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A fine cold weekend was forecast and a lightweight return trip to Coire Sputan Dearg was in order this time for Fi's birthday!
Sunny and clear but a lot windier than expected with a high dawn wind chill. Totally calm and sunny in the east facing coire as we climbed the remaining snow lines.
We've completed this trek over the plateau so many time recently that we now have our own tracks and shortcuts to follow!!!
As we descended off the ridge at Coire an Lochain  we met and chatted to Attilaa one of the Cairngorm's Rangers who'd been inspired by last weekends photos and was heading up to snowhole!
It was calmer and less cold and windy on our return at lunch time for Fi's birthday celebrations.

Sun, snow and solitude

A great few days snow-holing on Ben MacDui and gully climbing in the remote Coire Sputan Dearg.
The weather was fantastic up high with clear starry skies, frozen morning snow, sunny warm rock and a cloud inversion - perfect March weather!!!!
Lots of video later...
More details can be found on Fi's blog here

Two day climbing exped

We'd seen some recent skiing photos showing the gully lines and snow cover on Coire Sputan Dearg which still looked very snowy.
Scott Muir had taken the photos from Derry Cairngorm last week and this Saturday had taken his skis to ski the steeps! Full details can be found on Scotts excellent blog and his new very comprehensive off-piste skiing website at www.steepscotland.info
With the good weather forecast and a few emails to Scott confirming the snow cover a plan was hatched.
We packed our winter bivvy kit and a lightweight alpine climbing rack and headed off on a two day snow-hole expedition to Ben MacDui and Coire Sputan Dearg.
Luck was with us as the weather was calm the skies were starry and the snow was frozen.

Video from our recent snow hole expedition....

A video from our recent snow hole expedition in the the Cairngorms...

Conditions on 'Meggy'

"Carron and I went to Creag Meagaidh in search of some more steep snowy ground for Carron to practise for her upcoming winter mountain leader assessment.
We chose to solo up Easy Gully on great snow for crampons but about half way up our way was barred by what could only be described as a crevasse. I peered over and it seemed to drop a good few metres to the rock below..."  
Full details and photos on Fi's blog here

A great day up on the Cairngorm MacDui plateau

A great two days on our expedition snowholing. We had clear skies, crisp snow, moolight and sparkling stars last night. After a pleasant warm night in our frozen ice chambers we looked at ropework and snowcraft!! We took a scenic route down following the snowfields with our crampons on!!
Looking from Aviemore and the ski area it looks as though there's little or no snow in the Cairngorms. However up on the plateau and looking west towards easterly aspects this is clearly untrue. There are large snowfields on the eastern flaks of Ben MacDui and on the path from Cairngorm. In these areas the snow is now very icy and proper crampons and an axe are essential.
We saw several people without axes or crampons and a couple with Yak Tracks who'd got into difficulty on reaching the icy snow just as visibility deteriorated. They'd followed the mainly clear track from Coire an Lochain to Lochain Bhuide up onto the plateau.

Snow-hole expedition to Ben MacDui

 

The weather forecast was cold and settled for next few days so we headed off to Ben MacDui for an adventure and our GUB nowhere snow-hole expedition....

Winter returns!

A wet blustery start to the day but the higher John and Colin climbed learning to use axes and crampons the firmer the snow and drier we became!
The rain turned to snow we headed up the Cas to the plateau, some snowholes and Cairngorms wind blasted, rimed summit.

The corries and the Cairngorm plateau

Carron and Fi are back from their overnight snow-hole expedition in the very heart of the Cairngorms. Full details and photos can be found on Fi's blog here

3 day Winter Skills snow-hole expedition 3-5 March

Morning campers!!!

Conditions are looking good for this long weekend course starting on Saturday.
Fi and Carron are currently out checking the snowhole bivvy sites and some Grade 1 gullies in the heart of the Cairngorms!
We have a few places available on this three day winter expedition course.
The first day involves basic winter skills using axes and crampons before heading off to snowhole or bivvy on days two and three.
A good degree of hill fitness is required along with previous wild camping experience.

Winter mountaineering!

Paul decided to have a rest day so Dom and I headed over to the snow in Coire an Lochain. We passed the the still partially frozen lochian, which was covered in earth and rock debris and had a good winter mountaineering day looking at different types of  snow and rock belays.
Despite the limited snow cover in the corries we had more than enough for a good winter excursion through really  interesting Grade 1 ground.
It's turning colder again towards the end of the week so things should improve.