Out with the Falkirk High Tops team in Coire an t-Sneachda today. What was scheduled as a scramble in the Lakes changed into a Winter Skills refresher on the basis of the forecast and this turned out to be a good decision. After some movement skills, a look at the snow pack and a quick chat about safe travel we headed up through broken ground near the Goat Track and then round to descend Fiacaill a’ Choire Chais. One party climbing on the Fiacaill Buttress and a skier making the most of the snow around the Alladin’s and the crag apron.
Freezing level was probably up around/above plateau level, but there wasn’t much thawing going on above 900m. Fairly good snow cover with scoured areas. The snow was being moved around on a circa 30mph South to South-westerly, depositing significant wind slab and with the wind increasing towards the end of the day. Several layers observed within the snow pack with some fairly easy shears of the recently deposited wind slab. Gullies and new soft/building cornices would be areas of concern particularly with new snow depositing and temperatures rising. Plenty of rime on the crags and some icing from the boulders upwards. Larger areas of turf not fully frozen, but turf may well have been frozen on the crags. Thanks to Craig McLauren for the photos.
