I was in Coire an t-Sneachda today with a Falkirk Community Trust winter climbing team of Gregor and Neil. We climbed a fairly steep Aladdin’s Mirror Direct on thick, if slightly soggy, ice and then continued up Aladdin’s Mirror to the top.
There’d been a few centimetres off fresh snow accumulation overnight in sheltered locations above about 850m. This fresh snow was moist at all elevations. Despite the fresh snow, buttresses were still largely bare and bigger gully features were the only real winter climbing options. Some light rain/sleet on a fresh south-westerly/westerly during the day. The older snow is well consolidated, some care required with the fresh snow. The thawing conditions have revealed plenty of loose rock away from the bigger snow accumulations, which is worth thinking about when selecting routes. I’ll add a few more photos to the ClimbNow Facebook page.
