WINTER SKILLS, COIRE AN T-SNEACHDA, VERY BUSY!

Tad & Anna heading up to Windy Col

Good snow at the Moraines

Axe arresting on steep and icy ground - quick!

Good mix of consolidated snow, neve, water ice & frozen turf heading up to Windy Col

Great patches of water ice on the south slopes of Cairn Gorm, with one leg :)

Tad having enjoying his first taste of winter

Coire an t-Sneachda

Another winter skills day, another corrie. Today I was joined by Anna & Tad for their first taste of winter and their first visit to The Highlands. It was another day of strong winds but there was a lull in the middle of the day. Only a few brief snow showers and with temperatures below freezing at 800m or so. We headed into Coire an t-Sneachda which was really busy and some very big groups of folk over on the east side of the Fiacaill Ridge - so we never went there! We found our own wee quiet areas over at the Moraines where we went through the basics of axe and boot work. After lunch we wandered up to Windy Col with the crampons which was quiet and here the snow pack was excellent lower down. Higher up we found  a great mix of water ice, neve, frozen turf and broken rocky ground which is fab for practise with the axe on crampons on typical Scottish winter terrain. Tad & Anna were keen to carry on from Windy Col and bag their first Munro. We took an unusual line, contouring round to the south end of Cairn Gorm were there was more snow and ice to get onto more ground to perfect the cramponing. Big areas of water ice around here which was brilliant fun. We rounded off the day by some more axe arresting on a very icy slope which almost heads straight into the cafe by the train station AKA The Ptarmigan restaurant (now better known as some trendy number thing). Great fun and an enjoyable day with a couple of very nice folk.