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| Fiacaill Coire Sneachda on Thursday |
The colder temperatures and snowfall on Wednesday has brought snow back to the Cairngorms. It was good to get out for a romp around the Fiacaill Coire Sneachda on Thursday. This is a firm favourite route of mine, I've climbed it more than 200 times in winter and lost count how many traverses in summer. It was the first time out with the ironmongery this season.
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| Fingers Ridge in the sun |
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| Fiacaill in profile |
Every ascent is different. I like to walk into Coire an Sneachda and ascend onto the ridge from there. There were a few climbers out getting some early routes in. I also spotted a few ptarmigan. On the walk in to the coire I also passed 2 groups of folk who didn't even looked dressed for summer, never mind winter. I'm always amazed to se two folk with only 1 rucksack between them. Why is this? Email me the answer please :)
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| A cold minus 4 C on the tops |
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| Nice afternoon |
It was a cloudy start but the sun kept coming and going and made for some wonderful conditions. A few light snow flurries and some windblown snow throughout the day. There were some wonderful bright spells too. Forecast was minus 4 C on Cairn Gorm today, with a 30mph windchill. It is winter! There is a thin layer of snow above 800m. No rime ice and a lot of rocks poking through, making awkward but fun climbing on the ridge. Some water ice and some frozen turf. Obviously conditions change day to day in the Scottish mountains, but it is winter. Lets hope some of the folk wandering about dressed like its summer realise this!
On Monday I was out photographing Ptarmigan. A bright start with only a bit of snow above 1100m. Nice to count bout 20 ptarmigan in one location and then another pair in a different area,
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| Ptarmigan well camouflaged at 1150m |
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| A bit lower down and no snow cover |
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