UKC

Hello.

Can anybody give me any info on the conditions in Torridon over the past day or so?

Forecast looking a better a little further north for the weekend.

Are gullies complete, good covering on Beinn Alligin and Liathach etc?

Cheers,
Tom

In reply to Tom Last:

These facebook photos from Martin Moran might help you:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.484473391670825.1073741844.242282...

In reply to mattrm:

Thanks Mattrm, very useful.

Looks like there was a lot of snow present, but that was last Friday, anyone any idea if it's stripped back much since?

Cheers.

In reply to Tom Last:

Hi Tom
Firstly check out SAIS report for Torridon; very useful addition to conditions reports and if we use it lots I'm sure there's more of a case for funding next year.
I was up on Saturday last with the crest of Liathach in excellent condition. This froze further that night & Sunday. The warm weather over past 2 days has thinned the cover down on the Cuillin but it was considerably thinner than what I saw in Torridon and the mainland has been a degree or 2 colder than Skye.
My guess would be still very rewarding conditions on the crest and in the broader snow gullies of Torridon.

In reply to Tom Last:

Freezing level today in Torridon was about 950 metre. Virtually no snow below 850 meters. Snow crusting up above 900 metres today - I was on Sgorr Ruadh and Beinn Liath Mhor. Very poor visibility with frequent showers - snow showers above 800 meters. Based on snow amounts on my hills you should find something to do on Liathach as weather will get colder from Saturday with snow showers. Very wet underfoot at lower levels- plenty of fun burn crossings on my walk up. I feel conditions will stay much better further east until Torridon gets a bit more snow. Ground decidedly not frozen below 950 metres at the moment.

In reply to Tom Last:

Thanks for taking the time gents, very useful.

Tom

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:

Thanks Mr Watch--more data that confirms me in my further-east thinking.

In reply to Tim Chappell:

If it's any help Tim, I think by the following weekend weather conditions will be better in the north-west- at least going by the ECMWF Deterministic forecast- by which time the feed of showers off the Atlantic should have gone

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:

Looking at the ensemble forecast the deterministic forecast doesn't look very reliable past the 16th

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MT8_Aberdeen_ens.png

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:

temps also not showing as going very cold for the time of year here
http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/avnpanel2.html

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Ah, but I live in the north-west- I can feel it in my bones mo ghraidh!

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:
are you sure that's not just arthritis

In reply to CurlyStevo:

The only pains this winter have been caused by flying debris for most of December. Narrowly avoided being felled by detached Carn Dearg youth hosyel roof a few weeks ago

In reply to Tom Last:

Beinn Eighe today: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.204376006432826.1073741835.189398...

Snow was a mixture of good neve on the ledges and a lot of wind-blown powder - I'd be wary of gully exits. A little rime on the upper quartzite tier, cracks not too hard to clear.

In reply to Jamie B:

thanks Jamie. much other action in the corrie?

In reply to alasdair19:

There was at least one other team, we think they were headed for East Buttress.

In reply to Jamie B:

Three teams in the beinn eighe corries today. The easier angle routes were a good choice with snow on ledges but no rime at all and limited ice. Poachers etc on liathach was all very thin..
James

In reply to Tom Last:

Thanks all for the info. We made the drive for the weekend from Cornwall, so genuinely people replying to these threads is very very useful when you're in the position of living so far away.

So to update from Beinn Alligin yesterday. Everything quite wet underfoot still. Light dusting to about 500m then older pack from about 800m, well bonded but only up to about 6" thick for the most part, with a couple inches graupel sat on top. Turf only completely frozen towards the summits hereabouts. Small patches of windslab on all aspects, but nothing extensive enough to give us any great concerns on the ridge. Couldn't see into Deep North/South gullies, but would imagine fairly thin. Eag Dubh etc bare. Pretty good winter walking conditions though, which was what we were after. Similar picture as far north as An'Teallach by the looks of it (from a distance). Thanks again.

In reply to Tom Last:
Cornwall to Torridon - wow! I'll stop moaning about the 7-8 hours from Birmingham to Fort William / Cairngorms...