Corrie ciste today. Good snow and ice for winter skills. Cooler weather.

A bit damp and mild this week – some (mobile phone) photos from skiing in Glen Shee and climbing in the Northern Corries. Some forecasts seem to suggest a mild, and damp weekend ahead – but models I’ve been looking at seem to suggest it getting colder. Who knows! Thaw/Freeze will be building ice nicely high up on Ben Nevis.

Thawing ice...

Coire an t’Sneacha today – much thawing snow with an awful lot of surface water on the walk-in and even on the plateau. We climbed the Runnel which was complete and in not bad condition. Andrew and I then descended and climbed the line to the right of Jacob’s ladder on thawing, but good, water ice and snow.

Snow pack was very wet.

Out with Ed, Beth, Joe and Callum for an EICA Ratho Winter skills day. We started from the Lawers visitor centre and headed up looking at navigation skills. We then looked at movement skills on snow and ice before heading up Meall Corrinaich. On the way down we looked at self-arrest and then digging emergency shelters.
A mild day: +7C in the car park and freezing levels above the tops. Plenty of snow around still and folk out on skis.

Not exactly Ben Nevis, but last night gave a clear, crisp, moon-lit night so I nipped up and climbed a gully line on Caerketton Hill. Someone else obviously had the same idea, as there was a line of crampons going up until the gully line was blocked by an alcove, where they stopped. A few deft axe strokes in good turf later and I was over the steep bit and on the summit watching the moon rise.
More snow this morning, so I think a ski-tour may be on the cards.