Great Walking Conditions
9th February 2017
Cold and sunny today, with bare frozen ground below 550 metres and combined with a generally shallow snowpack gives some great conditions underfoot, despite also some thin breakable crust. However, there are the odd isolated pockets of old windslab displaying some weaknesses. Unfortunately, the icefalls are very lean at the moment due to the relatively dry conditions this winter affecting the water drainage lines.
Early morning view of the Achnashellach mountains.
The snow distribution on Creag Dhubh, Beinn Eighe.
Liathach and Coire an Laoigh, Beinn Eighe from Glen Torridon.
The northern coires of Liathach.
Lean ice conditions in Coireag Dubh Mor, Liathach. The classic ice climb, ‘Poacher’s Fall’ normally ascends the central groove line. Two climbers ‘pitched’ their way up ‘Way Up on the left, normally a banked out grade I snow slope, but it had rocky steps in it today!
The view looking north out of Coireag Dubh Mor, Liathach.
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joe bloggs
9th February 2017 8:18 pm
I noticed a serious amount of sugary surface hoar on the summit ridges of Liathach during a traverse today…
torridonadmin
10th February 2017 3:21 pm
Yes, it was and still is quite extensive. Typical of cold, clear and calm conditions. Although the sun was beginning to have an effect on it by the end of the day. Not really a hazard on the surface of the snowpack, but could be a weakness within a snowpack if overlain by fresh accumulations of snow.