November 2003 Conditions Reports

30th November 2003
Yesterday was slightly warmer with heavy rain falling most of the way to the tops - a nice little thaw. Last night though the temperature dropped again and we had more fresh snow down to 400m. This week will see some nice weather as pressure builds and winds remain in the N. Cold clear nights should freeze everything solid and set up a good base for the whole winter. That's the theory anyway, let's hope it works that way!

28th November 2003

More snow showers down to 600m today but there is more snow the further north you go. Stob Coire nan Lochan was looking white but Buachaille Etive Mor wasn't so well covered. The Loch Lochy hills, Ben Nevis and Grey Coires are plastered though.

27th November 2003
Yesterday Jonny and Andy made a winter ascent of a severe on the Douglas Boulder called Jacknife. It was very snowy and went at IV,6. The team was originally going to climb Cutlass but as it's turf dependant they thought the mainly rocky line of Jacknife would be a better bet. They finished by wading up the SW Ridge (III) and found deep snow on top of the Douglas Boulder. So, rocky climbs such as Curved Ridge II/III, Tower Ridge IV, The Slab Climb VI,7 and Cornucopia VII,9 could all be good choices this weekend. Expect to be wading through the snow to get there and take care on the open slopes and beneath gully lines - a lot of snow has fallen in a short space of time so it won't be very well stuck together.

26th November 2003

So far it has been a horrible week for the weather - wind, rain, sleet and cold. Perfect for plastering the hills in snow and ice! Monday was slightly warmer but it cooled down again to snow down to 600m today. It was -4 celcius at 1200m on Aonach Mor yesterday morning. The rest of the week is forecast to be just as mixed with more snow and even colder temperatures. It might even be worth heading out this weekend.

23rd November 2003

Today was a beautiful day, cold and clear. It was -1 celcius on Aonach Mor with a good covering of snow. There are very few clouds over us and tonight should bring a hard frost. It is forecast to stay cold through the coming week as well. This is exactly what we want to freeze the crags, the turf and the snow into good winter condition.

22nd November 2003

At long last we have some snow! Yesterday and last night saw heavy rain and sleet in Fort William which fell as several inches of snow down to 450m. It was still lying at 600m on all aspects today as members of the Nevis Walking Club and I did some navigation training on Beinn na Gucaig, next to Loch Linnhe. We had great views from the summit in sunshine and some cold sleet showers as well. It is staying cold for a while so we may get more snow but don't think everything is frozen yet - it isn't and won't be for a short while. A week of hard freezing nights would do the trick.

9th November 2003

A bit wet this morning but drying out to a nice day later on. The temperature is slowly coming down again. Alan claimed his BBC Radio Scotland prize of a day of guiding - Donald and Alan went up Lagangarbh Buttress on Buachaille Etive Mor. This a great wee scramble and a good one to keep out of the strong E wind that was still blowing. Mixed weather this coming week. Let's hope we get as much snow as the Alps have been getting!

8th November 2003

Today was surprisingly windy! Susan, Zbyszek and Donald were finding the going quite challenging on Tower Ridge with 70mph gusts going through Tower Gap! They managed it though and carried on over the summit of Ben Nevis to descend into Coire Leis where the wind was even stronger and was swirling around in the coire. Nothing saps your energy quite like a strong wind and the whole team was tired by the time they made it back to the car. A good Autumn day! It is getting colder again after a very warm week. There are a few patches of snow in the gully beds but the ridges are clear.

2nd November 2003
Around this time last year we had about the biggest fall of snow of the whole winter! Although we have had a few flurries this year (snow down to 900m at the moment) we've had nothing really climbable. The Cairngorms have provided a few loose and exciting moments for some but we've had to be more patient here on the west coast. It's not all bad news though, I think this is a good start to the winter and later on we'll get the results we all want. October was 3 degrees celcius colder than average and we only had a quarter of the average rainfall. With no insulating covering of snow the hills have been cooling down after the long hot summer, something that is essential if we are not to loose all the snow every time we get a wee thaw. As always we just need to be patient and wait for everything to freeze properly.