Talisman Mountain Diary

Warm and sunny again

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Grey and thundery over the weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:19:00 +0000

The good hot weather had to end and it did so with heavy thundery downpours and a bang as the lightning hit my phoneline - it's still not working!
Apparently the windows of a house near Aviemore at Kincraig were blown out as well as numerous phone lines, home electrics and satellite dishes by the lighting strikes....!
It looks as though it's to be a lot cooler though sunny next week.
Still some deep snow in the gullies and sheltered hollows though with temperatures in the mid twenties last week the snow pack has very much diminished and the skiing has ended for the season.
Large snowfields are still present above and below many of the popular Cairngorm Classic Rock mountain routes.

Hot and sunny

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Great pre-midge season valley rock climbing in Scotland. Many of the higher mountain routes such as Savage Slit still have steep snowy approaches and Hells Lum has drooping cornices and meltwater from the snow fields above!

Nice dry rock but feeling colder in the SE wind

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Robin, Laura, Fi and I had an enjoyable day scrambling, rock climbing and looking at basic ropework on our way up Fiacaill Ridge and around Coire an Lochain.
More cloud and a fresh SE breeze made it feel a lot colder today. On the walk in we met the two keen rock climbers we saw yesterday. They were obviously not put off by the snow and were seen heading to climb Magc Crack via the start of Genie....?
We started from Coire an t-Sneachda near the foot of Fiacaill Ridge kicking and cutting steps in the firm snow onto the main ridge where we gained shelter from the wind on it's west aspect. After scrambling and some easy rock climbing on lovely rough dry rock we had lunch on the plateau. Later we walked over Cairn Lochain and found more icy snow to practise step cutting. We descended via Lurcher's Ridge and had great views into a snowy Coire an Lochain.

Stunning hot sunny weather and good conditions for winter skills!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:35:00 +0000

I met up again with Robin and Laura who had travelled over from Glen Sheil to dry out and to gain some more winter/alpine mountaineering skills.

It was an absolutely beautiful day with firm snow in the morning for step cutting and crampon practise and soft slidey snow in the afternoon for ice axe arrests and snow belays.
The hard morning snow caught a few rock climbers out in Coire an t-Sneachda making the approaches interesting without ice axes...!
The Cairngorms have lost a lot of snow over the past few days although the corrie heawalls, gullies and east aspects of the Ben MacDui plateau are still very snowy. Western aspects are now quite dry and rocky.
There are some massve crevassed cornices in the Hells Lum area and large crevasses in Coire an Lochain.
The Coire Cas ski run is now very narrow compared to Saturday and all the other middle runs are broken.

Global cooling

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Sun, 04 May 2008 09:22:00 +0000

Could the next decade be good for Scottish winter climbing and skiing...
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7376301.stm

It was very warm today with a temperature of 19 Celsius in Inverness!

Free skiing and free beer at Cairngorm Mountain!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:19:00 +0000

With the May Fest offer like that I had to go skiing..!
With the strong southerly winds and mild temperatures I had my doubts about the skiing but it turned out OK and fairly bright. The main runs were sheltered and once you got used to the heavy spring snow the skiing was good fun.
The free skiing on Cairngorm Mountain was for previous season ticket holders who had kept there old season passes and the free beer was courtesy of the Cairngorm Brewery. Even if you didn't have an old season pass the ski pass cost less than a tenner - now that's good value!
There were lots of other activities for non skiers and despite a relatively busy car park there were very few queues at the tows or funicular.
The top runs are still good and fairly wide while the Cas provides the best route down to the mid station though the last section of the Gun Barrel is starting to break up.
I finished the day off by climbing to the summit of Cairngorm and skiing down Coronation Wall and the upper Cas on good untracked spring snow - absolutely magic.....!
Looking across from the summit it looks like the Cairngorm plateau still has good cover all the way to Ben MacDui for ski touring and all the big snow gullies and Coire headwalls are full of spring snow that's good for skiing on...

There are some large creep lines and crevasses starting to develope in places such as in Coire an Lochain's great slab so care required in the warmer weather to avoid the full depth avalanche black spots!

Frosty with blue skies and sunshine in the east!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Looks a nice day with reasonable snow cover on the Cairngorms for skiing...

The "Devils Ridge" Ring of Steale

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:31:00 +0000

With heavy rain, hail, winds and thundery weather forecast we decided that a traverse of the Aonach Eagach was best left for better weather...
As an airy but more escapeable alternative we decided on the Devils Ridge and this turned out to be a good and enjoyable choice. Being a bit lower than Bidean the summits and ridges were mostly clear of snow or it was easily avoided. As a bonus being slightly more north and further inland we missed most of the wet weather that was forecast!!

Buachaille Etive Mor 30th April

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:05:00 +0000

Our time on Bidian looking at basic winter skills proved essential for the safe ascent up the path in Coire na Tulaich which still has a lot of steep snow on the last few hundred metres as well as some sagging cornices.
On the main ridge the mist came in as we headed towards Stob Dearg and then the weather started to quickly deteriorate at the summit cairn with strong gusty bitter winds, hail and snow. Rather than having lunch on the tops we decided the warmest and safest option was to descend back the way we came as soon as we could to the shelter of the main coire.
On the steep snowy descent for extra security we used the rope and axes on the upper section though crampons were not required on the wet spring snow though would be essential if the temperature had dropped...
More details can be found at http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/2008/05/glencoe-adventures.html

Bidean nam Bian Glencoe 29th April

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:46:00 +0000

We were over in Glencoe for a spot of guiding with Robin and Laura from Holland. Our first day was on Bidean which was very snowy and alpine on the sharp summit snow ridges. We were very glad of our ice axes and the chance for teaching some basic winter skills!
On our descent from Stob Coire nan Lochan we bumped into Al H from the Ice Factor who we'd seen earlier rock climbing on Quiver Rib.
More details can be found at http://alanhalewood.blogspot.com/2008/04/glencoe-29-april.html

Warm dry rock

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:06:00 +0000

Apart from Saturday morning it's been a very dry and sunny weekend and ideal for getting back into rock climbing and looking at crag rescue techniques with Sara and Chris.

A lot less snow on the hills though all the main Northern Corries and gully lines are still full.

In contrast the next few days look like they may be good for winter skills and winter climbing...!

The Cairngorm corries and plateau are still very snowy

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:49:00 +0000

Despite the milder temperatures over the past few days the the Northern Corries and Cairngorm plateau still have very good snow cover...
With the forecast return of colder temperatures from Monday next week the snow will remain on the hills for sometime to come making careful route choice, ice axes and crampons essential. In fact many of the easier gullies and climbs will be in superb winter nick when the freezing level drops to 900 metre from Monday onwards.
Over on Ben Nevis some of the higher ice routes could be really good too...!
There's still plenty of snow for skiing on and off the piste though this is often very hard first thing in the morning until it softens later in the day. Care required on sun warmed slopes especially below any large cornices!
We're doing some private guiding next week on the Scottish Munro's and are expecting to need to negotiate some very icy grade one winter ground to reach some of the summits - so axes and crampons and the ability to use them are essential!

Monday 21st April 2008 Point Five ice climbing video

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:37:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54AAbGVRsuM

Photos of Fi the camera woman in action and Ron on the Rogue pitch courtesy on Ian Fowler..

Cairngorm ski touring

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:45:00 +0000

After our day climbing over in the west on the Ben we decided on a short ski tour up Lurcher's. Our original plan was to get a lift pass but as it was a bit windy we decided just to go for a ski wander... It was just about possible to ski from the carpark with a lot of heather and boulder hopping but probably better to hike a bit higher or use the lower Fiacaill ski area tow tracks for skinning up. The lower snow was very wet and heavy but better up high on the plateau. Still excellent cover on the plateau and in the Coires with all the gully lines and coires brimming with snow. More details at http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/diary

Perfect ice on the Ben

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Full details and lots more pictures of our outing on Ben Nevis can be found at http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/2008/04/point-five-ben-nevis-21st-april.html

We took quite a number of video clips on all the main ice pitches so I will publish another YouTube video in a few days on climbing Point Five a day to remember...!

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54AAbGVRsuM

Still great snow cover with dry rock in the valleys

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:30:00 +0000

The Cairngorms still have excellent snow cover for on and off-piste skiing right down to the car park and the valley forests have bone dry trails for mountain biking. The Northern Corrie crags are plastered white for winter climbing while in the glens the rock is bone dry for rock climbing. Outdoor heaven....!

Smith's Route Ben Nevis video from 16th April 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:45:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21y1k-nPCJw

Cold and gusty on the Ben

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:02:00 +0000

with lots of spindrift but fantastic ice ...!

Mid April ice climbing on Smith's Route Ben Nevis video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21y1k-nPCJw

For detailed report and photos see http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/diary

Yesterday's evening ski tour video

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:33:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2BbBUmPo2Q

Another great day for ski touring

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:41:00 +0000

After the near whiteout conditions during the weekend, Monday afternoon and evening where clear and bright.
There's still absolutely fantastic snow cover throughout the Cairngorm plateau with hardly a rock in site.
Today you could ski anywhere from the summit of Cairngorm on lovely silky snow on the southern aspects. Amazingly we had the whole place to ourselves laying tracks on virgin snow!
The northern aspect were still good for skis with entertaining soft sastruga near the summit and slightly heavier snow on the Coronation Wall and the Cas Headwall.
The only places we noticed hard icy rimed wind scoured snow was right at the top of the corrie rims - good for crampons but not so nice for our planned descent of the Goat Track on skis!
There were only two climbers in Coire an t-Sneachda though apparently a number of people climbed up Fiacaill Ridge.
Jim H one of the fittest guys we know had found foot travel into the corries absolutely exhausting. I have to admit to a smug grin as we whooshed over the snow surface as they struggled through knee deep snow. I got my comeuppance at the top of the Goat Track though!
Jim and his friend had climbed Broken Gully and found lots of unconsolidated snow and crap ice...
Monday evening ski tour video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2BbBUmPo2Q

Great ski touring

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:19:00 +0000

Great ski touring throughout the Cairngorms. Off -piste there's great silky powder snow with a firm base above 1,000 metres though at lower elevations the snow is getting heavier and starting to consolidate. With the drop in temperatures this weekend the snow should become quite firm below 900 metres. The winds today were from a southerly direction and were building small cornices and loading windslab onto north facing coire bowls and gullies. There was a big avalanche yesterday on a north facing coire bowl so take extra care if climbing or descending into Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain ...

Great skiing and well done Cairngorm Mountain...!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:33:00 +0000

Large Coire Cas headwall avalanche crown wall and debris. There were ski tracks going into the top of the crown wall and coming and out from the base of the avalanche debris. I wonder what happened in the middle...!

For the first time in ages we didn't mind paying for the ski pass at Cairngorm with the added bonus of the late opening. We had three last runs as everytime we returned to the bottom of the ski tow knackered, the closing time was put back 15 minutes later. Being true Scots we had to get our money worth! A video will be uploaded later of the ski conditions on Cairngorm and my video analysis of Fi's third time on alpine type skis after three years!

See http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/diary

The very snowy Northern Corries from Loch Morlich. This is Scotland in April, an alpine paradise for ski touring on the plateau, ice climbing on Ben Nevis, mountain biking in the valleys and rock climbing on the sea cliffs. It's also strangely very quiet.... God's own land...!

Above looking into Coire an t-Sneachda and below looking into Coire an Lochain from Loch Morlich!

Click on the pictures for a closer look...

Great great great skiing.... From the plateau to the carpark the snow cover and skiing is really good! As an added bonus the kind hearted staff at Cairngorm Mountain kept the tows open until after 5:00 pm due to the excellent skiing. Everybody was happy including the staff...

Wow....!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:05:00 +0000

For the first time in several days the clouds lifted and the sun came out to reveal the snow cover over the Cairngorms and .....WOW!

Apparently the "best cover for over 15 years for this time of year "was one quote from the SAIS. "There is awesome skiing on Cairngorm Mountain!" to quote from Cairngorm Mountain's website here and having seen the cover I tend to agree too!

At the moment foot travel to and from the mountains is best done in snow shoes or skis.

The avalanche risk is very high at Cat 4 (Cat 5 is the max) See the SAIS Cairngorms report and the SAIS Blog for a good photo of Coire an t-Sneachda which shows almost complete deep snow cover of the whole coire!

More details of the recent plane crash and how close it was to the Ptarmigan ski area and restaurant can be found in the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald website here.

Tons of deep powdery snow on the hill

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Walker) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:02:00 +0000

The ski conditions are fantastic though visibility has been very poor over the last few days.
Several teams have reported abandoning the walk into the climbing venues due to very deep snow. There is also a very high Cat 4 avalanche risk so take extra care...