Self reliance is a fundamental principle of mountaineering. By participating we accept this and take responsibility for the decisions we make. These Conditions Reports are intended to help you make good decisions. They do not remove the need for you to make your own judgements when out in the hills.

Monday 23 February 2015


It was a very snowy day today! Chaotic scenes slowed us up on the road to Buachaille Etive Mor . Snow on the road from The Study up the way had caused some cars and trucks to grind to a halt. My snow socks got us up the road very well and through all the stuck traffic to the layby. Thankfully the trail-breaking to North Buttress was made easier by a team going round to Curved Ridge.


The climb was buried in soft snow of course but was no worse for it. In fact I think it is at its best in these conditions because many other climbs become unpleasant with so much soft snow but this one still offers great climbing. Most of the route is steep enough but a couple of easier angle sections offered some quite arduous wading! We got to the top of the main section and abseiled off down the route again. There were not many other climbers out so the route was clear!


The team heading for Curved Ridge came back after they got close to Crowberry Basin. There was a lot of soft windslab which was releasing readily with little in the way of a trigger. More snow is forecast tonight and tomorrow making route selection even more difficult. It is hard to get to many places and avalanche prone if you try! Take care for a few days while it all settles down.






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