Tony and I headed up to Ben Nevis this morning, for Tony’s second day on crampons and his first Ben Nevis winter experience.
As we gained height toward the CIC hut there were a few good gusts of wind making progress a little slow and cold. After gearing up we made our way up no. 5 gully, which had old avalanche debris underfoot which was pretty solid. Some nice easy angled ice led us up past the top of the curtain where we met other teams on the route.
The ridge has been scoured of snow in places, but apart from a few rocky steps we were on snow nearly all the way. The wind was gusting hard towards the top of the ridge, and it was good to find some small shelter at the top before heading down.
Tricky conditions in the mountains at the moment, some very hard windslab around, which would feel solid to walk on but is poorly bonded to the snow underneath. A shallow snowpack and cold temperatures create “Facets” which would allow the current windslab to slide.
Check the avalanche forecast: www.sais.gov.uk It’s due to be high, especially the Cairngorms which will have fresh snow tomorrow (Monday 21st)
The best bit of advice someone gave me on an guides Avalanche course was that route choice is crucial. So rather than trying to decide of your slope is safe, stay on the windward, scoured slopes and away from the leeward slopes that have had snow dumped on them over the past three days or so.
