a good layer of wet, sticky snow. On Aonach Mor Mike, Sean and Sue were climbing on the E Face where there is also a lot of snow. The buttress routes have very well frozen turf and are covered in snow but no snow-ice. There is very little ice on the crag. Right Twin first pitch is a tough grade II and higher up the chimney was so full of soft snow it was too tricky to climb. A good thaw and refreeze would do the crag the world of good!

30th December 2005

28th December 2005

Another beautiful clear day and -7 celcius on the tops! I went out with a group from Warwick University today up onto Creag Meagaidh to look at some basic winter skills - using crampons, ice axes, self arrest etc. There is plenty of snow for this kind of thing if you know where to look! The good weather will break down on Friday when we will get snow and fluctuating temperatures staying over the weekend.

27th December 2005
We have had perfect weather for several days now - cold, clear and sunny. Christmas Day gave us a brilliant sea of cloud on the loch and right up the Great Glen only about 100m deep so it was easy to get above it and into the sunshine. The down side is that there is very little snow and ice on the hills. There are very few patches of snow and little ice has been forming. Number 2 Gully is complete and Number 3 Gully but Number 4 Gully has snow in it only from the corner to the top (the last hundred metres or so). The crags in the Cairngorms are well frozen and becoming rimed up so might offer some climbing but over here there isn't much to go for!

21st December 2005
Yesterday rain on the summits all day washed away most of the snow of the previous two days. However it cooled down today and fresh snow fell on the tops down to 900m. The temperature at summit level is likely to fluctuate around freezing over the rest of the week before high pressure brings stable, cold and frosty weather over the holidays ... fingers crossed!

19th December 2005

It was cold enough for the heavy rain to be falling as snow above 950m last night but it dried up today to be cloudy butrelatively dry with just a couple of snow showers and not too much wind. The tops now have several centimetres of sticky snow stuck to them and the highest rocks are rimed up. We went up Ledge Route starting by traversing in over the top of Moonlight Gully Buttress to avoid the first slabby rocks at the start which were covered on a thin layer of wet snow. Ice is forming in all the watercourses and Garadh Gully is nearly thick enough for a grade IV ascent.

18th December 2005

The temperature did rise today but only to +1 celcius on Aonach Mor and only for a few hours. By 9pm it was down to -1 celcius again and will stay cold for tomorrow. We went to the Cairngorms to avoid the rain (of which there was plenty in Fort William) and had a good day learning how to use crampons in Coire Cas and down the very icy Goat Track into Coire an t'Sneachda. Folk were climbing on the Mess of Pottage, Fluted Buttress and Fiachail Buttress which were all well rimed. There is very little snow there though, only a few old patches and a little fresh stuff from the last couple of days. It looks like Creag Meagaidh did the best for snow around here.

17th December 2005

During last night and today a covering of a few centimetres of snow has fallen on the hills and down to sea level. There has been more in the north and east but we have had some here on the west coast. Ice has been forming very quickly in the drainage lines. There are still some old patches of snow and we used some on Creag Meagaidh to practice some movement skills. The light today was brilliant but it won't last too long. Tomorrow will be went, windy, wild and warm. It will cool down again on Monday though.

16th December 2005

The thaw has lasted all week and the snow has melted back a bit further. The temperature has already dropped though and tonight will see a hard frost and a cold day tomorrow with clear skies and excellent visibility. Cloud and rain will then move in during Sunday starting as snow on the tops.

12th December 2005

Heavy rain and warm winds on Saturday night into Sunday have melted away lots of snow. We have been left with small patches scattered over the tops. The temperture has dropped though to refreeze what has been left behind although fresh snow is not mentioned on the forecast for the coming week.

10th December 2005

It was certainly warm today and quite windy but not too wet. Ben and I went along the Five Sisters of Kintail from Morvich to the Spaniards Peak and down into Glen Sheil. The wind was behind us and there were good views through the hill fog and light rain showers. There are many patches of snow and bits of ice aroind but they were melting away fairly fast. The temperature should drop away tomorrow with fresh snow on the hills but our air stream will circulate over the atlantic around an area of high pressure so it will remain fairly mild for the next few days.

7th December 2005
Cold and dry again today but a thaw is forecast for Friday and Saturday, +10 celcius on the tops!

5th December 2005

The very highest crags are rimed up well and ice is slowly forming now as the picture shows. There are ice bluffs in all the usual places and Green Gully looks complete. High pressure will also bring stable weather, cold nights and sunny days for a wee while. Get out and enjoy it if you can.

3rd December 2005

There is plenty of snow left on the hills after the mild thaw of the last couple of days and a little fresh snow has fallen on the very highest tops. Temperatures will now drop slowly and, with high pressure building next week, we'll go back to sunny days and frosty nights that will freeze solid all the snow and provide a good base for the winter.

1st December 2005
Summit temperatures have risen to +1 celcius and we have had a little rain. The rocks have turned black again but so far it is quite a gentle thaw again and the snow in the gullies will be all the better for it when it freezes again. Quite reasonable patches of snow are lying down to 6 or 700m and Nevis Range ski area could well open up early if it stays cold enough. They have snow all the way down to the nursery slopes next to the top station at 650m.