UKC

MWIS, yr.no, mountain-forecast.....all predicted relatively light winds, and no mention of gusts, both days over the weekend.

Met Office predicted 35-50mph mean speeds, gusting 60-70mph.

Having been battered by the wind both days and had to defrost my eyebrows at the top of Curved Ridge yesterday, just wondering if anyone else had entertainingly epic battles with the wind at the weekend? Saw on the "Aonach Eagach" conditions post that it was OK on it yesterday, yet across the glen on the Buachaille battles were being had (especially the team that looked to be topping out on Crowberry Ridge at about 7pm!!). What forecast bore out for you!?

Also - Curved Ridge conditions were poor for bottom third (powder on rock), improved greatly with height, lots of new snow/windslab accumulating on the exit slopes to Crowberry Tower Gap. Team on D-Gully buttress reported the same. Lot of frozen turf and ice lower down where exposed, not so much higher up where insulated by snow. Descent down Coire Tulaich ok, mostly scoured but with older layer of slab in places. Path like a skating rink in places!

In reply to peebles boy:

Hopefully the forecast is wrong tomorrow then.

We planned doing Curved Ridge tomorrow until late we seen the forecast, with some luck it will change.

Won't bother doing the ridge if you say it's not in great condition.

In reply to peebles boy:

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning were very gusty in the North West. Blow you off your feet gusty at times.

In reply to peebles boy:

Yes, but I think it might have been the beer!

In reply to peebles boy:

yr.no has been completely off recently, even here in Norway. 2 weekends ago I had to bail from a mountain after I'd been knocked over twice by gusts of at least 25m/s, while yr.no was saying it was 2m/s.
this past weekend it forecast snow and cloud, and it was sunshine and blue skies pretty much the whole weekend. Which is great if you're there obviously, but it was clear that many people didn't bother to make the 3hr drive because they had been put off by the negative forecast. I've been on 11 day trips in the mountains this year, and yr has only been correct once, although mostly in my favour, so I'm not complaining too much, but the forecast does influence my decisions.
I suppose I should learn to read weather maps.

In reply to peebles boy:

I opted for a plan C walk on the wee Buachaille on Saturday due to the blawy conditions. The return leg from Stob Dubh meant walking into the teeth of the wind, which although manageable was a bit of a staggering, spindrifty "Buffeting" experience.

In reply to ryan p:

Once you're past the bottom bit it's good man, go for it (but just be wary of the exit slopes).

In reply to peebles boy:

Winds much lighter than forecast over Lochnagar on saturday, only a steady breeze and no gusting, sat on top watching the changing light from clear blue skies to very occasional white-out, while eating a jam and cream scone thinking life wasn't bad, and wee 'nip' would have topped it off nicely.

Mind you the shin to knee deep snow over many parts meant it was hard going, but not impossible to travel on foot.

take the good, accept the bad, and run away from the ugly

In reply to peebles boy:

Beautiful fields of knee-high spindrift on the Ben Cleuch summit plateau late-afternoon yesterday, lovely looking stuff in the low sunlight if not a place to hang around in a chilly and middling-strong wind. Loads of snow being shifted across to the south and west, quite hard work on those flanks. I followed a runner up the slope from the Ben Ever col - he was just a couple of minutes ahead but his prints were almost gone already. Memorable conditions, and very nice to be out provided you kept moving.

In reply to ScraggyGoat:

We came in from the north on skis. Didn't make it to lochnagar itself, only Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe.
Not too windy I guess but the snow itself was very wind affected high up and pretty unhelpful.

In reply to peebles boy:

Possibly go for it on Wednesday now, hopefully it will firm up by then, had some scratchy moments last week on Aonach Mor. Not a nice feeling

In reply to peebles boy:

The Met office forecast does seem to be getting slightly more accurate lately. MWIS was wrong on Saturday just gone at Aonach Eagach. We got blown to bits half way up the climb and turned round with a good few other groups.

In reply to peebles boy:

We ploughed through deep snow to the start of Boomerang Arete, in Stob Corrie on Saturday. Gearing up, my partner took off his gloves to fit crampons, just as the wind picked up and got icier.we just seemed to be in an exposed bit of the Corrie - Dorsal seemed to be sheltered but was covered in teams. Within a few seconds his fingers went white, dead!, with no feeling except agony. Bellows of pain ensued. "Help me fit my crampons and then my harness", he groaned. I thought, "Me leading, him belaying with lifeless hands?! Executive decision taken.. "Nah: we're going down." So, we did!

In reply to tcb:

Must be something to do with SCnL as a few weeks ago I was in the same place in agony with my fingers numb, swinging them around like a madman I was glad when we turned round and headed down.

In reply to peebles boy:

We went up to Stob Corie nan Lochan on Sunday via the NE ridge and it was a little windy on the ridge and at the gap above broad gully but luckily as we stood on the summit all the wind stopped. Even in the windy parts it wasn't difficult to walk in. Yesterday was even better with not a breath of wind over in The Mamores. Seemed to me like the mwis forecast was if anything a bit pessimistic for the wind we encountered. Perhaps we just got lucky...

In reply to peebles boy:

We walked up Ben Starav via the southern tops on Saturday, due to the winds it took us the best part of 9 hours for an 11 mile route!