UKC

This is the fourth of the 2010/11 season of Scottish winter conditions updates from Dan Goodwin of MountainPlan.com.

Dan gives a round up of what has been climbed, where good venues for the weekend might be and also some very important links to avalanche and weather information.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=59725

In reply to UKC News: thank you for the round up! btw those weather forecasts are pretty inaccurate: its -6c in kingussie today not 0 brrr

In reply to UKC News: Hi Dan. Would add: Yesterday the ice on the lower pitch of Compression Crack on Ben Nevis is still fat but watch out for windslab on the shelves there. Teams backing off Castle Ridge yesterday because of deep powder.
Finnisg-aig Falls and Steall not there.
Lurchers has had some climbing see:http://blog.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk/?p=1859 and http://www.digilbert.co.uk/newsarticle.asp?id=117
Al Halewood

In reply to UKC News:
Surely that first photo was taken from the Ballachulish Horseshoe, not Aonach Mor?

In reply to AlH:

Thanks Al

Was on top of Lurchers today and didn't spy much ice looks quite bare down below but couldn't see it that clearly !!

I think your right only a hill !!

Dan

In reply to Dan Goodwin - Mountain Plan: Jamie B reports climbing 7 good pitches of low Grade Ice on Lurchers today. Al

In reply to AlH:

Nice one ! There is often some nice pitches to the right of the main guidebook routes (looking up at the crag) !

youtube.com/watch?v=e-CkYHHkWSc&

Aye Dan

In reply to Dan Goodwin:

I know it's a honeypot but there's a hell of a lot more to the S. Highlands than Udlaidh!!! How about emailing a few S. Highlands suspects like Postie to get the overall picture?
The Coe itself is less reliable than many crags further South.

In reply to Dan Goodwin - Mountain Plan:

Or is it because there aren't any guides actively using these venues? ; )

In reply to Dan Goodwin - Mountain Plan:

And to the left (where we climbed yesterday on finding most of the main lines taken), but these northern icefalls (as we discovered later) get a passing mention in the guide. Enjoyable climbing with plenty of ice, but much of it hard and brittle.