AVALANCHE AWARENESS DAY

Jon, John & Mike digging away at Hasty Pits  below The Fiacaill Buttress

Beautiful light and unexpected blue skies today

Fiacaill Buttress well rimed

John testing our  Rutchblock below Windy Col

Coire an t-sneachda

Coire an t-sneachda quiet

Fiacaill Buttress

John, Jon B and Mike were out with me today on a one day avalanche awareness course. The guys from N. Ireland are regular winter visitors to the Scottish Highlands and wanted some more knowledge of this essential winter skill. The snow cover as gone through some consolidation over the last few days and with the milder weather yesterday and an overnight cooling last night this as improved the snow pack considerably. The guys did however find some weaknesses but the various layers are starting to bond. We headed below the Fiacaill Buttress this morning in glorious sunshine, a pleasant surprise as the weather forecast was indicating a mostly cloudy day. The crags in Sneachda are wonderfully rimed and the whole corrie is looking fantastic. Many parties climbing on the Fiacaill Buttress & along the ridge. In the afternoon we walked across to the other side of Sneachda and found a similar story below Windy Col. There was still evidence of avalanche debris below Alladin's Couloir and the area between there and the Mess of Pottage, some big chunks of ice probably from a couple of days ago. After digging another Rutchblock pit and finding quite good bonding the guys made evaluated that it was fine to head on up to Windy Col. We finished the day talking over cornice dangers as we headed down from 1141m top and into another busy day at Coire Cas ski area. The guys are off to Torridon for a couple of days hoping for a ridge traverse of Liathach. Weather looking very windy and more precipitation tomorrow. An excellent day with a great bunch of guys.