UKC

Surely people have been out this week? Come on people, stop my prevaricating and tell me things to help me make a decision for the weekend! With MWIS and MetOffice disagreeing a bit, it's over to you, the UKC collective, to influence my decisions!
Do I go gully bashing in the Norries?
West is best for dry rock and crispy snow on Ledge route and CMD?
Big walks up high with early starts and super light bag?
Attempt to teach myself some ski mountaineering?

Where you been?
What you done?
How was the snow?
Is the ice still hanging in?
Routes routes routes?

In reply to peebles boy:

Haha, I idly clicked on the forum just now thinking precisely that!

In reply to peebles boy:

I can only really speak for the northern corries but the ice is going fast, the snow gets soft quickly and probably most worryingly there are an increasing amounts of loose blocks. I spoke to a couple of guides yesterday and we all agreed gullies were a bad idea now.

The general feeling was to go ski touring (still plenty of cover on the tops of the Cairngorms) or rock climbing (or create a new discipline combining the two).

Have fun whatever you do!

In reply to peebles boy:
I've been out bit recently: http://www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk/category/news/

In reply to peebles boy:

Ski touring, no contest! lovely spring conditions today on the Cairngorm Plateau

In reply to KA:

Nice, looks like you've made the most of early starts and some good route choices! Bit outside my grade zone though, especially with no partner this weekend!

In reply to peebles boy:

Was it not 19*C in Braemar today?

In reply to peebles boy:

In Coire an t Sneachda yesterday. Only a few easy gullies left. Everything disappearing quickly.

In reply to peebles boy:

Some gully lines ok on Ben Nevis, lots of loose blocks and chunks of ice to play Scottish roulette with

Ice fading/ rotting/ falling fast

In reply to peebles boy:

Ben..mon/tues felt very late Spring alpine...likes of Orion/zero/slav being attempted with varying success..reports of sugary conditions! Tower ridge, Ledge route looking fairly complete, Castle ridge virtually bare, bottom half observatory ridge bare, some big bad cornices top of the easy gullies. Slingsby's up onto NE buttress was a romp up to an entertaining dry-tool exit onto first platform. Green Gully was impeccable.
Meggy...wed...far too warm and that was first thing! Only gully lines left but need a refreeze unless you like dodging falling rocks and ice.....skiing good lots of places if you are happy carrying....hope that helps!

In reply to doz:

Excellent, cheers. Could well be swapping axes for poles this weekend then!!

In reply to peebles boy:

You won't be the only one. Were staying at the Lagangarbh hut from tonight till Sunday.
Hoped there was something going to be in condition but it's not looking good one bit.
I'm wondering if some trad is the answer

In reply to peebles boy:

I was looking at this forecast. Looks like sun in the west! And hopefully the falling freezing level prediction is correct.

http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Nevis-Range/6day/top

In reply to peebles boy:

Another great day today, this time on The White Line, which had two brilliant pitches of ice, before an adventurous meander up icy grooves to the summit plateau. Still plenty of climbs to go at, and conditions looking to return to winter through this coming week.

http://www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk/news/relaxed-day-the-white-line-b...

In reply to peebles boy:
Went up lochnagar today soft snow once above the cloud. Walked into the corrie and was greeted by a rockfall in the southern sector. Possible cornice collapse from the amphitheater and down raeburns and more rumbles from that area but couldn't see where.

Abandoned the hope of a gully and went up central buttress entrance gully is still there then it was rock climbing with the occasional need to chop ice off for foot placements. Soft snow of the slopes above, not a winter ascent in my opinion.

Little to no snow cover on the top just a couple metres at the top of the gully lines cornices still hanging in and glide cracks/slumping evident.