UKC

has anyone been to these areas recently...looking to do some grade I or II gullies on sat and sun...anyone know what the conditions are atm and likely to be at wknd.

cheers

In reply to phja:

All in good condition last week.

Gully 1 looked more like a III as it was thick water ice, but I imagine it will be snowy now as it has been snowing non stop. Gully 2 was full of snow, would make a fine day out!
Theres pictures and reports on my blog.

http://mixedfrozenemotions.blogspot.com/

In reply to phja:

Oh, and don't park at Helvellyn youth hostel ... the road up there is horrendous!

In reply to phja:

Was up at Brown Cove on Tuesday. Good and bad really. Haven't got the topo to hand but the gully to the left of central butress looked really nice, good ish snow with a couple of short icy sections. Not a great deal of snow elsewhere on the crag at the time (sure that's changed now) but where there was it was up to 2 ft deep and pretty weekly bonded and powdery - don't imagine that's improved since. Turf wasn't frozen. Great neve at the top though and got knocked over by the wind final few metres.

Cheers, m

In reply to phja: Climbed V corner and Viking Buttress on monday,

V corner was in very nice condition, good ice on the first pitch and nice turf on the corner, Little brittle due to cold temperatures but otherwise good,

Viking was fantastic condition, turf was mostly good but had a few patches that i found to not be fully frozen and a few parties passing through had hacked them to pieces, but this didnt detract from the route.

Lots of snow filling the gullies all day, doubt they would be consolidated by now, and it was starting to slab up around the exit slopes in strong winds.

Pete.

In reply to phja:

I did my first ice climb on monday, we went up Gully 1, grade II for most of it, but a nice little II/III section 2/3rds of the way up. Really great climb, loved it, and i'm guessing, with the weather we've had, it's just got better. Not sure which way you're coming from, but i think they closed kirkstone pass on tuesday.
We were in a freelander and got up to the youth hostel just fine, bit of a killer walk in from there though.

Hope that helps, and hope you have a blast, i know i did, one climb, and i'm totally hooked

Tom

I'm staying in a hut on the A519 so am gonna walk up one of the streams and up over the top of helvellyn and down swirrel edge...am hoping the A519 will be clear with it being a main road

sounds ok condition wise on the hill...though bbc weather's snow forcast for lakes has me a bit worried for cornices and avalanches :s

In reply to phja:

On brown cove on wed there wasnt a great deal of snow, one of the gullies ( to the right of stepped ridge) looked pretty bare and rocky.

In reply to phja: I'd say you're right to be a little concerned. Snow so far has blown in from the east so not accumalated much on the red tarn side, did v-corner yesterday and there was hard water ice and pockets of neve as well as bits of soft snow. If the snow arrives from the west as predicted tommorrow it could get pretty dodgy, just in time for the weekend!

In reply to phja:
Up gully 1 and 2 on wednesday. Gully one didn't have much on the steep section but there was enough, gully 2 looked like snow but had good ice for the middle third, loads of fun!
Bambi

In reply to phja: Went up to Brown Cove crag on Wednesday night after work, there is plenty of grade 1/11 gullys with mixed snow and ice in. You won't be disapointed. It snowing a lot tonight so expect fresh snow in the gullys this weekend. Have a good one