WINTER COME GOOD

Ben & George, Coire an Lochain ice

Great snow/ice for step cutting

High up in Coire an Lochain

The cliffs of Coire an Lochain, deserted

Sun and snow in Coire an Lochain

Lots of photogenic snow buntings around

Axe arresting

Step cutting technique getting good

Reasonable snow cover on Cairngorm plateau

Hard snow/ice, no wind, sunshine and great company. What more could you ask for for a day out in the Scottish winter mountains? March and winter came good at last. Today the old, wind scoured snow was fabulous for cramponing and some step cutting earlier in the day. Not a breath of wind in Coire an Lochain and later on on the Cairngorm plateau. Ben and George are out with me for a couple of days to get some vital skills on snow and ice. Completely new to this they just loved the setting below the cliff of Cairn Lochan. The sun was out over Strathspey and blue skies above. The Northern Corries still don't receive any warmth of the sun even in late March. Apart from 3 climbers over toward The Vent, we had the whole corrie to ourselves. Most winter instructors south of the border have now gone home and it's a fabulous time to be out on the hills if you love peace and quiet. We had a great journey in the corrie, traversing out onto the plateau where we had a picnic lunch in the sunshine. The temperature went up slightly during the afternoon with some high cloud cover. We finished off the afternoon with a stroll over the plateau and descended into Coire Cas. Great day out, more of the same kind of weather tomorrow.