UKC

I'm heading in to the Cairngorms on Friday-Monday. I'm thinking soloing easy stuff/ski touring on Friday (possibly a mixture of the two), climbing with partners Sat and Sun then touring/soloing Monday.

How are the easier routes on Hells lum looking?
How is Lurchers crag, if anyone has been past?
Shelterstone...much decent ice or is it covered in powder?


Also how is the snow cover...if anyone has been down lurchers gully or similar (or done the Ben McDui tour) please post info!

R

In reply to Roberttaylor:

Last weekend there was very limited ice build up on the easier routes of Hells Lum. Since then we've had more snow and more wind. Most easier routes in Northern Coires (III and below) are buried and conditions have not been helpful for climbing this week (very unfriendly avalanche forecast, lots of deep snow). Glenmore Lodge parties have been using snow shoes to make progress in places. Hope that helps.

Does anyone have any more recent feedback on climbing conditions (III-V) in the northern Cairngorms? Touring looks amazing at the moment, but is it worth taking climbing kit as well or is everything too unconsolidated?

In reply to Roberttaylor:

I've been out on skis today and yesterday. Yesterday I was on the pistes at Cairngorm with great conditions, then went round the N Corries in the afternoon. Fabulous - most descents hard packed snow with enough swish to make it fun for a bumbly like myself. The entire plateau was white under blue skies and not a breath of wind. Got to the top of Lurcher's Gully but it wasn't really filled in, so just contoured back to the car park.

Today was going to repeat it all with some pals, but the summits were in cloud so we just stayed on the piste, again with excellent conditions. I would guess that the very cold temps probably haven't changed anything as its never got above freezing to thaw then re-freeze.

The crags in the N Corries looked pretty plastered, and saw some large cornices above Lochan.

Cheers,
Lex

In reply to Roberttaylor:

We were in Sneachda today and, after deliberating which area of worrisome windslab to embark upon, we climbed Red Gully. There was no gear at the base owing to accumulations and deep riming/icing of cracks so we headed up looking for a belay. We had soloed the whole thing before we could place any gear and that was a deadman in the cornice for a laugh. The gully itself was powdery in the first section but quite acceptable neve filled the upper two thirds and it was a worthwhile outing. Fiacall buttress and Mess of Pottage are caked white, as were the crags on Lochain. Needs a thaw but I understand we are going to get far too much of one next week!!

In reply to NottsRich:

Red Gully was swum again today. Someone climbed something on a totally buried Mess of Pottage and was not reporting good conditions. Fingers Ridge, Fluted Buttress and Afterthought Arete have all been done this week but the whole area is plastered in snow and its very hit or miss what conditions you will get but expect things to be ice free and buried. Rampant was climbed today and then they abseiled back in to get the Seam done- it was Ian Stewart who posts Cairngorm Conditions on they page- PM him for an update. I believe they had to be quite careful on the approach to Fiacaill Buttress owing to the amount of windslab. Far from excellent conditions.

Thanks for the updates everyone, much appreciated.

In reply to NottsRich:

We took advantage of the gloom and forecast blizzard to have a nav skills day on the plateau. We'd hoped to cover a lot of ground but it took 2.5 hours just to swim to Lurcher's summit from the ski car park. There's a lot of snow lying although the blizzard didn't really materialise. Proper whiteout though. Very intense nav work.