UKC

Could anybody tell me what the conditions are like on Helvellyn, striding edge and surrounding areas at the moment?

We are coming up this weekend and will obviously bring crampons etc but just wanting an idea if we’re likely to use them?

cheers

https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/

Thanks very much. Great website!

Pleasure. Thought it better you got it from the horses mouth!
 

It is and I’m currently basing my mornings walk on it.Its been very reliable so far this week. I used the old telephone system in the early 90’s . 

What would the  wind  speed have to be as to make it unsafe to go up to Helvellyn summit via striding edge , and swirrel edge ?

Probably 42.5 mph if you’re bipedal and over 5’7.5, 63.5 mph if you’re a quadruped and hugging the lee side of the ridge.

When we went it was gusting 57mph on the summit with hail. Quite a few were turning around on striding. There was 8 of us with full winter kit and a fair bit of experience. We went up striding and down Swirral. Descending Swirral felt really dodgy, relying on your ice axe and crampons in blizzard conditions.

I think it’s more down to your experience and competency in winter conditions. Have fun if you go, it’s fully in at the moment. Not sure for how much longer though.

Thanks , keeping an eye on wind speeds for middle of next week , much prefer wintry conditions, but when it gets gale force+ on some areas its best to avoid them.  

Out of curiosity how similar in terms of snow/ice line could I expect Great End near Scaffel Pike to be to Helvellyn?

I'm trying to find a good place for conditions there but struggling atm, thanks

Much less snow on Great End and its thawing like buggery today. Currently 4.8c at Kirkstone Pass. 

No 1 gully was fat and easy, rather banked out, in the summer Alpine conditions on Thursday. 

Thanks, I'm going up in a fortnight and hope to do custs gully as my first winter route and I hope conditions get better for it not looking good

A fortnight is basically forever - it could be sunny and warm or there could have been another dump of snow. Having said that winter conditions in the Lakes tend to get less common as March goes on although I've done a route in very heavy snow conditions with great frozen turf in early April just two years ago.

Yeah I realize it's pretty temperamental, I've been waiting to get a weekend off to do with a mate and this was the earliest one post winter skills course for us. Do you know of any more consistent good winter grade 1 routes like short gullys? We're doing Helvellyn but would like to get our first gully done in the lake district, thanks mate

Two weeks ?? You will be lucky if there is any snow left on Monday never mind two weeks.

Check out Kilnshaw chimney on Red Screes, top of Kirkstone Pass. Might be what you are looking for. Grade 1/11 and not very long. You'll find logbook comments and piccies on here.