UKC

Has anyone been out in the North West recently that can comment on conditions? I'm looking at heading up to Torridon for a bimble tomorrow. I'd be quite happy with just a walk but could be tempted to have a look at the Alligin traverse or Liathach. Anything to stretch the legs.

Cheers, Chris

In reply to Sutty22:
I was on beinn eighe on wednesday and liathach and beinn alligin both looked good with a good coverage of what would have been consolidated snow.
There was very little fresh powder about either.
Having said that there might have been a bit of fresh snow yesterday and temps rising tomorrow might soften up snowpack a bit.

In reply to Sutty22:
I was in the fannichs today and there was very little ice about, but well frozen turf and well frozen paths down tools level. It began raining at 2pm and this has made the snow pack sodden. There was then a second period of snow pack instability and several small stuffs came off. The major period of instability happened yesterday according to the debris I saw.
Hope this helps
James e

In reply to Sutty22: Thanks for the replies. I got roped into housey stuff at the weekend so might head up in the next couple of days.

In reply to Sutty22:
Plenty snow on An Teallach yesterday. Mild and soggy though. A freeze would bring the mountain into good condition I think. Some routes might need more build-up though.

In reply to KennyWright:
We spoke to folk heading off to Beinn Dearg today. Dont know what route they were doing though.
Day started off frosty but freezing levels had risen quite a bit later on. Plenty of snow high up though.

In reply to Mike_Watson_99:
There have been nasty accidents in penguin gully over the years in similar conditions.
James e

In reply to Sutty22:
The snow on Alligin is very slushy and not much help. But all good fun. Will be great on a refreeze.

In reply to BruceM: Yeah I went today and found it had a frozen crust but slushy underneath. Unfortunately I seemed to be a tad too heavy for the crust and kept breaking through which made it hard going. That said, it was a truly amazing day, fantastic views, great weather and great scrambling.

In reply to James Edwards:

Hope they were OK. Penguin Gully would have been the only thing in condition, but maybe best avoided in a thaw. A strange choice of crag in the mild conditions.

In reply to James Edwards: Didn't they say Beinn Dearg and with no mention of Penguin Gully?

In reply to Steve Perry:

Mention of "route" made me think Penguin Gully, but suppose they may just have been walking to the summit, which would have been a tad safer!

In reply to Sutty22:
Good stuff. Always great up there with those views, eh. Liathach would have been a long slow trip I think!

In reply to KennyWright:

I'm not sure why this thread was a bit negative. Conditions on An Teallach yesterday were great (it was freezing), unusually good for December.

In reply to Steve Perry: http://www.scottishwinter.com/

In reply to Sutty22: Beinn dearg conditions were surprisingly wintery monday... penguin gully and ice hose looking white (no ideal about conditions as we only saw them in the starry darkness). Buttresses and gullies on the east / SE side of the mountain would have provided good sport also (i.e. plenty in nick). Quite a mountain in many ways....

Andy