March 18 Conditions

Monday 26th March 2018

Still wintry in the Cairngorms

This weekend I was out with the West Highland College University of Highlands and Islands Mountaineering Club. Saturday we climbed Cairngorm enjoying the views and the sunshine and learning new winter skills like cramponing and ice axe arrest. On Sunday we headed into Coire an t-Sneachda for more consolidation of those skills. It was a busy day with teams on lots of routes on the buttresses.
There are some photos here: Some Facebook photos. I was working as the St John Scotland Mountain Safety Instructor this weekend.

Monday 19th March 2018

Very cold easterly in Torridon

The wintry weather continues as a cold easterly wind and high pressure dominates keeping it generally dry and very cold in the mountains.
This weekend I was out with the University of Stirling Mountaineering Club. On Saturday I took a team up on to Creag Dhubh at the East end of the Beinn Eighe massif. We had hoped to traverse the Black Carls but with a seriously strong and blustery wind we thought better of it and descended the East ridge back into Allt a' Chuirn. On Sunday we headed up into Coire an Laoigh on the South side of Spidean Coire nan Clach where we did some winter skills.
There are some photos here: Some Facebook photos. I was working as the St John Scotland Mountain Safety Instructor this weekend.

Monday 12th March 2018

Warm but still lots of snow

This weekend I was out with Strathclyde Uni Mountaineering Club. On Saturday I took a team up into Allt a'Chaorainn where we did some winter skills. On Sunday we headed up into Coire na h-Uamha on the East side of Beinn a' Chaorainn where we looked at moving on steeper terrain and learnt about snow belays.
There are some photos here: Some Facebook photos. I was working as the St John Scotland Mountain Safety Instructor this weekend.