December 2007 Conditions Reports

31st December 2007

The weather forecast was spot on for today - rain on the tops starting in the small hours, drying up at midday and cloud slowly breaking in the afternoon. The thaw didn't take much snow away, just saturated what was there. The ice on Number Three Gully Buttress was running with water but my trusty rubber gloves did the trick and Douglas and I enjoyed a fine climb despite the weather. It was a warm and sweaty walk in and today's top tip is to change into a dry base layer before starting the climb. There is quite a lot of ice around Raeburns Easy Route, The Cascade and Upper Cascades, also on Number Three Gully Buttress. Green Gully is complete and, given a good freeze, will be in excellent condition along with Glovers Chimney, Thompson's Route, North Gully on Creag Coire na Ciste and Glover's Chimney. There is a good freeze forecast towards the end of this week so expect some excellent climbing conditions then.

30th December 2007

Last nights freeze made for a frosty start this morning with verglas on the rocks of the path into Stob Coire nan Lochain. The fresh snow from the night before had warmed slightly and cooled again to make a crust on top but it was still quite soft. The crags in the coire were looking great with snow on all the ledges and rime on most of the steep bits. There were many mixed lines in great shape but not much ice in the gullies. Douglas and I did seven pitches on Dorsal Arete as a warm up and refresher of rope skills. Douglas even led a short pitch - not bad for his first winter route in Scotland! Other teams were on Twisting Gully and Forked Gully, and Rob was on Central Buttress Ordinary Route finding some rattling blocks in the chimney of the first pitch. It was a lovely, calm day and great climbing all round. Up on Ben Nevis Ian Parnell, Guy Robertson and Mark Garthwaite did a very quick second ascent of The Secret (Andy Turner's line in Number Three Gully) and round the corner Blair Fyffe and Kenny Grant Chinook Chinook, with a wee variation on the first pitch, which they rated at about V,6. Looks like it will warm up tonight with rain on the summits.

29th December 2007

Snow last night fell down to around 600m and today turned out very nice and cold. The crags on Ben Nevis weren't very well rimed so Donald and I headed for the whitest bit we could see - beneath the First Platform of NE Buttress. We just did the best looking line which turned out to be a combination of Bayonet Route and Green Hollow Route. When these climbs have solid snow and ice on them they are graded III and IV respectively. Our climb today had no neve, just snowed up rock and fairly well frozen turf, so it was a bit harder (around V,6) but very good fun and in a brilliant position. There is some ice around, mostly in Coire na Ciste to the left of Number Two Gully and on Number Three Gully Buttress; the major gullies are full but we need more snow and some thaw freeze cycles to bring the likes of Point Five Gully into condition.

27th December 2007
Happy Christmas! With the annual hibernation over it might be worth getting out to burn off a few excess calories! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were cold and mostly dry with some snow showers putting snow down to 900m. The temperature fluctuated wildly with a rapid overnight thaw and freezing during the day so thaw freeze gullies such as Point Five Gully, Zero Gully, Green Gully, Left Twin etc. were building snow and ice. Yesterday (Boxing Day) much of the good work was washed away with very heavy rain on the summits and stormy winds. Today it has cooled again slightly and dried up a bit to reveal a little more snow in the gullies and behind the ski fences above 900m than there was before Christmas so the major gullies will be better filled in. Snow showers down to 900m today have put a wee dusting on the tops and it is freezing again on the highest peaks, freezing the snow and forming ice. There isn't much to go for in Glen Coe as it is too low but Ben Nevis, the Aonachs and Grey Corries have some climbs forming that will be worth exploring. Warmer again tomorrow and colder with snow down to 500m on Saturday is what's forecast but it is a very mixed pattern of weather just now so the best idea is get out there with your jackets zipped up tight and see what's there on the day!

25th December 2007

Happy Christmas!

23rd December 2007
Back to mixed weather! Saturday was wet to start and the rain, falling on frozen ground in the glens, turned to ice on the roads and pavements causing havoc! Up high it didn't have much chance to was away any snow or ice before it turned to snow. By the end of the day there was a dusting of snow down to 800m around the hills here and Glen Coe. The strong SW wind just got stronger over night and during today but it was dry and the clouds were mostly above the tops. It would have been an extremely windy day in the hills today and I am glad I wasn't out despite the fresh snow making it look very inviting. The next few days will see further snow showers and the freezing level going up and down a bit, typical weather for the time of year and what we need to start building snow and ice in the places we want them!

18th December 2007

With lighter winds the temperature inversion has really taken hold now. It stayed below freezing in the glens but on top of Ben Nevis it was around plus 5 celcius and very comfortable in the sunshine. There is some ice around - Raeburns Easy Route would be a great climb just now with water ice steps all the way to the big rightwards ramp. The Cascade is also looking just about fat enough to climb. Other watercourses like Garadh Gully, Waterfall Gully and The Curtain have some ice on them but need a lot more. There is snow to the lochans in Coire na Ciste but the screes are not yet covered and the major gullies are patchy but good fun on the superb snow.
Our team from Welbeck climbed Number Three Gully before reaching the top of Ben Nevis to take in the views of Rum and Skye, Ben Lomond, Ben Wyvis and all the hills in between! As the temperature inversion is due to last a few days look out for low level streams to freeze up but don't expect more ice to form high in the hills.

17th December 2007

Another cold and perfectly dry day with very clear air making for brilliant views. So for our team from Welbeck College on the east end of the Creag Meagaidh range today we could see the Torridon hills and Ben Wyvis to the north, the Cairngorms, Ben Alder, The Grey Corries and the Loch Lochy hills - a stunning panarama. There is very little snow around Creag Meagaidh, just a few patches and lines in high gullies but less than in the Cairngorms at the moment. We did find a wee grade I gully in Coire Dubh which we walked to from Garva Bridge. It made a fine wee climb on solid snow before we went along and introduced the skills of placing and using a buried axe belay. Ice is forming in the watercourses and it is due to get colder in the glens as the high pressure system really starts to dominate the weather.

16th December 2007

Today was colder on the summit of Cairngorm than was expected and the snow was very well frozen with a good number of ice patches dribbling over the rocks. It was a stunning day with superb sunshine and great views although the wind was quite brisk in places. We took our team from Welbeck College on an introduction to winter skills including kicking and cutting steps, self arrest with an ice axe and use of crampons by traversing Cairngorm and descending into Coire an t'Sneachda.
The major easy gullies in Coire an t'Sneachda are mostly complete with the occasional patch of ice and sometimes a little thin at the top. There is no rime on the crags and no chance of any developing when the air is so dry. Alladin's Mirror Direct has ice on it and the ground is well frozen. Stable cold and dry weather for a few days to come.

14th December 2007

Over the last three days it has thawed to the tops and gentle rain has washed away all the snow on the buttresses. The gullies do still have some (wet) snow in the gullies and there is water available to turn into ice when it freezes next. Temperatures are due to drop over the coming days. It will be freezing at 900m on Sunday so the snow in the gullies will start to firm up and an ascent of a major gully could be worth a try on the higher summits. The high pressure system now building will bring cold and dry S or SE winds for a few days so here on the west coast we are likely to see little new snow fall but the existing snow should freeze well providing a good base of snow in the gullies. The major ridges have a few snow patches on them so take ice axes and crampons with you if you go for something like Tower Ridge or the Aonach Eagach but there will be more rock than snow just now.

11th December 2007
The modern age of mountaineering is with us - videos and reports of the Terminator's most recent first ascent were online within hours of his return to Fort William! Andy, Steve and Viv's route is an awsome achievement and another magnificent addition to the growing number of big, hard and serious Nevis mixed routes. Well done guys! Also out yesterday were a couple of teams on Stob Coire nan Laoigh in the Grey Corries - Danny climbed End Game and Rich climbed Centrepiece. The crag and all the turf were completely frozen and solid making for great climbing. Today, Andy and Steve were out again trying another new line and Rob climbed Darth Vader on Ben Nevis which was also pretty well frozen but would have been easier with a little more solid snow in the chimney. The temperature went up a bit today and the next few days are looking a bit warmer with rain tomorrow. The rime from the rocks will all disappear but it will just consolidate the snow in the gullies ready for it to refreeze when the high pressure system takes hold at the weekend and temperatures drop again.

10th December 2007

It's a sublime day here in The Outdoor Capital of the UK. Freezing temperatures, little wind and a clear sky with everything bathed in sunshine. The hills are looking fantastic covered with snow down to 600m and rime on the higher buttresses. After the wee thaw yesterday the snow will have settled well and ice will be forming. The new path from the North Face Car Park in Torlundy to the Allt a'Mhuillin path was officially opened today by The Nevis Partnership and Forestry Commission. This is a brilliant new addition to the network of paths and removes the horrific climb up through mud and bogs to get to Ben Nevis. High pressure builing means we should get a settled period of dry and cold weather for a few days.

9th December 2007
Friday stayed cold and snow fell continuously all day. Saturday dawned bright and still but quickly turned quite nasty again high up with further snow fall and very strong winds. One team on Ledge Route on Ben Nevis found waist deep snow at the foot of Number Five Gully and had quite a tough time on the top section of the route and on the summit of Carn Dearg. From around midnight the temperature went up significantly turning all the fresh snow into wet mush but not washing it away too fast as it was a fairly dry day. Most teams on Ben Nevis decided not to climb today due to the soggy conditions. Tomorrow and Tuesday will be cold again so the wet snow will refreeze and firm up. High pressure is due to build for the second half of next week with cold and dry SE winds so I'm hopeful of some good climbing then. What ever happens we now have a very good cover of snow that should set us up nicely for the rest of the winter. It's a very similar cycle to last year which turned out to be an excellent one for those around here - great snow cover and grade V ice available all winter!

7th December 2007
It warmed up slightly during the day yesterday so it was raining to the tops again but cooled down over night. Today steady rain is falling as snow down to 900m and it is -2 celcius at 1100m on Aonach Mor. There is nothing to see most of the time as the cloud is down to just about sea level and only giving us the odd glimpse at what is going on up there plus there is a strong north westerly wind. Freezing temperatures, moisture in the form of cloud and strong winds all add up to riming of rocks facing the wind. So crags facing NW should look quite wintry by tomorrow and may offer some good climbing. Also the saturated snow in the gullies will be firming up well. Have fun!

6th December 2007
The warm spell cleared away most of the snow on the ridges and buttresses, however there is some snow left in the big gullies. Last night the rain turned to snow down to 1000m as it cooled down slightly. It is forecast to be colder at the weekend so the old snow might well firm up making an ascent of a major gully a reasonable idea for the weekend. Number Two Gully could provide some sport over the chockstone and Number Three and Four Gullies will be fine. It will continue to snow in showers with quite a strong wind so if there is cloud cover down over the crags they should rime up nicely and look wintry for some mixed climbing as well. So it should turn out to be proper Autumn conditions - cold, snowy and blustery - brilliant!

4th December 2007

Today turned out very mild, windy and wet today with rain on the summits. However the weather didn't hold back John Ritson from slacklining over the Lower Falls in Glen Nevis to launch the programme of the 2008 Mountain Festival. Alongside all the familiar presentations themed to mountaineering, biking, paddling, the Film Competition finalists and Best of Banff selection of mountain films we have The Modern Face of Everest with Kenton Cool and Matt Dickinson, 75 Years of Mountain Rescue Service and Nevis Connections celebrating everything to do with the evocative Nevis name. Plus the first ever UK Slacklining Masters Championships with £1500 cash prizes to give away to the best slacker in the country! It's going to be a great festival, make sure you're here to enjoy the action. Thanks again to Alex Gillespie for the pictures.

2nd December 2007

It turned out to be a lovely day today with cool temperatures (+6 celcius at sea level), clear skies and little wind. One team out yesterday on Aonach Beag reported mostly soft snow on the ground but the occasional hard patch and a general feeling of being very wintry! I went up for a look at Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis and saw the gullies with some snow in and the boulder slopes beneath Number Two Gully and Number Three Gully were quite well covered with about 50cm of snow. The snow line is at around 750m and there is very little ice forming yet. It's all very soft just now and the ridges and buttresses will give the best climbing - Ledge Route, Tower Ridge, Slab Route, Gargoyle Wall etc. Click on the pictures to see a bigger version.

Also, here's a quick video to give you a better impression of what it's like.

1st December 2007
It warmed a bit during the week and heavy rain at all levels washed away what snow there was. There was plenty of action last weekend with folks out walking, climbing, skiing and sledging in the Cairngorms so it's a shame it all went away. However it has cooled down again and with heavy rain at sea level today snow is building rapidly in the gullies and corries all around Lochaber, Glen Coe and as far south as Bridge of Orchy. It is drifting behind the fences at Nevis Range and the snow line is currently just above the top restaurant at 700m. The forecast is for unsettled weather to stay with us into next week with further periods of snow fall interspersed by slightly warmer spells.