Thursday 27 January 2011

Fine weather in Glencoe Today.

Firm snow at 800m.
A very famous hut and Location.

Yet another blue sky day in Scotland!



The shadow of the Little Buachaille on Beinn Fhada.



Still looks good up high!



The temperature has dropped! After a couple of quite soggy and warm days, winter has returned. It doesn't look like it low down, but above 700m the old snow pack is now very fine neve.
Glencoe seemed quite busy today with plenty of cars at the main parking spots and allot of folk were walking into to Lochan this morning. Coire nan Lochan seems to have retained it's snow cover in the main gully lines at least, these lines should be very nice indeed right now and into the weekend. Stob Coire nam Beith looks a little sad; the big gullies such as Summit Gully are hanging in there, but there is little in the way of ice forming at present. After coming off the hill I had a wander over to 'Jacksonville', the Creagh Dhu Club Hut. I had never been to it, but the river was so easy to cross it was a chance to be taken! The sense of history is immnese there. High above Jacksonville on the Buachaille I spotted four folk in Great Gully climbing what looks like some nice old ice and couple of parties on Curved Ridge.
I had very a pleasant day on Buachaille Etive Beag [The Little Buachaille], Michael and Lindsay were practicing using their crampons and were just blown away with the incredible conditions and firm snow. We could see the sea on the west coast today and Loch Etive looked vast in the morning light.
It all looks good for the weekend in the hills. HPL have eleven folk coming on a Winter Skills Course, based in Glencoe and then A 'Winter Climbs Week', so fingers crossed the cold and the clear skies remain.