WINDS ARE BACK

 

Finding a sheltered place

Yesterday's beautiful calm and sunny conditions didn't last long. Today the Northern Cairngorms were treated to strong, gusty winds high up. Father & son team Paul and Ben were out with me on a one day introduction to winter. They were keen to walk up Ben Macdui but one look at the weather forecast soon put that one to rest. So we headed into a busy Coire an t-sneachda to get some essential winter skills.

Plenty of teams out

A well trodden trench into Sneachda 

The usual school half term holiday crowds were heading into the UKs most popular winter climbing venue. Our choice today too. A good trench with plenty of footfall makes life easier. We also wanted some shelter from the high winds.

Plenty of sun in the morning 

Deep snow

We didn't go too high up

We managed to get some steep ground into the day. Main topics were avalanche awareness and coping in high winds, kit requirements and route planning. 

Essentials

Less windy here

We found some less windy areas in the Moraines which we could cope in. The boys were happy to get lots out of the day in these conditions, their first taste of Scottish winter hillwalking and especially the Cairngorm breezes. 

The Moraines

Windy clouds