MOUNTAINEERING FUN

The team on the ice

This is fun

Steep 

Great day

On the ridge now

Another brilliant day 

Lunch in the warmth

Come on in

This navigation is serious guys

Descending via Windy Col 

Late afternoon,  Coire an t-Sneachda 

Well below freezing again on the Cairngorm tops. Clear skies for much of the day and the winds much lighter than of late. Once again all terrain is frozen above 600m. For the last 5 years I have been running winter courses for the Highland Hillwalking Club based in Inverness.  Always fun to work with. This year two members of the Inverness Mountaineering Club joined in for the day. Shona, Karen, Nell and Richard were all keen to have a mountain day and get essential coaching along the way. We headed into Coire an t-Sneachda under a blasting sun and blue skies. As many followers of my blog will know I regularly guide/instruct on the Fiacaill Coire Sneachda. The route up onto the ridge from the Coire floor provides lots of different terrain, perfect for a wide range of axe and crampon technique. Steep, open snowfields and a mountaineering ridge to gain the plateau. It was great conditions,  rock hard neve and well trodden steps along the Fiacaill. We went over to the Coire Domhain snowholes for lunch after our fun on the ridge. The guys were keen for some navigation back to the carpark.  Perfect timing with some afternoon cloud on the tops. We descended back into Coire an t-Sneachda from Windy Col. Brilliant day again with some lovely folk and great snow conditions.  What more could you want?
So a wee break for me after 15 days back to back work. Great fun and amazing contrast in weather and snow in the past couple of weeks. That's why I love Scottish winter mountains.  March coming up, my favourite month in winter.