UKC

Has anyone been up any of the Lochnagar Gullies recently? If so how consolidated is the snow?

I'm thinking of heading up on Saturday if the weathers looking ok. I'm solo so was going to have a look at some of the I/II gullies as don't fancy soloing III, but if it's just powder wading/terrifying cornice then I'll probably pass and go snowboarding instead!

Cheers,
Ben

In reply to benhedley:

Not Lochnagar but there has been a huge amount of snow moved about on the Cairngorm plateau. We were up on Cha-No last night and the bottom of the crag was steeply banked windslab / loose snow with the gully bottoms being particularly bad as they act like funnels.

In reply to benhedley:

Hi Ben

I was there yesterday. Good frozen turf some snow on eastern side of corrie but much more on the western end around Black Spout due to drifting. We climbed in the southern sector so i cant confirm what the main gullies where like but neither central gully or red spout would be worth doing right now (soft and incomplete cover). Blackspout was looking snowy but will need care due to wind loading from the westerlies yesterday. Raeburns will be complete but not in grade II condition i dont think. Central buttress probably your best bet if your comfortable soloing grade II mixed.

Cheers

In reply to weejimmy:

Great info cheers. Might give it a miss than as quite comfortable in icefall/gully terrain, but a bit out of practice on mixed! Looks like a days snowboarding out west instead might be in order!

Cheers