UKC

Anyone got any info on conditions in the NW? Torridon?

In reply to Nic DW: I was up there last week, and very little will have changed since then due to the cool temps and little precipitation. Plenty of lower grade gullies in good condition, and a few grade III-V ice route:

-Liathach: George, possibly Poachers and Umbrella Falls, R/H Trinity Gully
-Beinn Dearg: Penguin Gully and very little else above II
-An Teallach: 1978 route may be ok, but I had a look a couple of weeks ago and it was very thin, it may have improved since then. Nothing else above II in condition.

Here are a few pics and reports from my blog: http://www.applemountaineering.co.uk/blog/page/2/
and from others: http://pjmountains.blogspot.co.uk/ http://howlingmist.blogspot.co.uk/

In reply to Nic DW:
Torridon wet and windy at moment.
I did George earlier in week - but not a lot in condition other than low grade gullies.I am heading across to The Ben for nore reliable conditions
Hope this helps
Bob

Cheers

In reply to Nic DW:
Does anyone know how wintery the Northern Pinnacles of An Teallach or the Traverse of A' Chioch on Beinn Bhann are looking at the moment?

In reply to Steven Andrews: It is still stunning up here. http://pjmountains.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/11-03-13-liathach-torrdion-north-...

In reply to Nic DW:

Nowt like the North West is there?

Poachers is in decent nick and Salmon Leap is doable but looked a bit thin for the given grade.

In reply to Nic DW: Still good up there now. Climbed Poachers Fall and Umbrella fall on Liathach today, both in great condition. Good water ice throughout and not stepped out - some alarming windslab building in the descent gully as the day progressed though.

In reply to Nic DW:

Looking white. Cold all over and currently snowing lightly at road level in various places across the north-west.

In reply to Nic DW:

Anyone been in the Fannaichs the last few days?

In reply to Andy Moles: Had planned to go in yesterday for a solo but it started snowing heavily and the winds were strong. Rather white today. There was a reasonable amount of ice about on Sgurr Mor when I was last in recently which I think should still be there despite the thaw since then. Check Sgurr Mor Fanniach for a couple of recent additions.
Hope that helps Martin

In reply to Nic DW:
Has anyone been into Beinn Bhan recently? Any info on March Hare's / silver tear etc. would be great?
thanks

In reply to Nic DW:

Have been out the country, but hearing of storms back home.... has much snow fallen in the NW, or is it just the east, and will it have consolidated at all ?

hoping to hit an teallach later in the week once the winds settle down, any recent info on conditions would be greatly appreciated!

cheers
neil

In reply to Nic DW: Climbed Umbrella Falls and Salmon Leap yesterday. Both had lots of ice, but with a crusty aerated snow layer on top of the flatter surfaces which had to be cleared by the leader, and was hard work. The Corrie was slightly sheltered from the easterly wind, though this caused a lot of updrafts, and made for a very cold day.

We fitted threads to both routes, though we rapped across to the first belay on Poachers, (after finishing Salmon Leap), and used it to get to the Corrie, as the initial groove on Salmon Leap was very snowy and belays difficult to find. Very little exposed rock on both routes so used mainly screws. The ice is sometimes brittle on the surface, and can dinnerplate under tool placements, so clear the surface crud before placing screws.

There is evidence of some small avalanches off some of the terraces in the Corrie, though nothing recent. The debris on the snow under Poachers has all come from people knocking stuff off Poachers & Salmon Leap.

Once you find the approach path up to the Corrie from the main track, it will take you straight to the Corrie and is very solid underfoot. We got up without using crampons, but found them essential on the descent due to the many small frozen burns on the hillside.

Happy Climbing.

In reply to GaryK:
Good conditions and safe snow on Beinn Dearg near Ullapool. The mountain was mobbed with 3 teams on the hill. You can imagine my shock! A team made an ascent of Emerald gully with a difficult last hard pitch. Another team did one of the other gully lines, but i didn't see which. Lots of footprints heading over towards Penguin Gully from recent ascents also.
OUr turf route was mostly good, but some turf was a bit dry. A lot of snow has blown off the cliffs and what was still there is reasonably well consolodated.
Hope this helps someone contemplating queing on the Ben or Wading in Corries.
James e

In reply to GaryK: Not everything is in on Liathach but enough classics are to go around.
Worried about the ethics of a second ascent of MacLeod's Snotter?
Then why not go for Cunningham & Nisbet's Snotter instead!

In reply to Nic DW: Just back from Sgurr Mor area in the Fannaichs. Unfortunately there was areas of snow on the slopes that was either windslab or unconsolidated plus there is a rim of cornice from above Gelid Groove right round to above Resurrection so avoided the routes today. One or two weakeness too avoid tunneling. All routes still climbable with plenty of ice where required if you can be bothered with the snow slopes. Cheers

In Liathach. Parties were in Porchers, S Leap, Umbrella. Porchers was in excellent nick with thick ice all the way except the upper gully. Brilliant weather. -2 degC at 7pm in the valley.

Beinn Eighe yesterday (Easter Sunday): we didn't see any obvious footprint in the south of the lake (though the lake is frozen, so you could walk on ice perhaps). Far West Buttress was snow-covered with few ice - hard (felt V 6 for the 1st pitch, while IV in the old definitive guidebook). On Monday at least 2 parties went to Fuselarge Gully.
Liathach Coireag Dubh Beag today Monday: Ice in Footless Gully looks complete. The 1st pitch, where we took the face left of the chimney, was pretty tough with either thin or often snow-covered poor ice, and warranted VI 6 in itself. -2degC at 7am in the valley and -6degC at 9am in the corrie.

In reply to Nic DW:
Skye was great at the weekend and I completed a winter traverse of the ridge with rich: http://www.masterplan-photography.co.uk/2013/04/winter-traverse-cuillin-rid...