UKC

Has anyone got any up to date beta on conditions in Torridon and the NW highlands??

In reply to steveB:
Plenty of snow up here in the north-west. I had an entertainig day today linking Beinn an Eoin and Baosbheinn. Snowed last night so several inches of fresh powder above 1000 ft. Very strong north-easterly this morning dropped during the afternoon. Plenty of snow in back corries of Liathach, and Alligin and Beinn Eighe have a good covering. I did not see a soul on the hill today and the north-west generally seems very quiet this week.

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:
Thanks for that. Possibly heading up at the weekend, so good get some on the scene info. It appears that, with a bit of luck, most of the showers of snow will stay to the north and west of Torridon, but I just hope the stuff that's there can consolidate a bit.

Good to hear the back corries of Liathach are filled, esp. Access Gully up on to the ridge.

I might post an update request tomorrow!

Cheers

Rimz

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:
Cheers for that.
Do I assume that before the latest powder you refer to there was already a widespread decent base in the corries around the area, i.e., something decent to climb on ?
Thanks.

In reply to steveB:

Was climbing on triple buttress yesterday. Spoke to others who had been on liathach on tue.

Conditions generally good, some helpful rime. Snow not too deep on approach. Some good consolidated snow higher up. Turf seemed well frozen. Poachers was thin.

Enjoy.

In reply to steveB: I'm keeping an eye on this thread too, we're heading up to Loch Carron for a week from monday, maybe looking at Liathach or An Teallach walking in from Dundonnel.

In reply to steveB: Was in Coire na Caime, Liathach yesterday. Soft snow on top of old in places so traversing across the big ledge below the crag from Gully 7 which we descended to Gerbil was interesting although not loaded. Routes such as Gerbil and the Shining Path looked in excellent condition and you would have the place to yourselves if going there. Had an interesting starlight traverse of the pinnacles after finishing our route in the dark. A great day with great weather.

In reply to Lone Rider:

Is there a lot of new snow up Torridon way? I was just wondering if it was making things slow going on the approaches and so on.

In reply to steveB: climbed bottom half salmon Leap then top ice pitch and groove of poachers y'day. Great ice apart from groove which is thin /cruddy
good neve descent on south side

In reply to Lone Rider:
Hi, sounds good.

How was the snow on the ridge/pinnacles? Was it fairly consolidated for a good traverse? Hoping any lingering snow showers will be blown from the ridge, and it remains fairly stable.

Cheers

Rimz

In reply to alkira: Gentle birthday treat then? The lad must be knackered after this last week. Fine effort!

In reply to rossh:

Didn't find it a problem as the south side was mainly consolidated with some loose stuff on top. Two hours from the west most path to the ridge at Gulley 7 in Coire na Caime which we descended down easily, the traverse below the crags was on steep slopes above other smaller crags so was a bit thoughtful about triggering avalanches and taking a slide.
The traverse of the pinnacles in the starlight unroped wasn't difficult although tired but depends on your ability I suppose.

I am sure the more frequented coires will have decent trails by now.

Hope that helps

In reply to Rimz:

It did have some loose stuff but in general well consolidated. Has received regular traffic recently so plenty of route choice to suit your ability.
Cheers

In reply to Lone Rider:
It was good today, i went up Hillwalk gully then traversed the ridge with my two guys. All good snow, if getting soft and balling up on the south side in the afternoon.

In reply to Lone Rider:

Thanks for that info (and to James too). Helpful to get a feel for actual conditions to back up own thoughts.

Cheers
Rimz

In reply to mike lates: There wasn't a lot of battery power left in Marky boy by the time we reached the road.

In reply to steveB:
I can confirm comments about the north-west being quiet. I was in Kintail today - ridge from Sgurr na Ciste Dhuibh over Sgurr Fhuaran to Sgurr nan Saighead. Warm in the sun but freezing out of it. Very variable snow conditions. Over a foot of fresh powder snow on parts of the ridge, generally better on north-east facing slopes. Crampons balling up where sun had been at work. Bit of care needed off Sgurr Fhuaran with new snow not adhering too well to a frozen base. Saw one set of footprints but no people. Looked as if Cuilinn weres still catching snow showers.

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:
For anyone thinking of heading to Torridon tomorrow- there has been around 4 inches of fresh snow here in Gairloch overnight, and it's still snowing. Looks as if it is quite localised. Webcams at Cluanie and even as near as Braemore junction are showing no fresh snowfall.

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale: I think your right that it's localised, up here in Mellon Charles it's snowing but only started an hour ago and theres only about an inch.

In reply to The Watch of Barrisdale:
I can confirm the very partchy snow fall i could see snow dowm to sea level near gairloch but not near torridon where it is 400m
I did an amazing route on Beinn Alligin topping out in the horns then doing the full traverse. It was stunning. The views were something else. Snow stability was pretty good too.
I've not known weather and conditions like this in the NW for years. There is so much in condition there for the taking. Oh if only i had more time off!
James e

In reply to James Edwards: <SonyaD here on Andy's pc>

Aye, we were in Torridon too, on Sgurr Ruadh. Massive crystals of hoar frost lying on top of hard snow in places (was sparkling like diamonds, very pretty)so that'll need care when/if more snow falls.

We were thinking we'd get snow showers, but not a drop in sight. Clear blue skies and sun, sun, sun. And aye, the views were just spectacular. Days like today, you're so glad to live in our amazing country and be out climbing in the NW. Really is a special place

In reply to Andy Nisbet: Just got back from a couple of days in the NW. Did Central Buttress on Beinn Eighe on Fri, which was excellent - much of the buttress looks pretty bare but the route itself was in good nick. Did Tango in the Night on Sgurr Ruadh yesterday, which was in good nick apart from some worryingly loose blocks in the last couple of metres where it had caught the sun.

Beautiful weather both days, and an incredible part of the world - I just wish I had the energy to be out today too!

In reply to Neil Adams:

Sounds like a cracking couple of days Neil! Graham and I went into West Central Wall on Saturday. Such a stunning morning on the tops. Not snowing in Torridon but we could see it in the Gairloch direction.

Attempted Mistral but backed off at the same high point as French Erik and Dave Kerr as wasn't really sure where to go (and ran out of juice). Tremendous exposure and and even better adventure!

In reply to jameshiggins: Good effort anyway - I'll remember not to try that one!

How do you retreat from that wall - abb down and descend WC gully?

In reply to Neil Adams:

We rapped back to the base of the route, traversed across to west buttress and then a short rap from fixed gear to enable an easy traverse into Fuselage Gully. I felt bad for Graham as he didn't get to do much climbing and I was too boll@$%d to get out again today.

The climbing was awesome and quite sustained. Just wish I knew the correct line for the final section of the cux pitch if anyone can shed any light (I think it was an Andy Nisbet route...). I got to a capping roof with a wide crack on its left site at the top of a groove line. It would be interesting to know how many ascents this route gets.

You should get yourself onto that wall and enjoy the rap down into the abyss!

In reply to steveB:
Hi folks, does anyone know what kind of condition the Liathach traverse is currently in? Thinking of heading down in a few days.

In reply to Only a hill: As good as it gets did it fri.

In reply to James Edwards: You will need to learn to spell Liathach properly on your blog. There is no excuse for spelling errors from a teacher even if you are now guiding!!!!
:oP

In reply to Lone Rider:
sorry i will change it when i do anotherblog later. i can spell pedant though!
Nice one on the new vii 7. If you got some decent gear that werent rejects from the everest 53 epedition you might even look good in the photos!

In reply to James Edwards: haha surprisingly enough all my gear was from this millenium which makes a change. Still not sure about the grade?

Cheers

In reply to andrewmell:

Did An Teallach on Friday - perfect conditions. Four of us went from Fiona to Sail Liath, met a pair coming the other way. Snow generally OK, but balling up in some places.
Cheers
Rich

In reply to jameshiggins:

As far as I know, Mistral was unrepeated at the start of this winter (I did hear rumours about a month ago). I don't remember the details about the line. Brian Davison led the crux pitch in very snowy conditions (I think) on-sight and didn't fall off. I seconded it also without falling off and found it very tiring (but I did lead the last pitch, so can't have been that bad). We were going well at the time; it was the end of a week's climbing in the NW where we did a new route every day (although I think we had a rest day before Mistral). As for the grade, it's no soft touch. The new system didn't exist and we graded it VI in the old system, and later had to guess for the new system. Brian led Big Daddy a week later, and it was harder, but we graded it VIII,8. So I'd say it was high in VII,7. Interesting for us was that I set off an avalanche in Fuselage Gully on the way down; it took Brian down some 50ft before he managed to stop (luckily). It hadn't snowed or blown for over a week. I'd heard that you could get an air gap in the snow pack if you got stable cold weather and the right temperature gradient in the snow pack, but it wasn't supposed to happen in Scotland (only in stable weather in the Alps etc). I was really fascinated by the wee snow pit I dug, but Brian told me in no uncertain terms that we had a route to climb! So I'd be very interested if anyone has repeated it.

In reply to jameshiggins:
I got to a capping roof with a wide crack on its left site at the top of a groove line.

That will be the roof I told Graham wasn't on the line! At least you had some stuff to lower off from then.

Quality climbing though.

In reply to DaveHK:

The thing is, the obvious line takes you to that roof Dave and I could see the "V-Groove" almost directly above! I did go out right to your other gear around the fin but it looked very hard above that. Steep with thin hooks in those vertical flaky seams. I may be tempted to have another look...

Agree with all the above, conditions are superb in the north west. Did March Hares gully on Beinn Bhan on Saturday. We thought it was a fantastic climb and were surprised it only gets a single star in my guide book.

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

Many thanks for that Andy. It felt very alpine on Saturday, but fortunately the snow was sound as we trudged back up fuselage after bailing! Although we didn't succeed I can vouch for the quality of the climbing! It's a route that should get more attention, although the crux pitch maybe won't come into condition too readily.

Jim

In reply to jameshiggins:

It is pretty confusing.

In reply to rossh:

Old guidebook - it gets three stars now.

In reply to jameshiggins:

It should do. All it needs is snow (I think) and how much is up to you. It doesn't have to be all rimed up to feel wintry.

In reply to Andy Nisbet:

I thought it might have got some more in the new guide, we certainly thought it as good if not better than classic 4s like Green Gully on the Ben. The old northern highlands guides are very stingy with the stars compared to guides for other areas. Maybe the guidebook writers thought it would keep the crowds away if they didn't hype up the routes too much!

In reply to rossh:

In certain conditions, the first pitch is an unfrozen crux and then the rest is largely banked out. Maybe that's why. But that's not good conditions, and shouldn't be starred for that. Three out of a possible four seems fair.

In reply to Andy: On that note of NW stars..... Does Tango in the Night deserve 4 stars? We thought 2 or 3 because the line and climbing are good, but thought it probably lost a star on occassional looseness......?

Andy

In reply to andyinglis:

Probably not, but only because several folk have said not. I hadn't done it (nor had many at the time) but thought it looked a wonderful line, so rather mischievously took a punt on it. Of course, it's the death knell to give a route four stars. You can only be disappointed.

In reply to Andy: I don't know about disappointed, but you certainly expect a lot I guess. Really good climbing once we figured out the line..... the guidebook picture is a bit unclear! Have you done much on mainreachan buttress? It looked in great condition (from a distance) on saturday!

Andy

In reply to andyinglis:

A.N did the first ascent of Snoopy and, maybe, others. Did it look to be holding ice?

In reply to Jim: From afar it looked hoared up and white. Couldnt tell if there was ice as we were not close! On Sgorr Raudh there was little ice, and what was there was thin, but then as it was a first visit I have no idea whats normal there! Fancy a look at Snoopy, Jim?

In reply to Andy Nisbet: When are you going to write an autobiography? I am sure you would have a great many interesting tales from your career.

In reply to andyinglis:

Along with many other fine looking routes, yup! It does look outstanding. I think A.N described it as one of his best new routes. If only winter would last for MORE than 6 months...i've got plans for routes with Graham, but if I can find the energy and the time (oh, and the conditions) are you keen to have a wee look?

Jim

In reply to andyinglis: Did you get any pictures of Mainreachan Buttress by chance. Would be interested to see them if you did?

Cheers,

Pete

In reply to andyinglis:

The picture is quite distant. Shame; I'd have liked a picture of that face from closer but you can't get it because you have to be too close due to the gully and the buttress opposite. And my camera isn't good enough to take a long telephoto; angle is likely wrong anyway.

In reply to Neil Anderson:

I'm not; they're just little stories.

In reply to Andy: Yeah, being on the route I can see how photography of the line could be hard!!! Pete, only got a distant pic of the buttress, but will still it in my gallery once i get back from work. Its from afar and at a not angle os please dont get your hopes up!

Jim - Yup I think so! Especially with Neil out for X weeks!

Andy

In reply : Eh what happened to my spelling????

In reply to mike lates: The Lads body is completely knackered and will remain so for some time to come. I tried to publish MY photo of "Alkira" on the route only to be told by the UKC system that the picture had already been published! You do wonder who should be called the b'stard really. Mark

In reply to James Edwards:

After my enquiries about weather in Torridon, we had an amazing day on Liathach on Sunday.

As commented, any snow in Gairloch to Poolewe was localised and the ridge was in great nick. What an amazing day. Yesterday was just the same too as we (sadly) drove down the road.

Cheers for the reports, and glad I made the journey up!

Rimz

In reply to Andy Nisbet: Hi Andy, not a response to climbing question but I once experienced this snow phenomenon when skiing Braeriach from the Feshie in early May. About 500' from the top on a large easy angled snow slope covered in a heavy layer of snow crystals there was an almighty thump as the whole area of snow settled. Thought I had had it and stood there waiting for the avalanche. Nothing happened but my heart was in my mouth until I got onto rocks. On the way down I dug a pit and there was a 5inch gap in the snow profile about 4inches below the surface layer. Presume it was caused by evaporation from the snow pack that had frozen to form the crystals. Great skiing day but one for experience.

In reply to steveB: Hi folks, does anyone have any current info on conditions around Liatach, Beinn Eighe, Alligin etc? I am off up there tomorrow. Cheers

In reply to dan metcalfe: See Martin's news page http://www.moran-mountain.co.uk/moran-mountaineering/news.html#scotlandnews
Al

In reply to steveB:

Hi, tomorrow we'll go to Liathach, Coire Dubh Dearg right, they told us there are good conditions... More info tomorrow...

In reply to Marcello Sanguineti: Cheers, will be v interested to see how you find it tomorrow, have a good day.

In reply to dan metcalfe:
I have just put a conditions report on from today in the NW with pictures of the areas you are interested in, but you will have to google me as i'm not allowed to put a link.
James e

In reply to steveB:

Hi,

today I have climbed with two friends "The Cooler" in Coire na Poite. Good conditions. Cornice above.
Another party on The Cooler and one party on the right (I do not know the name of the route).

Silver Tear looks ok.

Other 2 parties on the easier goulotte to the right.

In reply to steveB:

http://highmountaineering.blogspot.com/

In reply to steveB:

We were the other team on the Cooler as well and continued via a turfy ramp to the top icicle of Silver Tear which makes it into a 4 star route with plenty of steep ice to play on....one of the best routes I've done in Scotland. Felt more like continental WI5 than scottish grades! Stunning views too....The cornice exit is fine too and a lovely descent down the ridge with pretty solid snow (and not much snow really, no signs of avalanche risk). Get up there quick is my advice!

In reply to Chad123: not great everywhere yesterday, if you go inland. After a 2h wait at altguish snow gates (thanks to the owners who came out and gave people tea), then an abortive walk in to Beinn Dearg (waist deep after half way gate) we went and did fain falls, which was melting quite fast, but still good.

In reply to steveB: anybody able to give an update on conditions in Torridon and NW?

thanks, P