UKC

Hi,
Looking at the avalanche and weather forecast for tomorrow I am considering going to the buchaille with some novice winter walkers. I wouldn't feel comfortable with them going up coire na tulaich even in cat 2 conditions, not only because of the avalanche prone nature of the gully but it can have a steeper section on the end. I have heard you can avoid the gully up the ridge to the north. Can anyone confirm if this is easy ground?

As a sub note is the ridge on top of the buchaille likely to have firm snow good for cramponing right now?

Thanks,
Stevo

In reply to CurlyStevo:
yes it's easy. no technical or steep terrain from what i remember, just a big snow slope.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
but it can have a steeper section on the end...


more like it *does* have a steeper section at the end. i was there with a winter novice in march and she was gibbering at the prospect of getting up and down the back wall of the corrie...

In reply to CurlyStevo: Im not sure what the weather has been doing over the past couple of weeks bu I went up Tulaich on Friday 8th Jan, the going was good, with most snow scoured away, still some little pockets of wind slab but avoidable.I went straight up the well trodden path straight to the lip of the coire, there were a couple of icy steps (one step up) which may not be the best for novice walkers but they were steady and also avoidable, I watched a skills party going up the easier angled slope to the right, this is just before hitting the scree slope.This may be an option depending on conditions (?) but as I say Steve, Ive not been up recently so it will be way different with all the thawing going on.Take it easy, cheers.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
i was commenting on the north ridge by the way, no the corrie!!

Thanks for the info

In reply to CurlyStevo: The main problem with the Coire is with possible cornice collapse onto loaded lower slopes, any avalanche triggered will be constricted by the narrow part of the approach and set like concrete. The top is indeed steep (try reversing this after climbing some other route to the summit!) and I have turned back from these slopes when assessing the snow as having a high avalanche risk. There have been a number of fatal accidents here in recent years precisely because of this. If at all worried about the snow, then carry on up the valley to the R and ascend the big coire behind the Buchallie (not got a map to hand so can't be more precise).

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Do you have to go to Buachaille Etive Mhor? Any ascent of of the Coire na Tulaich side of the hill will have steep ground, including the ridge. I rarely use it with novices; Buachaille Etive Beag is a far better bet for me.

In reply to CurlyStevo: For years past, summer and winter, I've used the west ridge of Coire na Tulaich in descent rather than come down the corrie. So I was mildy gratified to see it advised as an alternative descent when snow conditions in the corrie head are doubtful by the SMC's 'Scottish Winter Climbs' (2008, p66). You'd want to make absolutely sure you hit off the ridge if visibility is poor, and there are crags on either side to be wary of, but the ridge itself is a walk and the avalanche risk is liable to be far lower. I'm surprised that more climbers don't go that way, but maybe they know something I don't ...

In reply to CurlyStevo: head to the col and keep going, to the next high point. this bits tricky as the slopes just past the highpoint can be very loaded as well. try and keep to the outcrops down the ridge then take a diagonal shelf on the right looking down into coire tulaich. be careful not to just keep going straight down the ridge as there are a number of bad slopes depending on snowline

In reply to CurlyStevo:
It's a bit further (and too late for today anyway!) but I've used Coire Cloiche Finne as an alternative to the usual approach, arrives at the same col but from the Glen Etive side. Depending on conditions (obviously) can be less avalanche prone, and the headwall isn't as steep.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
Fortunately nearly all the snow on the hill was very well bonded and we went up coire na tulaich. It was also in very easy nick with nothing daunting if you went up to the right near the end.

Conditions tomorrow may be different though.

We descended towrard Buchaille Etive Beag down the corrie about half way down the ridge (after completing the ridge). The weather was mostly superb

In reply to CurlyStevo: Bit late now, but I don't really see how the Corrie has ended up as the normal route in the first place. The ridge is safer, and technically not really any more difficult. The corrie is a shitty ascent/descent even in the summer, never mind when it has the potential to avalanche.

In reply to zzz:

Really? And here was me thinking it was something I enjoy running down quite regularly in summer (and, yes, I'm being serious)...

In reply to zzz: Today the gully was certainly easier than the ridge and much more pleasant but a slip could have led to quite a long slip in places but the snow although hardish wasn't too icey and unforgiving. The ridge involved patchy snow on hard icey steep vegetated and boggy ground for about the first half

In reply to petestack: Ive done the scramble up the ridge and the ground was very heathery if not on rock. I'd agree the new path down the corrie is far more pleasant in summer

In reply to CurlyStevo: New path? To be fair I haven't been up the Buachaille in about 8 years so things must have changed (like the new path up to Stob Coire nam Beith), but I remember it as the remains of a scree slope but with no scree left on it, culminating in a cruddy exit gully. The ridge may be steeper, but at the time it was the firmer option. I can appreciate that in the winter it probably depends on the precise conditions of the day which is the easier route.

In reply to zzz: Aye in summer you have to make your own way down and left for perhaps 200 metres then it's a stepped path on big rocks you can skip down