January 2007 Conditions Reports

29th January 2007
Yesterday was warm and wet with rain for much of the day at all levels. We lost a fair bit of snow but in the coires and gullies it will just help to turn the snow into icy neve and fill the gullies with ice when it next freezes. Back on Saturday Graham and Phil climbed Turf Walk on the E Face of Aonach Mor. They went to do Morwind or one of twins but they were all busy. The snow conditions varied from soft to solid and some bits were very hard because of lack of placements for tools but overall an excellent day starting with an abseil from a snow bollard into easy gully and getting great shelter from the wind before topping out and witnessing the start of a rescue of a fallen climber in Forgotten Twin. Today was dry but still quite warm and it will cool down a bit tomorrow before getting warm again for Wednesday and Thursday.

27th January 2007

Today stayed soggy all day with rain up to the tops. A good day to have the UK National indoor rock, mixed and ice climbing championships at the Ice factor. Gary took Hazel and Laurence out on the 2nd day of their winter skills course today. They went up onto the North Ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan near Killin where the weather was a bit dryer. They covered avalanche assessment, moving on steep ground and navigation. It's a great wee ridge with just 500m of ascent to the top where snow conditions were improving and consolidating.

26th January 2007

It was very soggy this morning with drizzle and light rain at all levels. Gillian and co survived their night in a snow hole last night at 1200m on Aonach Beag but it was a bit damp and drippy! However the clouds broke up by early afternoon and the temperature started to drop again. The rocks on Aonach Mor are still rimed up and we didn't loose any snow, it just got wet and will be refreezing now. Donald, Conor and Oisin climbed North Buttress on Buachaille Etive Mor which is a great climb in any conditions. Today it was quite wet with snow on the ledges but a superb finish to their week of lead coaching as they led the first few pitches themselves under supervision from Donald. Cold enough tomorrow but thawing gently on Sunday and Monday.

25th January 2007

A very cold morning with a hard frost gave way quickly to mild air, cloud and drizzle at all levels. In the shelter of the crags on the E Face of Aonach Mor though it was perfect climbing conditions with no wind and a comfortable temperature. All the buttress routes are in very good shape with some brilliant sticky neve around. Ice routes like White Shark and Aquafresh are OK but a bit cruddy in places and some of the gullies are good such as the Twins. Ritchie, Mike and I climbed Morwind with a wee variation on the first two pitches. Morwind, Turfwalk, Shelf Route, Tunnel Vision, White Shark, Aquafresh and Right Twin were all climbed today plus some others I'm sure. Donald had a technical day with Conor and Oisin, climbing and retreating from several routes and bits of ice to coach the boys in all the skills they need to go and do it for themselves. Yesterday Point Five Gully received many ascents and after a wee thaw tomorrow all the routes will be in better shape than they are now.

24th January 2007

It was a little cloudy this morning but this afternoon cleared up with good sunny spells and a very cold northerly wind. Ritchie, Mike and I climbed Harrisons Climb Direct which goes around The Shroud on the side of Carn Dearg Buttress, Ben Nevis. We found some good ice and snow but some very crusty stuff as well. We headed left for the big shoulder on Ledge Route and descended it back to the coire. Donald, Conor and Oisin went up Tower Ridge which was very hard going with crusty snow and iced up cracks. Paul found NE Buttress the same today. There is no water dripping anywhere so to get The Curtain, Mega Route X and other ice routes any fatter and to solidify the snow we need a good thaw and refreeze. This might come at the end of the week and over the weekend. Still, for the end of January we have some great conditions that should set up the next two months very well.

23rd January 2007

A warm front slowly crossed Lochaber during today but as we have high pressure it didn't amount to much. Some cloud and very light snow flurries accompanied a slight rise in temperature. Mark and I climbed Ledge Route which was a popular choice with several other teams as well. It is very well covered in snow and made for a superb climb. Other teams were in Number Five Gully, Route One Direct and Route Two Direct. We descended Number Four Gully which has no cornice at the exit and must have been scoured by the N wind on Sunday night as it was quite firm older snow in the top 80m of the gully giving not much avalanche risk at all. However Donald, Conor and Oisin went up Dorsal Arete on Stob Coire nan Lochan where there are some odd layers in the snow which made them slightly uneasy. There was a team on Twisting Gully and several on Central Buttress Ordinary Route. Back to blue skies tomorrow.

22nd January 2007

Perfect weather and great conditions have arrived in the Outdoor Capital of the UK! Mark and I went up the N Ridge of Stob Ban with a wee excursion onto the E Face and a climb up a snowy gully back on to the ridge. The ridge itself has a steepening which is just about grade I and a narrow section beyond before the main ridge line of The Mamores is reached. We then headed west and found another grade I gully to descend back to the car. Not bad for a first winter day - two grade I gullies and a grade I ridge! The weather is cold, calm and sunny. A lot of snow was moved around last night by the strong N winds and our descent gully (north facing) had been stripped clear of soft snow. Well done to Andy and Dave for the their ascent of Unicorn yesterday, a stunning climb!

21st January 2007

Another snowy day with heavy snow showers this morning slowly clearing with the arrival of northerly winds. My group from Leeds University went up to Stob Ban where we looked at buried axe anchors, belaying in the snow and everything for grade I gullies. We didn't climb South Gully even though it did look very appealing and there was no cornice problem - the deep soft snow with 30cm fresh from yesterday and recent avalanche debris at the base put us off. By the time we got to the top to descend the scrambly N ridge of Stob Ban the wind was picking up from the north and starting to blow snow over onto the south side of the hill. Surprisingly the freezing level seemed to be at about 900m but tomorrow should be much colder.

20th January 2007

I went into Coire na Ciste again today on Ben Nevis with a group from Leeds University to do some core skills for their club leaders. Last night it rained at most levels but the temperature dropped quickly this morning giving the snow a thick icy crust. The snow pack is still quite wet and soft underneath though. Fresh snow fell today down to just a few hundred metres above sea level and caused a few large powder avalanches and lots of spin drift. There was a team on Vanishing Gully and another high on Quickstep which certainly looked sporting! Others were on Douglas Boulder SW Ridge, Number Two Gully Buttress and NE Buttress. Click the links to see more detailed pictures of the crags - The Comb and Number Three Gully Buttress, Creag Coire na Ciste with the pillar of Levitation just about complete.

19th January 2007

Rupert, Oliver and I were just about the only people on Ben Nevis today and certainly the only people in Coire na Ciste. Above 700m everything is covered in 30cm to 40cm of fresh, fairly firm snow. It was quite heavy going and we were staying well clear of any potential avalanches with the fresh snow being sat on a hard layer of icy snow underneath. Number Three Gully Buttress gave us a fantastic climb, Rupert and Oliver's first in winter. It was a bit cloudy but when it was clear we could see ice forming everywhere! Nordwand, Boomers Requiem, The Shroud, The Shield, Gemini, Waterfall Gully, The Curtain, Mega Route X, Italian Climbs, Vanishing Gully, Orion Direct, Minus Two Gully etc. Up on Three Gully Buttress Two Step corner is fat and the direct start looks OK too. The rocks have lots of great neve and we finished up the buttress crest directly today on perfect snow. It did warm up during the day and was above freezing just below the cornice. Tomorrow will be cold again with more fresh snow. Click the links to see more detailed pictures of the crags - Carn Dearg Buttress to Castle Ridge, Tower Ridge and Orion Face, Trident Buttresses, Two Step Corner.

18th January 2007
Sleet is falling at sea level today on the west coast and we should be getting a reasonable cover by lunch time. Have a look at the synoptic chart for monday here at the bottom of the page. High pressure is building for next week with the chance of stable good cold weather. With the build up of snow and ice we have already and a lot of water in the hills ready to seep out and freeze as soon as it gets cold I'm hopeful for excellent climbing by the end of the month. Well done to Andy T for climbing Cornucopia (VII,9) on Tuesday - there's no stopping the boy now!

17th January 2007
Jaimie went up Ben Nevis today and sent the following report - Loads of fresh slabby snow and quite gusty at times so stayed out of the gullies and did SW Ridge on the Douglas Boulder; great wee route, even given a few loose blocks. Lots of ice developing, especially on the Observatory Gully routes (that I could see). Orion Direct and Astral Highway look almost there, smears developing on the left flank of Observatory Buttress. No Curtain but Gemini looks to be building, as well as Harrisons, Compression Crack and Mega Route X. All in all just about as good as I've seen it this early in the season; shame it's all going to get buried tommorow but the buttresses are in good powdery nick.

16th January 2007

Gary and team were out on Beinn an Dothaidh today saying the snow conditions were superb. They went up the gully NW of the summit. Blue skies, light winds and snow on the hills.

15th January 2007

Another thaw day with heavy rain to the summits and very strong wind. The forecast is still for a freeze tomorrow and excellent weather but back to the windy theme on Wednesday. Staying cold enough for snow on the summits though with the wind turning to north westerlies.

14th January 2007
Friday was properly wild, wet and windy, thawing above the tops. The launch of Highland 2007 went ahead in Inverness though, celebrating Highland culture all year. One of the major of events of the year is the Fort William Mountain Festival in February with top speakers Yvon Chouinard, Jimmy Marshall and Hamish MacInnes and the Winter Mountaineering Workshops. Yesterday didn't really cool down much but today the fresh snow is down to 600m off a strong westerly wind. Warmer again tomorrow and a good looking day on Tuesday with a ridge of higher pressure bringing a frost, light winds and maybe even sunshine. These strong winds and rapid freeze thaw cycles are great for packing snow into the gullies and freezing it in place.

These pictures show Left Twin on Aonach Mor E Face on Wednesday of this week and in the middle of March last winter. There is obviously much more snow already in the gully than there ever was last year. Above 900m we do have a very good base in the coires and gullies so when the weather settles down we will have some great climbing conditions.

11th January 2007

Wild and windy today as forecast with some severe gusts and heavy hail and snow showers. The snow was coming down to 700m but the freezing level was quite high so the snow was very wet. We tucked in to the E Ridge of North Buttress on Stob Ban and kept out of the wind quite well. This is a great route with tricky steps and easy ledges. We escaped from the big half way ledge having decided the wind on top would be too much for us. The coire to the left (south) of the ridge offers an easy walk down and we looked at some crevasse rescue techniques on the way down. Warm, wild and wet tomorrow.

10th January 2007

The snow has frozen solid where it is exposed to the wind. It was -3 celcius on top of Aonach Mor today but down on the crags it was above freezing and the snow hasn't frozen properly at all. A team on Left Twin, which is very full of snow, said the climbing was fine but protection was very poor. Another team was on Morwind which looked great and, after a poke around at the soft snow on Right Twin, I took Rowan, Andy and Ross up a line imediately right of Right Twin that joins Lost Boys at the top for the easy top out where there is no cornice. The buttresses have some great climbing and ice is forming in all the places it hasn't got to over the last few years. The small bits of snow and turf are quite firm so it is much better climbing than in the gullies just now. As we topped out the clouds cleared and we got a brilliant sunset again. Windy and cold tomorrow, windy and warm on Friday but cold again on Saturday. Another thaw freeze cycle that will build on the existing excellent base of snow we have high up.

9th January 2007

Last night's thaw and rain washed away lots of the fresh snow but at least it was dry from first thing this morning. Rowan, Andy, Ross and I headed for Curved Ridge which we climbed on rock with snow only on the ledges right at the top. A couple of wintry showers blew through though and covered the rocks with a layer of snow and verglas to give it more of a winter feel. We looked at how to make the climb as smooth and flowing as possible with short pitches, direct belays and moving together for long sections. It cooled down well during the day and there was a good crust on the snow on top of Buachaille Etive Mor. The gully down into Coire na Tullaich is full and the very good path got us back to the car quickly. It is due to stay cold tomorrow with further snow showers so hopefully the snowpack will freeze solid.

8th January 2007
Heavy snowfall last night brought the snow line down to 600m by this morning. Further snow showers today and a slight rise in temperature. Donald, Ken and Alan found they were wading in fresh wet snow to get to Central Buttress Original Route on Stob Coire nan Lochan. They nipped around the start of NC Gully to get on to the route and found it really heavy going in soft snow up to the thighs. Tonight will give us a thaw at all level but then cooling down again during tomorrow, hopefully consolidating and settling down the snow. Further fresh snowfall is forecast though along with strong winds ... it's the usual January storms that are doing a good job of filling the gullies and coires with snow.

7th January 2007
Another windy day with wet snow down to about 700m. The showers held off for most of the day but heavy rain and snow came in later on in the evening. Donald and Ken went to Glen Shiel to climb the Forcan Ridge on The Saddle. This is a brilliant grade II ridge with a helpful stalkers path to get to the foot of the climbing. There is a wee abseil at the top of the most technical section for which a 50m rope is quite useful. Donald found a lot of snow on the W Face of the Saddle and they descended down this side before traversing back to the top of the stalkers path. It's only an hour and fifteen minutes drive from Fort William and a quick stop at the Cluanie Inn on the way home is essential!

6th January 2007

Alpha Mountaineering and Abacus Mountaineering had a convention on Ben Nevis today! Nick and Mike came out with Donald and myself for a wee social. Heavy rain last night and this morning was falling as snow above 800m but it wasn't very cold. The buttresses were well covered in snow and about 30cm had fallen. There were some very big old avalanche trails out of Number Two, Three and Four Gullies and we heard many large avalanches release naturally during the day. We all stayed well clear on South Trident Buttress where Nick and Mike climbed Sidewinder and Donald and I went up Slab Route. These routes climb the central tier and we finished up the superb ridge of the top tier. On the summit in the wind the old snow was freezing hard but only above 1200m. There are lots of gullies full just now but it needs to freeze properly before they will be any fun at all.

4th January 2007

Dry today with a little sunshine between the clouds and a light dusting of snow right on the highest tops. The hills look quite stripped back today and a few people said to me how warm it is and how little snow there must be. Andy even walked in to Stob Coire nan Lochan today and walked straight back out again heading for the Ice Factor! It's not all bad though, there is still lots of snow in the coires and gullies above 900m on north and east facing slopes and, as Graham says on the Avalanche blog, all it takes now is a good freeze and we'll be in for a treat. Tomorrow looks like it will be a nice day again and fresh snowfall is forecast above 700m on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Here's a few pictures kindly sent in by Dave from Leeds Uni from 20th December - Number Four Gully.

3rd January 2007
The rain started last night and by first light today lots of the fresh snow had been washed away. However there was a lull in the rain until about 2pm which allowed Graeme and me to climb Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor and descend Great Gully Buttress and stay just about dry. There is still snow on the big ledges of Curved Ridge right from the start but we didn't need crampons at all and only put gloves on near the top. Even the wind dropped slightly when we climbed Crowberry Tower before going up to the summit. Heavy rain then set in for the rest of the afternoon but the temperature should drop a little turning the rain to snow above 800m over the next couple of days.

2nd January 2007

Today was another lovely day on Ben Nevis. The wind dropped early on and the sun came out during the day. Just a couple of showers went through falling as snow above 600m. The hills are buried in snow above 900m! All the gullies on Ben Nevis are very full and you can barely see rock in Coire na Ciste down to the lochan. Green Gully looks like a uniform steep snow slope (although not ice yet!) and the first pitches of Two Step Corner are forming along with ice all over The Comb. Last winter Number Four Gully didn't really fill up until the end of February and even then it wasn't very deep. Already this winter it is metres deep and one pair had a real job climbing it today wading through the fresh snow. The cornices are quite big as well so they made an escape from the gully well to the right. My team from Warwick University, doing some core skills training on their first winter excursion, were a bit frustrated by the lack of hard snow to practice their self-arrest and crampon skills but we got through loads of avalanche stuff, safe travel and digging good tails. Tomorrow's thaw will settle down the fresh snow and start to turn it to ice on the climbs.

1st January 2007
Happy New Year! Lots of fresh snowfall over the last two days down to 600m on Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis has given us a great start to the new year. It has all arrived off some very strong south and west winds so the north and east facing coires and gullies are even more full now. The front of Aonach Mor is looking well covered and Nevis Range is hoping to open up for skiing tomorrow. As always, after a large dump of snow especially with strong winds, it will take a while to settle down. Stick to the ridges and buttresses for a couple of days until after the thaw on Wednesday has consolidated the snow. We're in for the usual January storms for a while, rapid freeze thaw cycles and lots of wind. This is great news, ice and good neve will continue to form and improve on the climbs already being done - Point Five Gully, Comb Gully, Green Gully, Creag Coire na Ciste Gullies etc. - and that's just on Ben Nevis. It's shaping up to be a much better winter than last year so far, let's hope it continues.