In reply to rossn:
I did zig zags yesterday and then walked around to Coire nan Lochan before descending. There are pockets of windslab on most aspects above 600m, with the largest accumulations on E/NE aspects. We saw debris from sluffs below most of the gullies in SCNL, and a large partial depth slab avalanche had occurred on the W side of the corrie. Most routes are banked out with soft snow - one team we chatted on the walk out reckoned Scabbard Chimney was probably a grade IV swim. Freezing level was 600m as forecast. Lots of folk on Dorsal Arete, nobody in the gullies that we could see. Turf won't be frozen unless it's on a scoured slope - most of it is buried under a couple of metres of snow.
On the drive up, I saw several parties starting North Buttress on the Buchaille but nobody on the rannoch side - sensibly because crowberry basin looked lethally loaded as did the exit basin above curved ridge.
It's ridges and buttresses conditions, and be prepared for hard work breaking trail if noone's been that way recently. SAIS forecast spot on as always - be mindful of the complex situation right now that a glance at the rose diagram doesn't fully indicate - be sure to read the full forecast and observations, and make sensible travel decisions. Have a plan B and C and don't focus solely on getting to the one route you really want to do.
