February 2009 Conditions Reports

28th February 2009

Despite the forecast it stayed mostly dry today and it was a nice day to be out climbing. Radek and I went to Aonach Mor E Face and Donald took Greg and Dave up Ben Nevis. Snow flurries were swirling around at 1200m but the freezing level was just above the tops. Radek got into leading winter climbs as we swung leads on Tunnel Vision and Siamese Twin. After the fresh snow and rain of the last couple of days there was some slushy snow on the steep part of Siamese Twin but plenty of solid stuff underneath. On Ben Nevis Thompson's Route was felt to be challenging at IV,4 with the initial chimney being particularly thought provoking! There is little ice on the route at present and none in the chimney so it will provide a tough mixed move or two with protection a short way below. The big refreeze will start tomorrow and continue all week with freezing levels down to a couple hundred metres ... and not before time!

27th February 2009

Surprisingly it wasn't raining on the walk in to Ben Nevis today. However it was very warm, the drizzle came on later and the routes were running with water. Ed, Luke and I made the best of it by climbing Green Gully. Some of the ice was like a raspberry slush puppy but where the water was running underneath the ice was soft and nice. Rubber gloves and double goretex were in order for these conditions. Donald and Michael climbed Number Three Gully Buttress but there were very few other teams out today. A few SMC members did a bit of work clearing up the mess around the CIC Hut which was very good to see. They have quite a big job to do yet but they have made a start. Cold weather will arrive over the weekend going by the forecasts with significant falls of snow next week down to low levels.

26th February 2009

Despite warmer conditions the highest buttresses were still white today and wet snow fell down to 1000m. For those determined enough to endure the rain on the walk in there were some surprisingly good climbing conditions. Luke, Ed and I climbed Thompson's Route on Number Three Gully Buttress, Ben Nevis where we found half the BMC International Meet on various routes. The other half was on Creag Coire na Ciste going by the multi-lingual shouts! Thompson's Route is quite icy at the moment and the tricky chimney low down can be avoided by an icy groove just to the right. With some deposition of fresh snow and rising temperatures we stayed on a buttress route to make sure we didn't get avalanched but there is plenty of ice to climb in the gullies above 1000m. Tomorrow will be even warmer and even wetter, full on wetsuit weather by the look of it!

25th February 2009

Winter returned today with strong winds bringing robust showers of snow down to around 800m. Isabel, Duncan and I took the gondola on Aonach Mor to maximise our coaching time - we looked at taking coils and moving together for glacier travel and for climbing alpine ridges, and crevasse rescue for a summer trip to the Alps. We also climbed Siamese Twin, the buttress between Forgotten Twin and Right Twin on Aonach Mor East Face. There were frequent heavy spindrift avalanches coming down all the ice lines and the snow was collecting in the tops of the gullies so we stuck to the buttress this time. The turf is very well frozen still and now the crag is white again the mixed climbing will be very good.

24th February 2009

Perfect plastic ice on Aonach Mor today and fewer people on the routes. The freezing level was hovering around the top of the crag, it was dry and we even had a view, the first for over a week! Mike and I warmed up on The Web, a nice and friendly grade II/III followed by Pernile (III). There are at least six separate lines on the Ribbed Walls all at around grade III. Siamese Twin was busy today and much less soggy than yesterday but Left Twin was free so Mike and I finished on this classic of the crag. It's been climbed a lot recently so it has steps all the way and easy hooks. In fact the ice was so nice today that all the routes felt a grade easier! Icicle Gully, Forgotten and Right Twins, Temperence Union Blues and others were climbed today. We could see the south side of the coire as well where there are plenty of routes iced up including Sideline.

23rd February 2009

Aonach Mor East face was busy today but there were several routes without anyone on as well. With the thaw still in progress and routes melting away there is increasing pressure on the routes that are still full of ice. Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis have plenty to choose from and with a bit of imagination you can get onto great routes without anyone else on them. Jonny, Pat and I climbed Siamese Twin next to Left Twin which gave us two fantastic pitches of sustained IV,4 climbing on slightly mushy ice. It was chaos in Left Twin itself as a Spanish team climbed straight through the team already in the gully and right through their ropes. There should be a sign saying "Frustration Causes Accidents" at the bottom! We went back down for a quick climb up the Ribbed Walls where there are many lines all at around grade III that are lovely to climb just now. White Shark repulsed a couple of teams as it is now quite detached so let's hope for the cooler conditions that are forecast later in the week.

22nd February 2009

Despite the rainbow we found no pot of gold today. The ice on Creag Meagaidh was quite meagre and the weather was wetter and warmer than forecast. The Post Face has all but melted away, only Missed The Post is still complete and wide. In the Inner Coire, Pumkin is patchy but The Wand and Diadem are still complete. Pat, Jonny and I headed up to these routes to see what they were like but the first step of Diadem was undercut by the stream and The Wand had a narrow section high up. Both of these routes will freeze up as soon as it gets cold again. So we headed up The Sash a bit further and climbed a pitch of Pantomime. The cornice above this face is continuous all the way from The Window to The Pipes and quite large ... having heard a big lump of cornice collapse earlier on I decided not to go any where near it and we reversed all the way down The Sash again! So, a disapointing day but a big adventure even so. The new path in to the coire makes it a 90 minute walk to the lochain and the descent from The Window to the road can be done in about the same time. Warm and wet again tomorrow but there is hope of colder conditions and fresh snow with freeze thaw action later this week.

21st February 2009

Today was a day to slip on the rubbers and pretend the sun was shining! Steady drizzle this morning turned to light rain this afternoon and water was cascading down many of the routes on Ben Nevis. I wore my rubber gloves all day and wished I had some climbing wellies. Pat, Jonny and I climbed Central Gully in the Trident Buttresses where there is plenty of water ice still. The chockstone was not iced up so we did the escape left on a big ledge and back right into the gully. Easier slopes then got us onto the ridge of South Trident Buttress with nice (and slightly loose) scrambling to the top. Apart from the rain the one down side to the day was the bumpy bumslide down the Red Burn! As the gully has been filled in so well with snow we should be able to slide all the way to the mountain track. Unfortunately there are too many boot prints in the snow and it is too bumpy! So, if you are walking down the Red Burn please can you keep out of the sliding trail ... better still, just slide down and we'll develop a taboggan run all the way down. The bottom section is shaping up quite nicely but beware of a couple of holes through to the stream underneath.

20th February 2009

Chad, Dan, Neil and Nick climbed Ledge Route with me today. A cool start made the rocks verglassed and the snow firm. There is plenty of ice on the first ledge which requires a little front pointing even though it is at an easy angle. The narrow section of ridge is clear of snow and there is remarkably little snow on the upper section as well. We've had some strong winds blowing when the snow has been soft so the snow is sitting in deep accumulations in some areas with very little in others. It was very misty today so I couldn't see any of the other routes on Ben Nevis but there is plenty of ice on the high crags, the gullies are very full of snow and ice and the coires have a very good cover. If the thaw is starting to make you lose faith in the winter remember that we had far less snow and ice at this time last year but it turned into one of the best springs we've had in many years for ice climbing.

19th February 2009

Temperatures dropped by another degree or so today and we had a very little snowfall above 1000m. Chad, Neil, Nick, Dan and I went to Aonach Mor to cover all sorts of mountaineering ropework and snow anchors for grade I and II snow gullies. We started off with some crampon skills before jumping in to buried axe belays, dynamic belaying, stompers, abseiling off snow bollards and finally leading out of Easy Gully. Neil performed a perfect self arrest when he slipped from cutting through the cornice (thanks to our training yesterday!) and Dan picked the steepest groove through the cornice to climb through. Grade I gullies can feel far less secure than grade III ice climbs and we proved that today! Plenty of teams were out climbing on the East Face and all the usual gullies are in good condition. A couple of the harder ice climbs are also still iced up and this bit of snow was making the buttresses look a bit more wintry.

18th February 2009

Slightly cooler and dry conditions have slowed the thaw and refrozen the snow at higher levels. Chad, Neil, Nick, Dan and I went up Stob Ban by a variety of gullies and ridges on the first day of their winter mountaineering course. We concentrated on movement skills up, down and sideways on steep slopes with a wee bit of scrambling and chat about snow hazards. We also searched out some extreme bumsliding! There are several gullies descending from the ridge between Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coirean which are full of snow. We found one lower down that was a bit undercut by the stream in the gully and we had to be very careful not to fall through. There have been a few nasty accidents in thaw conditions and in the spring where people have fallen through snow bridges into a cavern underneath. Meanwhile Iain and Jimmy climbed Glovers Chimney which has a fantastic ice pitch to start. The snow turned from soft and wet at the bottom to firm and icy at the top. The temperature is forecast to go down further tonight, freezing the snowpack as it does.

17th February 2009

The thaw really took hold over the last couple of days. We've lost a lot of snow and ice, the rivers are high and there is a serious threat of ice and rock fall in the coires. This doesn't mean there is nothing to climbing though. Today I climbed my variation on Number Three Gully Buttress on really nice toffee ice, soft snow and wet rock. It was quite dry with just a little light drizzle but the crags are streaming with melt water. Also a big chunk of something (rock or cornice) fell down the cliffs in the coire somewhere making an incredible sound as it went. There is still ice on the routes which will last until it cools down on Thursday but some big cornices that might drop in the meantime.

15th February 2009

The temperature went up another couple of degrees today but it was quite dry. Alistair and I went up Ben Nevis and climbed one of the Organ Pipes, the cascade next right of the big steep one. After to pitches of great water ice on this we climbed Waterfall Gully which lived up to its name! This is a great expedition and really worth doing the whole gully. Tha cave pitch was full of snow but we got out and round to the shoulder overlooking the Castle Coire before traversing to Ledge Route and a quick descent of Number Five Gully. Donald, Venessa and Karen climbed Tower Ridge and saw a couple of teams in Point Five Gully and one on Observatory Buttress. Water ice can be very nice to climb on in a thaw but there are of course big problems as well. Ice screws are not as reliable and thin sections are prone to collapse. Point Five Gully is so fat just now though that it will be quite reasonable climbing. We have another few days of thaw before a cool down at the end of the coming week.

14th February 2009

The Post Face of Creag Meagaidh has plenty of ice on it and plenty of snow as well. The freezing level was just at the summit of the crags so the snow in Smiths Gully was a little soft and mushy in places. However there was enough ice to make it good fun to climb and Alistair and I had a great time. The ice screws were mostly cosmetic value today but when it freezes again the snow-ice will be a dream to climb! In fact the snow-ice was a dream to climb today in the middle section and just required a little thought in the steeper bits. There were teams on Last Post, South Post and Centre Post and the inner coire routes are reported to be good. Aparently this was a busy day with four teams climbing!

13th February 2009

Another soggy day but with light winds and soft plastic ice. There was plenty of cloud and occasional drizzle but also some verglas on the rocks. Chiz and I went up Ben Nevis and climbed Number Three Gully Buttress. The first pitch is completely banked out and there is lots of snow and ice on the upper ramp. we went up the first few pitches of Quick Step direct to the big platform to make it a more sustained climb and finished direct up the top buttress. There was a team climbing Green Gully, several in Point Five Gully and Glovers Chimney but it was a relatively quiet day in the coires. Donald helped Alex and Matt to climb Tower Ridge which has plenty of snow on the ledges.

12th February 2009

It was snowing this morning but the freezing level went up the hills faster than Chiz and I could walk up! By the time we got to the foot of the gullies on Sgurr Dearg above Ballachulish we were in cloud and drizzle. We climbed Central Gully with a very steep but very short cascade at the start then headed left up nice icy steps to join Dog Leg Gully at its narrows. This made a fine expedition up the face and has a quick decent down the North Ridge before curving back down the coire to Ballachulish. Not surprisingly we had the coire to ourselves but there was a team going up the very nice NE Ridge on their way around the Ballachulish Horseshoe. Cloudy and wet tomorrow as the gentle thaw sets in.

11th February 2009

There was barely a cloud over Lochaber today. Sunshine, blue sky, light wind and freezing temperatures made it a fantastic day to be in the hills. Chiz and I went for North Buttress on Stob Ban (II/III) on which we swung leads before descending the North Ridge. Donald, Alex and Matt climbed Curved Ridge and enjoyed the stunning views over Rannoch Moor. We've had snow down to sea level for a week now and continuous sub-zero temperatures. Winter climbs are coming into condition that haven't been seen for a few years such as Number Six Gully on Aonach Dubh West Face and Blue Ribband. It's to time to start scouring the guide book for those hidden gems but be quick ... a slow warming is forecast over the weekend.

10th February 2009

Looking for a bit of peace after the crowds yesterday Chiz and I headed round to the West Face of Aonach Mor. We climbed the ice at the foot of Spare Rib Gully (three pitches of grade III) before going on to Western Rib (II/III). The rib was covered in soft snow and quite heavy going but great fun. There are many smears of ice all over the west faces of Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag but also some deep drifts of soft snow in the gullies. Donald, Matt and Alex climbed Central Gully and Dog Leg Gully on Beinn a'Bheithir above Ballachulish before dropping down the east face and climbing a new route "Hide and Seek". This gave some ice climbing and a mixed pitch of V,5. Bidean nam Bian is also well rimed up with Church Door Buttress looking especially good. Kenny and Andy went to Bishops Buttress and repeated Donald and Andy Nelson's route The Crook. Helpfull conditions with good turf and neve on the tenuous traverse on the first pitch. A really good route, short but packs a punch! The wind picked up this afternoon from the SW and we had some snow fall. Plenty of snow was being blown over the East Face of Aonach Mor so it might well be quite loaded tomorrow.

9th February 2009

Another beautiful, calm and sunny day. It was busy on Dorsal Arete on Stob Coire nan Lochan but very easy in the lower part before the final rock crest. The passage of many feet has compacted the snow and left a tail of steps all the way up. Chiz and I made very quick progress and nipped back down hioping to squeeze in a second climb. Twisting Gully and SC Gully both had teams in them and NC is fully banked out with (soft) snow so wouldn't be much fun. So we went for Central buttress Ordinary Route which was very nice with dry rock and compacted snow on the ledges. Click on the picture of the crag to get a bigger version. Kenny, Matt and Adam had a brilliant day out on Blue Riband in Glencoe. The route is 'in' but only just! There's five exciting ice pitches and a lot of mountaineering ground. The ice was very variable with water running behind the ice on the first pitch, and protection was generally pretty poor. Overall they felt VI,5 and a brilliant adventure. Andy was out exploring the burns around Oban and found a nice cascade above Glen Lonan giving 100m of water ice. Lastly, Alex had to leave an ice screw behind on the third pitch of Point Five Gully yesterday whilst retreating due to spin drift. It's a 14cm grivel helix screw marked with grey tape and Alex would like it back if possible. If you found it please get in touch.

8th February 2009

You know it's a calm day when you can hear the groomers at Nevis Range from your climb on Ben Nevis! Today was like that with very little wind, cold and clear air. John and I climbed Hadrian's Wall Direct in fantastic icy condition with good protection. This is a very atmospheric climb with grand open positions and a stunning view out of the coire. It's been quite a weekend for John and I with two uber-classic Ben Nevis grade V ice climbs in two days in brilliant condition with nobody else on the climbs! There were four teams in Point Five Gully and Three in Zero Gully. There is still plenty of slabby snow on the approach slopes that requires care but the crags are mostly blown free of soft snow. John and Sam climbed Tower Ridge (we had a great view of them from Hadrian's Wall) which is very snowy at the moment but now has a good trail! Donald, Alex and Matthew went up the North Ridge of Stob Ban on the first day of their winter introductory course.

7th February 2009

Just a little more snow last night and a cloudy morning led to a great afternoon with plenty of sunshine. After very careful consideration of the avalanche report and the snow on the ground John and I climbed Point Five Gully. Getting to the gully required some careful route choice but, apart from a couple of small areas of soft snow that were being eroded away, there was no soft snow at all in the gully. The upper bowl has been completely blown free of snow and the cornice is solid. The gully seemed quite steep in the first couple of pitches but is fat and solid so will take plenty of ice screws. We had the route to ourselves which was a surprise for a cold Saturday in February. Donald and Sam made their way up Ledge Route very efficiently with Sam leading the second half of the route. There are some good patches of ice on the first ledge but also good snow. It was very cold today and I'm glad I had an extra layer on. If you were exposed to the northerly wind you would have found it very harsh. However it's this wind that has moved all the soft snow into the (generally) south side of the hills where there are some very impressive drifts and areas of windslab. The Red Burn is full of windslab over a metre deep in places and the Mountain Track has a cornice on it where it crosses the Red Burn! It will be just as cold tomorrow with light winds and plenty of sunshine!

6th February 2009

More snow fell last night down to sea level and we had substantial showers this afternoon. With a moderate NW wind lots of snow was being moved around the hills today and there is plenty of wind slab and avalanche hazard to avoid. In fact Donald and Mark heard some slides and set one off in NC Gully on Stob Coire nan Lochan by tapping the cornice (they made sure nobody was in the gully or beneath it first!). They climbed Central Buttress Ordinary Route in very cold and snowy conditions. All the crags were white with snow and rime and Inclination was climbed by JC and Tim. Cold and snowy weather is forecast all next week and into next weekend!

5th February 2009

Instead of the occasional showers we were forecast yesterday we had continuous snowfall right down to sea level! Today the clouds cleared early on and the wind dropped slightly to give us a very nice and very cold day. Donald and Mark climbed Shelf Route on Crowberry Tower on Buachaille Etive Mor. This is a great IV,6 climb that doesn't see too much traffic. Meanwhile I took Paul Fosbury to take some pictures of the North Face of Ben Nevis. With the fresh snow cover (and large areas of windslab on the SW flank of Carn Mor Dearg) we got some spectacular and atmospheric shots. It's very cold at the moment with many ice climbs and buttress climbs in good condition. Below is a picture showing what's what (click the picture for a bigger version).

3rd February 2009

Donald and Chris went to Stob Coire nam Beith to look at Deep Cut Chimney. Unfortunately it wasn't quite iced up enough so they went for Central Gully instead. As it turned out this wasn't quite iced up enough either! They found some hard climbing (V,5) in a couple of sections but managed to get to the easier ground half way up the climb. By that point the wind was fierce so they elected to abseil to the bottom. As they were packing up, the wind was lifting them off the ground down in the corrie but they managed to walk out without too much problem. It was slightly warmer today but still freezing on top and very light snow showers.

2nd February 2009

Simon, Paul and I joined up with Donald and Chris to climb Crowberry Gully on Buachaille Etive Mor today. Ice is forming quickly in Glen Coe but Crowberry Gully was still a bit thin on the crux pitches. A delicate approach was needed! Meanwhile Kenny climbed Point Five Gully and Thompson's Route on Ben Nevis saying Point Five Gully is fat with good ice throughout. The first pitch is pretty steep, but the rogue pitch is easy. He saw other folk on Hadrians Wall Direct and Tower Scoop. Kenny found a rucksack with some climbing gear inside in the chimney of Thompson's, probably blown off the top. If you hear of anyone who lost a sack, get in touch.

1st February 2009

As promised cold and dry easterly winds have frozen the snowpack and produced some good ice. It's not perfect (I'm being picky here) as there is still some soft snow at the highest levels and some cruddy ice but in general it is very good. Large areas of avalanche debris show evidence of the recent thaw of soft snow. Simon, Paul and I battled the headwind into Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis and climbed The White Line. This is a fantastic expedition, well known amongst regulars as a good climb, but open to much variation. The route I have taken a couple of times is marked on the picture below (click the picture for a bigger version). We had water running behind the first pitch which will freeze properly over the next day or two but lots of ice already in place on the whole route. Many other routes were climbed today and there are plenty to choose from.