The snow made it to sea level for a while on Friday afternoon and Fort William had its first covering of snow of the winter! The snow in the hills has been building up steadily over the last week and will continue doing so for quite a few days to come. If you are in the hills the ridges and buttresses are going to be the best option just now because the snow in the gullies will be quite avalanche-prone and very heavy going! Good options for mountaineering and climbing routes in these conditions are Dorsal Arête, Curved Ridge, North Buttress, Aonach Eagach, Tower Ridge, Castle Ridge, CMD Arête, N Buttress Stob Ban etc.

I went up Ledge Route on Ben Nevis where the snow was continuously shin deep and was thigh deep in a couple of places. About 30cm is covering the summit plateau and there is a cornice about a metre wide at the top of Number Five Gully. Avalanche debris was sitting at the foot of Number Five Gully where there is often quite a threat from avalanches and there is plenty of firm wind slab around. A little ice has been forming and there is a crusty layer of snow on the rocks underneath today's fresh stuff. There are lots of great objectives to go for - something rocky and not dependent on ice, away from any gullies is best!

Ledge Route is described as a summer scramble here http://www.outdoorcapital.co.uk/activities/day-out.asp?id=52&activId=30&page=Great%20Day%20Out&groupId=1. In winter it is a grade II climb with some exposed sections, a slab low down that can be awkward and is one of the best routes of the grade in Scotland.

Let's hope this fall of snow provides a good base for the rest of the winter. - Mike

posted by ocuk @ 11:45 AM