February 2004 Conditions Reports

29th February 2004
Congratulations to all the men who were proposed to today! As it has been so cold for the last week many watercourses quite low down have frozen up. There is ice all over Glen Coe - Great Gully on Buachaille Etive Mor, below Arch Gully on Stob Coire nam Beith, the Lost Valley smears, The Screen on Aonach Dubh W Face and on Sron na Creise near the ski area. Blue Riband is totaly dry though. Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor are as busy as ever so exploring these other places could be the best bet. The weather will break down on Tuesday night and Wednesday when we'll have warm SW winds and rain. There are two days of great weather to go before then, make the most of it!

28th February 2004

To try and get away from the crowds (David counted over 30 people on Tower Ridge!) we went to Stob Coire an Laoigh. It didn't work out, the modern classic Talibalan (V,6) had two teams in it when we arrived and five other teams were walking in to the crag! We climbed Talibalan anyway, it's a fairly solid mixed climb with very good and plentiful belay ledges and it's brilliant! Sustained good climbing in great positions with good protection. Slim Jim was also climbed on the higher left hand part of the crag where there was more rime on the rocks. On the walk in we passed a twenty foot free standing pillar of ice - there are loads of frozen waterfalls around including Sgurr Finnisg'aig fall on Aonach Mor. High pressure is building again, cold nights and sunny days.

27th February 2004

There was quite a breeze on NE Buttress today but we still managed to climb it with Slingsby's Chimney to start in six hours. Not much neve lower down and the Mantrap felt like IV,6 and harder than The Message! Smiths Route icicle variation was climbed by Euan and Point Five Gully was climbed - the chimney pitch looks like it has filled out a bit. Rime is building well high on Ben Nevis and ice continues to form in the drainage lines although The Curtain is not yet formed.

26th February 2004
The snow appears to be falling all around us but not on Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor! Out west at Ardnamurchan and Knoydart there is up to 10cm of snow on the roads at sea level. The Great Ridge of Garbh Bheinn would be a brilliant climb just now. Here, we have only really had a dusting. It remains very cold though with a gentle breeze. Great weather to be out climbing or skiing.

25th February 2004
Very cold today, -6celcius at 600m with a gentle N wind. Some snow showers this morning but a lovely afternoon with lots of sunshine. Great climbing conditions on Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor, Stob Coire an Laoigh in the Grey Coires will be coming good (Jonny climbed Talibalan), ice is forming fast at Creag Meagaidh and the rocks are riming up in Glen Coe for the mixed routes. It's not such a bad winter after all!

24th February 2004

It felt much more wintry on Number Three Gully Buttress today. A cold N wind with snow showers, rime building on the rocks and the cloud coming in and out. Helen and Paul led up the first three pitches of this brilliant climb as a quick refresher to winter climbing before I led out over the exposed final two pitches. We've had a few centimetres of fresh snowfall since yesterday and there is an icy crust on it from the warmer temperatures yesterday. More snow this week with cold and breezy conditions. Wrap up warm.

23rd February 2004
At the start of what promises to be a mixed week of weather, generally cold with snow on the hills, the clouds built during the day bringing rain in the town and snow down to Lochan Meal an t'Suidhe (550m). Donald and Ken had a great time on Tower Ridge along with a team from the Dolomites in Italy. Such is the draw of the climbing in Lochaber and Fort William, the Outdoor Capital of the UK!

22nd February 2004

The cold, dry N wind made us keep moving to keep warm on Aonach Mor today. Liz, Adam, Steve and Euan all learned about snow anchors and how to protect yourself climbing classic snow gullies. We finished by abseiling over a cornice from a snow bollard and climbing back up and over it!

21st February 2004

A bit of cloud and a dusting of snow this morning cleared this afternoon in the cold N wind. The temperature inversion has been blown away and the summit is now colder than the glen, as it should be. Still looking like we should get some snow next week. Meanwhile there are still many ice climbs from grade I to VI to enjoy in the cold conditions and ice is slowly forming in the drainage lines.

20th February 2004

The pictures speak for themselves - a fabulous day above the clouds. Point Five Gully was climbed by three teams saying it was a little patchy in the chimney. Smiths Route looked like it would be great fun.

19th February 2004

We escaped the crouds by climbing Queen's View (III) on Aonach Beag's N Face. This 300m route has a great feel on a big face but the tricky section is quite short. Lots of very enjoyable steep neve and ice leading right to the top. The NE Ridge has a little snow on it and a couple of teams were climbing it today. Completely still on the summit with warm sunshine - who needs the Alps! Look at the synoptics for five days time, looks promising for some snow.

18th February 2004

Beautiful sunshine all day today made it very warm on the crags at Aonach Mor E Face. In the sun the ice was softening but refroze as soon as the sun dropped a little. Lex, Rose and I climbed Siamese Twin and Icicle Gully. There were many other people about on Temperance Union Blues, White Shark, Tunnel Vision, Left, Forgotten and Right Twin, Molar Canal, The Web and a few climbs around The Prow. Lots to do!

17th February 2004

The climbing conditions on Ben Nevis are brilliant! A selection of the climbs completed today are - Tower Scoop, Tower Ridge, Glovers Chimney, The Cascade, Raeburns Easy Route, Number Two Gully Buttress, Comb Gully, Green Gully, Number Three Gully Buttress, South Gully, the Central Gullies, North Gully, Nasturtium and many others. The ice on all these climbs is great and the weather today was perfect. There were over 100 people walking in to the Ben this morning but there are enough climbs to absorb them all. It will stay the same as long as this high pressure lasts. Happy days!

16th February 2004

We did get a little wet snow today, just enough to make the place look more wintry and pretty. Rose, Donald and I climbed Nasturtium on Central Trident Buttress to keep away from the crowds, which gave us three good pitches of up to V,5 climbing.

15th February 2004

Well frozen snow, good ice, sunshine and no wind. My mum and dad had a brilliant day to enjoy their annual ice climb - we climbed The Web and another of the many ice lines left of Easy Gully. Possibly some snow tomorrow but still the high pressure is dominant.

14th February 2004

A clear and frosty night led to clouds over the lochs and sunshine on the hills - a beautiful day. All the snow froze and was in perfect condition for the Film Festival workshops. The walkers learnt how to use ice axes and crampons plus some avalanche awareness and navigation while walking to the summit of Aonach Mor. The Avalanche Workshop team had a great time in Easy Gully and investigating the big avalanche trail that released on Tuesday. This winter is very similar to last year - little snow and ice, but what there is, is in great condition and big high pressure systems giving sustained good weather. We should have stable weather for the next five days at least, very little wind, variable amounts of cloud as very weak fronts come across but cold and frosty nights when it clears.

13th February 2004

A very weak front made it cloudy and damp today. The snow was a little softer and the ice wet but still lots of it in the places we need it. Stuart and I climbed Siamese Twin (IV,4) which is the right hand side of Left Twin followed by Tunnel Vision (III). White Shark is still complete and there is a surprising amount of ice left. Tomorrow will firm up the snow as the freezing level drops slightly. Remember the Film Festival starts tomorrow.

12th February 2004

Great weather and good conditions on Ledge Route combined to give Stuart and I a good day. The cloud was playing around in the coires, picking out all the ridges, and we saw the best brockenspectre I have ever seen. There is ice on The Cascade, Central Gully, Indicator Wall, Glovers Chimney and many others - given a freeze these climbs will come into condition very quickly. Fairly stable weather right through the weekend, a bit more cloud at times but very little wind and the chance of over night frosts.

11th February 2004

Today was dry and warm, +4celcius on the top of Aonach Mor, but the snow was not melting. Left Twin (III,4) and White Shark (IV,4 normally) were climbed today among many other things. Stuart and I were practicing self arrest and assessing avalanche dangers so it was interesting to see a huge avalanche trail and debris from a slide yesterday. It was in Coire Dubh and had nearly hit the top of the Braveheart Chairlift! Thankfully it had settled down today and will stay the same for the rest of the week while this high pressure remains with us. Not much snow cover for skiing but loads for mountaineering and enough ice for climbing.

10th February 2004
It warmed up and started raining lightly last night with the SW wind picking up as well. There is still a lot of the ice formed over the last few days at the foot of Waterfall Gully and in the usual drainage lines and the next few days should be warm but dry so we will hopefully not lose too much snow and ice.

9th February 2004

A great day today - virtually no wind, -5celcius on the summit and good views. Tom (from Lochaber MRT), Neil (from Oban MRT) and I made best use of it by climbing Point Five Gully. It was in pretty good shape, only the chimney pitch had some not so well transformed snow, all the rest was good snow ice. Tower Ridge was enjoyed by quite a few and Observatory Ridge was climbed by a team taking their time on the tricky sections. This climb is well known to be quite hard under soft snow.

8th February 2004
1.5 metres of snow has drifted in to Easy Gully on Aonach Mor over the last two days! The climbing gullies and the slopes below the crags on the E Face are all well loaded. Yesterday it was very weakly bonded together but it has settled quickly and became stable enough for me to ski Easy Gully today. Climbers were out on Morwind and Western Rib which both had well frozen turf. The clouds have cleared, tonight will be cold and tomorrow will be a sunny high pressure day. I'm off to find ice on Ben Nevis!

7th February 2004
Snow is falling again in Fort William. Heavy showers are being pushed through on very strong NW winds. As the depression is moving away slower than thought we may have to live with the strong winds for more of tomorrow, the wind only dropping in the afternoon. At least this means we'll keep the colder conditions for longer, warming up on Monday night.

6th February 2004
We have lost a lot of snow over the past few days. Warm rain and gale force winds have stripped back the snow patches and melted away most of the ice. It has cooled down already though and we have had heavy snowfall down to 800m most of today. 80mph gusts of wind at 600m are making it a day to stay indoors and tomorrow will be just as windy and -6celcius on the tops. The weather will be coming in from the NW - if it was NE or E we would get much less snow. Comb Gully and Green Gully are still just about complete and there is ice on the Little Brenva Face of Ben Nevis. Aonach Mor will have a couple of options for ice climbing as well - Left Twin and the lines between Easy Gully and the Prow. Sunday will be the best day of the weekend to try and get to the ice but mind the fresh snow.

4th February 2004

There are still large snow fields below the crags of Stob Coire nan Lochain and in the major gullies. Steve and Pete led their way up NC Gully which had a couple of rocky steps but is still the same grade at I/II. The climbers in SC Gully were dry tooling and finding the grade substantially more than the grade III it is when it is full of snow and ice. Quite a few rocks are loose and falling off due to the thaw. Ice is hanging in on Aonach Mor though and high on Ben Nevis - Left Twin and the bluffs left of Easy Gully were climbed today. It'll cool down soon.

2nd February 2004
The snowpack firmed up a bit last night but heavy rain this afternoon on the summits has washed away a fair amount. Not a pleasant day! Mixed warm and wet weather for most of the week to come.

1st February 2004

By the time we arrived towards the top of Aonach Mor it was already above freezing, the snow was wet and heavy and the wind blowing about 60mph from the SW. We didn't venture down into the coire, our original plan of squeezing in a quick climb before it warmed up too much didn't work. The fresh snow of the last week was all very unstable and was showing easy sheers on many aspects of the hill. We still had a good day looking at the avalanche conditions, talking about safe travel and doing some self arrest practice. On Ben Nevis, The Curtain looked fat but there was the same avalanche potential and very wet snow and sleet to endure on the way up. Not a nice day tomorrow, warm, wet and windy!