WINTER SKILLS DAY, COIRE AN LOCHAIN

A fine winter mountain day, all the ingredients for a perfect day. Snow of ever changing type, blue skies, sunshine, views, wind, spindrift a couple of summits and good company. Today Harvey & Paul were out with me on day one of their winter skills course. We escaped the crowds heading into Coire an t-sneachda and travelled just a wee bit further for peace and quiet into Coire an Lochain. We went through the basics of ice axe and crampons then moved onto steeper terrain. Throughout the day the theme was of safe travel in the mountains with the current snow and avalanche conditions. Much windswept terrain leaving plenty of exposed neve and ice to get some good cramponing in. We used 'islands of safety' quite a lot today on the steeper terrain and lots of exposed rocks in the corrie for this. In the afternoon we headed up the twin burns were there was plenty of good ice and then into the strong winds as we headed over the tops of Cairn Lochain. Finally heading down via the Fiacaill Coire Cas were the winds had picked up again.