WINTER NAVIGATION - ANOTHER ALPINE DAY!

Domi & Helen nearing the summit of Cairn Gorm, Beinn Meadhoin in the clouds

Wonderful atmospheric cloud today

Fine weather for taking bearings (ie no cold fingers!)

The ladies on top of a very quiet Cairn Lochan

Fab snow for ski touring today

Coire an Lochan

Some areas are beginning to stabalize

Helen, Domi & Janet enjoyed a fabulous 'Alpine' day once again in The Cairngorms. The sun shone all day and there was some beautiful cloud swirling around toward the south, a temperature inversion that was dispersing with the strong SW winds which eased during the day. So we came back with  Alpine glow faces! Today we focused on navigation but with the wonderful vistas it was hard for the ladies to concentrate on taking bearings! Why is it that the majority of navigation training days are always clear and sunny? :) . We had a good wander around the Northern Corries and up onto Cairn Gorm summit. There were many folk out today, winter skills groups, skiers, ski tourers and climbers all enjoying The Highlands at their best. More to come next couple of days and beyond! Enjoy!

AN ALPINE DAY

Approaching the Fiacaill Ridge in sunny splendour

Helen & Janet enjoying the sun & views

A busy Fiacaill Buttress

Domi enjoying the sun as we descend into Coire an Lochan

Coire an Lochan

Rutchblock test, no failures

The weather forecasts have been a bit topsy- turvy the last two days, today the forecast was cloud and drizzle but instead we got the weather that was forecast yesterday! It was a beautifully sunny almost all the day with lighter winds and warm sun it felt very Alpine! Janet, Helen & Domi were out with me last February over in the west and this weekend they have returned, bringing fine weather with them  again :). We covered the basics again of movement on snow as we headed along the Fiacaill Ridge. We were looking across to The Goat Track which is well loaded with snow and a couple of folk were descending it, not a place I would have been walking down today. From the notch on the Fiacaill we had lunch in the lovely sunshine before heading down the Coire an Lochain side and covered moving on steep ground, avalanche awareness and safe travel. Our Rutchblock test pit earlier in the day, at a lower altitude,  revealed sill a few layers of varying hardness including some softer wind slab but it was starting to bond. We finished the day with a recap on ice axe arresting, my first 'sliding session in the sun' this winter, and oh was it nice! With a glissade down to the Sneachda path.

A NICE SUNNY DAY?

Above 1000m the rocks were still rimed up and wintry

A very busy Fiacaill Ridge, this glimpse of the sun was all that was seen today!

Finally the tops peeped out on the way home

Today was forecast to be dry and sunny by late morning. Funny then how I was walking in drizzle most of the morning and surrounded by cloud above 800m. Not many sunny photos of The Fiacaill Ridge today, well not until 2.30pm when eventually the cloud lifted off the tops. It was much milder today and the freezing level was around 1000m probably. Should start to consolidate the snow pack with the milder temperatures over next couple of days.

BYNACK MOR - A BEAUTIFUL WINTER'S DAY

Brian getting plenty of photo's today, looking up to the fine ridge on Bynack Mor

Excellent hard, frozen snow and rime ice along the ridge

Summit in the sun

The hill's finest feature-The Barns of Bynack

Winter routes on 'The Barns'

The Barn's and Ben Avon in the distance

Return client, Brian is out with me for two days of winter walking and a brush up on some skills. We couldn't get up to the Coire Cas carpark today as there had been a lot of heavy drifting of snow yesterday and last night. So we decided on a foray up to Bynack Mor from Glen More. This isolated Munro as a feeling of remoteness as it's quite a walk - in, but the excellent tracks and paths lower down the hill make fast going. The sun was out most of the day on our hill, whilst the main Cairngorm hills had a capping of cloud through much of the time. There was some excellent, hard, frozen snow which had been scoured along the ridge. There was a strong westerly wind but from the summit we headed down to The Barns of Bynack, a favourite spot of mine and the finest Tor in the Cairngorms. Here we were well sheltered and had a fine pic nic in the snow.

FUAR THOLL, A GORGEOUS DAY

Mainnreachan Buttress of Fuar Tholl

One of many easy gully routes on the mountain

The very pleasant sun and blue skies in the afternoon

Beinn Liath Mhor & Loch Coire Lair

Coire Lair & Sgorr Ruadh

I'd almost forgotten what it was like to sit in the sun on a mountain and gazing across snowy mountains with no winds and enjoying the views-until today! I headed North and West, catching the wonderful Kyle line train and jumping off at Achnashellach- one of the tiniest stations in the UK and a perfect starting point to head into that most wonderful of mountain areas, between Strath Carron and Torridon. Spoiled for choice between Beinn Liath Mhor, Sgurr Ruadh and Fuar Tholl I decided on the two later hills. It was milder than of late which as helped the snow pack consolidate and as I headed up beside The Mainnrichean Buttress I found superb neve in one of the gullies. The hazy skies cleared by early afternoon and blue skies. Shame we are in for another wild and snowy day tomorrow, just as I could get used to a settled spell!

TEAM ELBRUS SNOW HOLE

Scott & Mitch working up a sweat

Jim breaking slabs

Mel tunneling through

Jim dressing up

Everyone making beds

The Team on Cairn Gorm

For Team Elbrus's final two days with me we had an overnight snow hole trip up at Ciste Mhearad near Cairn Gorm. Yesterday (Saturday) it was a very pleasant day with light winds and feeling a touch milder in the southerly airflow but still with some stubborn cloud spoiling the views. Within a few hours we had our spacious snow shelter done, this one being a long tunnel variety, plenty of headroom to walk about and with head to toe sleeping platforms. This morning we woke to a stiff breeze and virtual white out conditions along with a light snowfall. We headed up t the summit of Cairngorm and then had a 'soft' breakfast of rolls, coffee and hot chocolate down at the Ptarmigan cafe. It was quite surreal as I was walking on a bearing  up and down to the Cairn Gorm summit in a white out to find a cafe. The Ptarmigan caf was choc a bloc and walking down the ski area there were some hardy souls out skiing. Back at the lower car park the winds had increased and it was horizontal snow getting into the car. Well done Team Elbrus, good character building four days with plenty of skills for Elbrus in August.

A WEE BIT LIKE ELBRUS WEATHER

The Team at a good rock belay

Jim demonstrating the Italian Hitch

Moveing together

A bit of traversing in the wind

The non stop banter & humour at our snack breaks

Day two for The Elbrus Team and today we covered some basic rope skills, moving on steeper ground and basic belays as we made our way up below the Fiacaill Butress. The possible sunshine that was forecast didn't happen, instead we had low cloud and a blustery wind swirling around the corrie. Just to make it feel more like Mount Elbrus conditions we also got a few snow showers in the afternoon. There is still some wind slab in places and so we were still observing what was under our feet and above us. A few hasty pits revealed there was still some weaknesses in the snow pack. We are away overnight on a snow hole expedition tomorrow

TEAM MOUNT ELBRUS - WINTER SKILLS SCOTLAND

Jim, Mel, Scott B, Scott S and Mitch are out with me on a four day winter skills course as part of their Mount Elbrus training program which I am also guiding on in August. This is the team's first planned training toward gaining THE HIGHEST PEAK IN EUROPE, it's not Mont Blanc :) . Today we enjoyed hardly a breath of wind and a dry day. The hills have a fantastic covering of snow right down to low levels. Great for ski touring at the moment, it was in fact not too hard going in the soft, unconsolidated snow low down. We headed into Coire an Lochain and then up onto the Fiacaill Ridge. We discussed movement on steeper terrain, avalanche awareness and cramponing techniques along the wonderfully rimed ridge. A very cold day high up but very pleasant and good fun with the team who I'll be with for over two weeks this summer. On the descent we finished off with some ice axe arresting.

WIND AND SNOW AGAIN

It had been milder today and the winds high once again with a strong westerly. It was snowing above 800m still and higher up I guess a lot more drifting snow. After Friday & Saturday's Arctic snow holing expedition, Russ had a day with his feet up after his huge effort in the harsh conditions and so it was just Neil with me today wanting a recap on basic winter skills. We headed onto the East side of the Fiacaill Ridge and had a look at avalanche evaluation and assessment, safe travel and dug several snow pits to analyse the snow pack. We found a couple of weak layers and one of these was quite deep in the snow pack. Later we moved up onto the ridge and honed some axe skills. We then finished the day on some axe arresting back down the hill. Looking like a wild and snowy few days ahead early next week.

EARLY MORNING DIGGING

Neil & Russ at the top of The Goat Track, a lot of windslab in 24 hrs

Rimed crags, Fingers Ridge

Still a strong, cold North wind this morning

Our comfy snow hole last night turned into a late night-early morning digging excercise. There was a very strong North wind blowing right through the night and into the morning which was starting to build up vast amounts of snow onto our snow shelter entrance. So we were set for a late night shift of shoveling to keep our entrance free and most importantly having good ventilation inside. The weather seemed just the same as we came out at first light, poor vis and spindrift, Neil and Russ were happy to be battling the very cold winds rather than another long shoveling session! The pleasures of snow holing, love it! We headed over to the Northern Corries and back down the Fiacaill Coire Cas as the sun started to peep out. There is now an excellent snow cover on the plateau, equally a lot of wind slab to be aware of, take care out there.

SNOW HOLE DELIGHTS

Neil Taking a break from the shovelling

What's for tea?

Settling down for the night

First snow hole trip this season and in tonight's white room is Russ & Neil who are on a three day course with me. It has been snowing lightly all through the day down to around 500m on a moderate Northerly wind. Poor visibility all day and the compass needed to find Coire Domhain for our shelter. Tomorrow looking like a cracking day.