Return of Winter Conditions
7th May 2021
Covid -19
The Scottish Avalanche Information Service issues information to support permitted activity under current Scottish Government guidance.
Please be aware of current mandatory travel restrictions in Local Authority areas within Scotland and respect local communities by referring to Scottish Government guidance and safe route choices for exercise. For further guidance please refer to the following information for hillwalkers and climbers and snowsports on ski and board.
This blog is intended to provide hazard and mountain condition information to help plan safer mountain trips.
The mountains in the North-West look and feel very wintry. The new snow cover is generally soft and shallow and the snowline is around 450m (lower inland). However, there is a greater depth of snow above 650m, particularly on previously sheltered E through S to SW aspects, making trail breaking quite arduous at times! Small cornices have developed and there was much roller-ball activity on sun exposed slopes. The recent cold N airflow will give way tomorrow to milder conditions as a frontal system arrives from the SW.
(Above) Liathach from the flank of Spidean Coire nan Clach, Beinn Eighe.
(Above) Looking East along the Beinn Eighe ridge from the same location as the first photo, onto the SW flanks of Sgurr Ban and Sgurr nan Fhir Duibhe. Fionn Bheinn, above Achnasheen, is the mountain in the background right.
(Above) Creag Dhubh and Sgurr nan Fhir Duibhe at the east end of Beinn Eighe above Kinlochewe.
(Above) Looking into Coire an Laoigh, Beinn Eighe. Stuc Coire an Laoigh on the left and Spidean Coire nan Clach is the sunlit peak to the right. Today’s snowpack observations were made upslope to the right of the bealach between the two summits.
(Above) Approximately 30cm of new snow overlying the old snowpack. The total snow depth here was 190cm.
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