GETTING COLDER IN THE CAIRNGORMS

 

Sara enjoying the limited snow above 900m

Thursday 16th February. 

 Top day out in benign conditions. Sara out for 2 days with me this week. Sara runs Mont Blanc Treks who I've had the pleasure to guide for on Alpine trips for the last few years.

Coire an Lochain 

No Alpone conditions today in the Cairngorms but at last the freezing levels dropped and a very light dusting of snow above 1000m.

The cliffs of Coire an Lochain 

Spot the climbers

Great chat and banter as we wandered around the Northern Corries with lunch in a snowhole, rather than a Alpine Hut.

Snow shelters

Good spot for lunch 

Hard to believe the numbers skiing today. You have to look hard into Coire Cas to see any ski runs! I guess it knocks some dosh off the £25 million it's cost to fix the train.

Visibility at 1100m

A few days of blizzards wouldn't go amiss.

MORE MOUNTAIN HARE ADVENTURES

 

Sunday 12th February 

Valued return clients Michelle & Phil out with me again on a Mountain Hare Photography workshop. They have been out twice before with Gary Hodgson Photography team photograph our beautiful mountain hares. Last February we had stunning and perfect winter conditions. Full snow cover at all levels, blue, blue skies and very low temperatures. A bit different one year later. Temperatures were +5 C at 700m and no snow to talk of. But one thing was certain, the beautiful Mountain Hares were there for us.

A not so wintry Cairngorms 

A lovely, peaceful day in the hills with the hares and great company.

TRAINING FOR EVEREST

 

Team Everest

Saturday 11th February. 

A top day delivering essential winter skills with 5 guys today. Joe, Phil, Sam, Gary and Jan all friends and colleagues out in the Cairngorms with me today. A very pleasant day with not too high winds and we got some sunshine.

Sam is in training for Everest in a few weeks time. Hopefully he's successful and what a trip that will be.

Top banter with a fun bunch of guys.

MOUNTAIN HARES IN THE RAIN

 

Photography in less than ideal weather

Friday 10th February. 

Day 2 with Richard & Ian on their wildlife photography workshop. A very different weather day from yesterday. Temperature rise and much of the snow from yesterday had melted away. We had a lot of mist and mizzley, drizzly rain. The winds weren't too bad but testing conditions for human and camera. Of course this is just another day in the life of our beautiful mountain hares who live day to day in all wweathers. 

Mo Charaid 

Shaking off the rain

After a disappointing day yesterday we were rewarded with two hours sat in front of my wonderful Mo Charaid. We saw no one all day, unlike yesterday were there was some human disturbance from other folk on the hill.

Modern cameras are now 'weather proof'

The guys were very happy with my wonderful friend giving them stretches, scratches, paws up, wee face wash and a spin dry of his wet coat.

Snow and Red Grouse from yesterday 

Mountain Hare from yesterday 

I've also added a few images from yesterday's photography.

WINTER RETURNS

 

Richard & Ian enjoying the snow

Thursday 9th February. 

Richard & Ian are out with me for 2 days of wildlife photography this week.

It was great to see snow back on the hill today.  Strong winds and lower temperatures in the Monadhliath. A lot of windblown snow around this morning above 600m but a beautiful afternoon with the winds dieing down a tad and bright sunshine. 

A pair of binoculars are essential items 

The hares were a bit twitchy today but we had some nice moments and some long distance images were taken.

Wind and snow

Tomorrow we hope to get some lovely settled hares. Its wildlife, its mountains.  Nothing is guaranteed. That's why we keep going back 😀

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

 

Happy hare

It's been a great few days for some wildlife photography. My Mountain Hare and Ptarmigan Photography Workshops here in the Cairngorms National Park have been extremely popular this winter with over 20 days of workshops already and more to come this month and March.

Last Thursday,  just as the light was fading 

Here's a few of my images from Friday, Sunday and Monday with 2 separate groups of people from far flung corners of the world including USA and Bristol.

Cairngorm plateau, Sunday

Mo Charaid returns!

The wee one yawning 

A CALM DAY IN THE CAIRNGORMS

 

Mary, Angela & Chris enjoying fabulous snow conditions 

Tuesday 7th February. 

Angela, Chris & Mary out on one of Tarmachan Mountaineering's winter courses today. 

Firm snow, great for cramponing techniques 

We built on their previous winter experience and covered lots of axe and crampon technique. Finished off with some axe arresting and a bit of step cutting. 

Good fun here

Nice to get a calm, benign day for a change,  inbetween bouts of gales. We even had some sun.

Ice axe arresting 

MO CHAIRAD RETURNS!

 

Simon with Mo Charaid 

Monday 6th February. 

Simon out with Gary Hodgson Photography On his 2nd day of wildlife photography. Today it was with the adorable Mountain Hares. 

We saw at least 4 different hares in the morning but they were a bit twitchy. One wonderful character looked like an older hare who was starting to morph into late winter pelage. I've not seen this guy bebefore. 

After lunch we were about to pack up when I spotted my wonderful hare who I photographed all last winter. I've not seen Mo Charaid since last April. How wonderful! Last year when Simon was out with me we photographed him, so it was brilliant for both of us to see my old friend again. We spent over 2 hrs with him this afternoon. Sheer delight.

Earlier in the day a selfish, ignorant dogwalker and his mutt came bounding over and scared a hare off. This isn't the first time either. These people need educating and need to be aware that these hills are home to our precious wildlife,  not some playground for out of control dogs. Mountain Hares are now a protected species. These selfish people can and will be fined.

Thankfully the mountain hare ran the legs off the mutt. Our hares are the fasted mammal.

Photographer & hare 

We told the dog owner to get it on a lead. The gormless guy didn't have a clue, he was so far away from his dog..he walked off one hand on the lead, one hand on his mobile phone,  presumably because he  couldn't navigate. I hope he ended up lost is some bog.

Rant over.

A top day and top company. 

Priceless moments.

Hares later :)