February 2007 Conditions Reports

27th February 2007
Just as forecast today was very wet and windy with snow on the hills this morning but as the temperature rose the snow turned to rain higher up. If anyone did venture out today it would have been quite a challenging day! The Mountain Festival is in full swing here in Fort William. Timmy O'Neill has arrived from America and we are looking forward to his presentation and new film on the Mountaineering Night. Make sure you come along early for the Speed Climbing Spectacular at 6.30pm on Thursday 1st March outside the Festival Theatre at the Nevis Centre in Fort William. Known as the fastest climber in the world Timmy O'Neill will be up against Scottish Champion speed climber Blair Fyffe. Timmy's talk will then start at 7pm - be prepared for anything! Then on Saturday 3rd March "Return of the Icemen" brings Hamish MacInness, Jimmy Marshall and Yvon Chouinard together for one night only. You'll have to be quick to get one of the few remaining tickets for that night!

26th February 2007

Today was a great day to be out. Colder conditions refroze the snow and turf in just 12 hours so by this morning, with a little fresh snow down to 600m, climbing conditions were great. Very little wind again and some sunshine made it even better! Jenny, Eric and I did a Climbing Workshop on Aonach Mor looking at dynamic belaying with snow anchors (what to do when faced with a terrifying cornice and no rock or ice anchors), direct and indirect belaying while doing some great climbing. We did an icy mixed line in the Ribbed Walls just left of Temperance Union Blues (I think ... it's all a bit confusing in the middle there) and Turf Walk. A huge squad from the International Meet went to Ben Nevis and climbed things like Babylon, Albatross and many others in the great conditions. Looks like pretty poor weather over the next two days with snow and rapid thaw freeze cycles - there is lots of winter left to enjoy.

25th February 2007

Steady rain greeted first light this morning but it dried up by mid-morning to give another warm, cloudy but still day. There was a little fresh wet snow on the summit of Aonach Mor but not much sign of the temperature dropping as was hoped. Two Winter Walking Skills Workshops were out today and a Climbing Workshop - there were plenty of teams out on Aonach Mor E Face climbing the slowly shrinking ice falls. Tomorrow is still forecast to be cold and quite dry but Tuesday looks like a day to stay indoors! The pictures are from Tony and Nigel's climb of Albatross yesterday - "Even though it may have seemed a warm soggy day, high on the Ben the conditions are still holding remarkably well with 'toffee ice' to die for! Nigel and I got up early to beat the crowds and the 'international meet' and did Albatross. A superb route in great condition which we had all to ourselves! We were back home by 15:00 to watch the rugby - should have stayed up for another route!! Very few parties in Observatory Gully to our surprise - we saw a team heading for Point 5 which looked quite fat through the mist, two teams on Indicator Wall and folk in Gardyloo Gully and Tower Gully. Psychadelic Wall looked doable and Smiths also looked in excellent condition." Many thanks Tony ... good climbing!

24th February 2007

Another soggy and warm day with a little drizzle but very little wind. The slow thaw continues to reduce the areas of snow and ice little by little. For the Avalanche Awareness Workshop there was little avalanche hazard to observe but plenty of theory and practice to go over and the Walking Skills Workshop again went above and beyond the realm of walking into grade I gullies before navigating to the summit of Aonach Mor and back. Donald and Rose climbed Glover's Chimney which was surprisingly rimed up in the chimney. Many people turned back from the CIC Hut in the drizzle, being unable to see into the coires with the thick mist. However if you know your way around and know where to go there is great ice still to be found. The temperature will drop during tomorrow with a welcome return to cooler conditions by Monday.

23rd February 2007

A soggy, warm day with the temperature reaching 14celcius in Fort William! No rain though so the snow and ice are hanging in well and lots of climbing is being doen. Jake, Neil and I climbed Siamese Twin and Pernile on Aonach Mor E Face in superb soft ice conditions. The snow has gone quite loose and soft on the surface but if you choose a climb with more watery ice it is great climbing. There were some people out on the buttresses but there really isn't much in the way of snow on them. Warm but gentle weather this weekend.

22nd February 2007

Rain last night fell as snow above about 900m before the temperature went up and the snow turned to rain on the tops. Not surprisingly, there were many avalanche trails in Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis from avalanches early this morning. Jake and I kept well away from any potential hazard in Garadh Gully which has a nice couple of short ice steps at around grade III. Getting off The Garadh involves some steep slopes but can lead in to Glover's Chimney, Number Two Gully, Comb Gully etc. to get to the top. We climbed a fantastic 55m pitch of continuous grade III ice underneath Raeburn's Easy Route before bum sliding down the coire. The Cascade is fat with ice just now and left again there are huge areas of really nice, thick ice to explore. The White Line wanders up the face a bit further left finishing at the top of Tower Ridge and is a great route to try out. Also Central Gully, Nasturtium and other routes in the Trident Buttresses look good. Tomorrow and over the weekend the winds will be light and we'll have just a few showers so the climbing will be good.

21st February 2007

Yesterday's forecast changed several times and eventually (after Donald and Danny both decided to head east) it turned out not too wet but a bit warmer. Blue skies over the Cairngorms were a good reward though for the drive to Aviemore. Today turned out very well too with little wind, a slightly cooler temperature and just a few clouds gently moving past. I took Jake out on his first winter walking day which turned into more of a climbing day in the end as we covered buried axe belays and snow bollards in Easy Gully on Aonach Mor. Donald and Rose climbed Thomson's Route on Ben Nevis and had a fantastic time in the icy conditions. Danny, David and Ian went up Number Four Gully along with quite a few other teams before returning down the gully and doing a tour of the coire. On Aonach Mor there are many ice climbs being climbed daily up to around grade V and on Ben Nevis the higher ice routes are still in brilliant condition along with lots of other climbs from Coire na Ciste. As the hills get busy with the half term holidays take care and use a bit of imagination to stay clear of the crowds.

19th February 2007

The rain didn't really happen as forecast, I'm happy to say! I took the Winter Walking Skills Workshop in to Coire Dubh on Aonach Mor and had a great time in the shelter of the strong S wind looking at ice axe and crampon use, self arrest and mentioning avalanche awareness, navigation and emergency shelters. The wind was blowing around the fresh sticky snow that fell off showers throughout the day down to around 1000m. Donald and Rose went to the W Face and found seven great pitches of ice mostly at grade II but with sections of III and IV before getting on to Golden Oldie. Two Step Corner, Green Gully and Point Five Gully were climbed over the weekend (thanks for the pictures Angus) and Smiths Route, Indicator Wall and many other fine ice climbs are still in great shape. Thanks also to David for his picture of the Tunnel Vision area of Aonach Mor E Face from yesterday. A bit warm for the next few days but not too much rain so just a slow, steady consolidation of the higher routes.

18th February 2007

On the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Zero Gully there wasn't much chance of a re-enactment. The lower part of the route doesn't have much snow or ice on it at all. However it was a great day with lots of sunshine and lots of other climbing to be done. The Mountain Festival Workshops got under way today with an Avalanche Awareness and a Walking Skills Workshop taking nine people all over Aonach Mor. Even though the snow was very stable we found sufficient interesting snow and the walkers had a fantastic time on their crampons for most of the day.

By the cirrus clouds coming over from the west this afternoon it was obvious the good weather would not hold though and tomorrow will be warm, windy and wet.

17th February 2007

With high pressure building today the clouds broke up and the sun came out to make for a lovely afternoon. Snow showers last night and this morning put a thin covering on the tops down to 1000m but the snowpack is mostly quite stable. Lots of folk were out on Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor and Donald took Michael and Richard up the ice below Slingsby's Chimney before climbing the chimney to the first platform of NE Buttress. They abseiled back down the same route after retrieving some rope and gear left behind some time ago.

Gary was on the SW slopes of Ben Lawyers in the southern highlands where there is still good snow cover above 1000m. This is a lovely quiet spot away from the crowds and is quite spectacular. They went down the E/SE ridge and there is still plenty of snow on the tops and ridges.

16th February 2007

It stayed mostly dry today but the freezing level in Glen Coe didn't come down much at all. Dan, Adam and I went up Curved Ridge (along with many other teams) to practice self rescue techniques - 3:1 hoists in the system, assisted hoists, escaping from the system and counterbalance abseiling. It was not freezing on top and the rocks were drying out well. There are large areas of snow in the north and east facing coires in Glen Coe and some of the major gullies are full still but the buttresses were black and steeper gullies (Crowberry, SC, Deep Cut Chimney etc.) are all bare. The snow has settled down though and the weekend will be quite nice with light winds, slightly cooler temperatures and little rain or snow.

15th February 2007

This morning was very warm and windy but dry as we walked in to Ben Nevis again. A lot of the soft snow from the last couple of days had already melted and there were big avalanche trails out of Glovers Chimney area. Adam, Dan and I climbed on the big sheets of water ice below Slingsby's Chimney before abseiling off on ice threads. Donald took Will and Stewart up the water ice sections of Compression Crack. Both these routes were sheltered from the strong and gusty wind and were great fun to climb even in the thaw as the water ice went soft. The rain started late morning though and by the mid-afternoon everything was streaming with water. There was a big wet avalanche from the bowl above The Shroud that poured over the edge for about 25 seconds. However it will cool down a bit tomorrow and the weekend looks quite good with light winds, little precipitation and lots of good climbing to do. Have a look at the crags of Ben Nevis here.

14th February 2007

More fresh snow last night down to 600m accumulated in many areas making for a slightly spooky day today. Adam, Dan and I went up Tower Ridge which was brilliant with the fresh snow and good weather. There was very little wind on the ridge and it was well covered in snow. Point Five Gully looks fat again, Good Friday Climb, Gardyloo Gully, Comb and Green Gullies were climbed today and there are many routes in good condition just now. Ice has been hanging in and even forming slightly in the water courses - The Curtain is almost fat enough to climb, Waterfall Gully looks OK but Mega Route X is still just a haze!

13th February 2007

Adam, Dan and I had Left Twin to ourselves this morning which was quite a surprise but very good. It is in quite easy condition just now and the ice is good for placing screws. We abseiled to Tunnel Vision and found much poorer ice for protection but brilliant neve for climing on. There was quite a lot of wet sticky snow collecting in the coire off a SW wind which stuck to every thing and got us soaking wet as the freezing level was only just at the top of the crags. Lots of folk were out climbing lots of things - it's all in pretty good shape, just watch out for the slopes getting loaded with fresh snow.

12th February 2007

A little fresh snow fell overnight and the rocks rimed up well so this morning Stob Coire na Lochan was in great condition for the mixed climbs. Rich and partner made short work of Central Grooves but by mid-afternoon the rocks were black again so the guys were being chased up the crag by the thaw! It was a very gentle thaw with the snow getting sticky but not really very wet on the summit. Dan, Adam and I went up Dorsal Arete which we enjoyed with several other teams. This was the first winter lead for Dan and Adam - Dorsal Arete is a great choice as a start into the winter climbing as it starts off gently and is very well protected on the crux narrow arete at the top. Boomerang Gully, Twisting Gully and SC Gully are not complete but the buttress routes are great along with NC Gully and the easier gullies.

11th February 2007

The wind calmed down during today and we had some fresh snow falling down to 400m. However it also warmed up slightly and the snow is now sitting at 650m. A much more calm day compared to the last few! We're likely to get more snow showers over the next couple of days and another wee thaw by the end of the coming week. The pictures are from Dave and Campbell's ascent of Point Five Gully on Wednesday of last week. It's far from banked out but there is really good solid ice all the way. With the snow we've had and more to come the gullies will fill in nicely ready for the snow to be glued in place by the next thaw freeze cycle.

10th February 2007

The last couple of days have been more or less dry, cold but very windy with violent gusts on the hills. Mum and Dad didn't get their annual ice climb in yesterday due to the gondola at Nevis Range not running - with a SE wind it only takes about 40mph of wind to stop them running the gondola. They can take much more if it is a SW wind. Today Donald, Andy and Paddy went into Mulloch nan Coirean in the Mamores where there is lots of ice in the stream beds perfect for coaching good crampon technique. They did manage along the summit ridge for a short way but were being blown off their feet so descended as soon as they could. Lots of teams walked in to Ben Nevis and walked out again pretty quickly due to the wind. We might get some snow tomorrow and the winds will drop with a rise in temperature at the start of next week.

8th February 2007

Very cold but windy today from the SE with a couple of snow showers creating some spin drift. Luke, Matt and I climbed Morwind for a complete contrast to yesterday's climb. The buttresses on Aonach Mor E Face are very dry with solid frozen turf, good bits of ice and dry cracks giving well protected mixed climbing. From the thread belay at the top we abseiled to the foot of Tunnel Vision (down a wall nobody climbs on) and went up Tinsel Town by climbing the deep obvious icy cleft just to the right of the first pitch. This is a fine and sustained ice climb with good protection and a fairly straight forward cornice exit which is more like IV,5 than the V,4 it is graded in the books. Yesterday Satanic Verses wasn't quite completed as the leader took a fall on the final corner due to thin ice. They escaped with some help from folks on top but the climb might need to get a bit fatter for that last pitch to be any good.

7th February 2007

Staying very cold and dry with sunshine all day long, there's no place I'd rather be! Luke and I joined the crouds in Observatory Gully today where there were several teams on Point Five Gully, Smiths Route, Psychadelic Wall, Satanic Verses, Good Friday Climb and Tower Scoop. We joined the two teams on Indicator Wall as it was wide enough for three separate lines next to each other! We were on the left where there is a rock belay after the first pitch. The ice is perfect and plentiful. We descended number Four which is now easy enough to walk down through the cornice with some care. Green Gully and Glovers Chimney were climbed today and Comb Gully, The Cascade, Upper Cascades, Two Step Corner, Levitation (nearly) and many others are looking good. Ice has formed rapidly in Waterfall Gully, Compression Crack and on the Curtain but is too thin so far to climb.

6th February 2007

I had a day off today so here are some pictures of Paul and Lawrence on White Shark yesterday. Thanks for the pictures Paul!

5th February 2007

It did turn properly cold as forecast and the sun emerged on Aonach Mor for much of the day to give fantastic climbing conditions with virtually no wind. Karen, Lloyd and I climbed Siamese Twin (III,5) and The Web (II/III) while running over everything to do with winter climbing (placing ice screws, snow bollards, buried axes, stance organisation, climbing skills, methods of belaying etc.). There were several teams on Left twin and one on White Shark. Jet Stream (patchy), Right Twin, Icicle Gully, Morwind and some other routes were being climbed as well. The ice is good and solid but as ever the routes feel tough for the grades because of the easy access to the crag, generally good anchors and short route lengths. There was a light cover of fresh snow above 600m which has formed very small soft cornices but of no consequence. The snow has made the rocks just about white enough to justify climbing! Eric and Jenny were on Stob Coire nan Lochan where they climbed Dorsal Arete on great neve before descending Broad Gully. The gully is complete with lines of snow right into the coire but the steeper gullies (SC, Twisting etc.) are not complete. Cold, stable good weather for a few days to come.

4th February 2007

After three big days Ian, Richard and I went to Buachaille Etive Mor to climb Curved Ridge today. There's no snow on the ridge, just the usual patches in the bays above and behind Crowberry Tower. Great practice for the guys to practice their placment of protection as they led up the route and sorted out all the belays themselves. Stob Coire na Lochan, the Lost Valley and Coire nam Beith all have lots of snow in the coires and the major gullies but none on the buttresses or steeper gullies. It was slightly warmer today and a little damp but it will be properly cold this week.

3rd February 2007

What a brilliant day! Frosty start, sunshine all day, solid snow and perfect ice! Ben Nevis was understandably popular today and lots of teams were in Coire na Ciste and on Tower Ridge. Those that slogged up Observatory Gully were treated to beautiful smears of ice all over Indicator and Psychadelic Walls, Gardyloo Buttress and the flank of the top of Tower Ridge. Ian, Richard and I climbed Good Friday Climb with a direct start (III) and a grade IV variation finishing up the crest of Observatory Buttress.

Other teams were on Indicator Wall, Psychadelic Wall, Satanic Verses, Smith's Route, Right Edge, Tower Scoop and Upper Tower Cascades. Even though there was a temperature inversion and it was a couple of degrees above freezing the snow and ice were dry because it is a very dry atmosphere and the wet-bulb freezing level is very low. This makes for great climbing conditions - dry, solid ice but warm enough to be comfortable. Click on the pictures for bigger images and here for a full panarama from the CIC Hut.

2nd February 2007

It cooled down last night and there was a very light dusting of snow above 950m. The old snow exposed to the wind has frozen to ice and boiler plate. On the crags of Aonach Mor E Face the snow has yet to freeze completely but it was getting there. Ian, Richard and I climbed Right Twin (thought provoking) and Left Twin (great) before calling it a day due to sore calf muscles! David was out on Forgotten Twin and Icicle Gully (thin) as well. The buttresses have quite a lot of grass showing in the lower sections but still plenty of snow higher up. There is some ice around as well, White Shark is complete but thin and the Ribbed Walls have several good lines. Over on the West Face the rocks are completely clear of snow. With high pressure staying off to the west of the UK we will have a northerly airstream for all of next week. Troughs and fronts from Scandinavia may well bring us some more snow and colder conditions.

1st February 2007

Last week I said to some folk that we had such a good base of snow above 900m that we could survive a week of thaw. I didn't expect my theory to be tested so heavily! The last four or five days have been very warm and very wet. We have lost a lot of snow and most of the ice that was forming so well. However, not everything is lost and we still have plenty of winter go yet. I went up Tower Ridge today with Ian and Richard which was climbed on dry rock for the first third. We put on the crampons at the top of the Little Tower and really needed them on the firm snow on the Eastern Treaverse and above. Above 900m there is still a very good depth of snow, more than we had at all last winter, and Tower Ridge is well banked in the top third. The top of the Orion Face has lots of snow and ice dotted all over it, Point Five Gully has ice on the first pitch, a waterfall in the chimney but good ice from the Rogue Pitch upwards. Good Friday Climb and Indicator Wall are still fat with ice but we didn't see Gardyloo Buttress in the mist. So given a return to cold conditions and some fresh snow I think the major lines will reform rapidly. It looks like temperatures will be more realistic for the next week starting with -1 celcius at 900m tomorrow.