OVERNIGHT FREEZE

Below the Fiacaill Buttress 

The Flat Iron 

Ice and neve

Water ice and neve on the Fiacaill 

Only one other team on Fiacaill Coire Sneachda 

Spindrift 

Brilliant axe placements 

It's amazing how wet, saturated snow can quickly freeze within just a short period.  The last couple of days we've had a thaw with freezing levels above the summits. This changed rapidly overnight with the colder temperatures.  Everything above 900 was frozen or water ice in Coire an t-Sneachda. Marnix & Eva are put with me for two days of winter skills.  There was a strong,  blustery, cold wind swirling around the coire this morning.  They weren't pleased by the notorious Cairngorm winds so we headed up to the Fiacaill Coire Sneachda ridge. On the Western side of the pinnacles it was the best sheltered area of the whole day. A lot of snow has been stripped but what is left is brilliant for axe and crampon placements.  Up on the plateau it was gusting to 60mph in places. A great effort by Eva and Marnix,  their first taste of Scottish winter mountains, they loved it.