Lots of snow up high in the scottish hills

[Uilleachan]

The weather has been too wild so far this winter for me to bother, I'm hoping for a calmer spell next month. The wind has been extremely fierce so far so hoping for some rest-bite.

Despite the incessant wind and rain, up high it's been snowing almost non stop for weeks now, there have been many reports of avalanches on northerly aspects over the past few weeks, some rather big fellows in the last few days on Ben Nevis and elsewhere.

Here's a wee link that illustrates the situation on the west quite well;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-25912317

 

[Haggis]

I live in Northern Minnesota, a cold and snowy place in winter, but I'd love to see the Highlands, or better yet be in the Highlands during a storm in winter. I was in Scotland last June and there was yet snow in the higher places. It looks to be a beautiful country to walk in, if it is a turned a bit edgeways,,,

 

[Teepee]

Scotland has just about more snow this year than any where in the world.

I saw 2.85m last night in Glencoe on the ski weather, 2.5m on Cairngorm.

There's going to be some massive totals this year, the next round of the Atlantic onslaught will bring much more too. I'm looking forward to getting back up at the end of feb.

 

[Ecoman]

Just wet here at the moment. Getting sick of mud. Bring on the big freeze!

 

[MT606]

about 3 or 4 inches of snow in my part of the north pennines...., just had to take the car to the top of the track incase more falls tonight n the morning, going doooon sooouth on the morrow n don't fancy shovelling snow for 200m....

 

[Uilleachan]

and the snow keeps falling, and blowing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26088292

 

[Shewie]

And still nothing at Braemar, it's been a weird winter so far. The Beeb are saying the snow is as deep as the ski lift pylons in Glenshee yet a few miles down the road there's hardly anything.

http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/webcams/braemar.asp

 

[Uilleachan]

It's the same on the west, zero snow cover so far this winter, just relentless wind and rain, 600m up though it's a different story.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Freezing level is why we get rain low and snow higher.

Basically, if it's less than 8degs at sea level, it will be snowing aboive 2000ft. Hence Glenshee, Glencoe and Nevis range have the runs starting at that height. Also, that height is the tree line. Local factors apply but you rarely see trees above that height. Cultural factors eg deforestation by sheep grazing etc also apply.

 

[Uilleachan]

Well still snowing in the hills, old Hamish reckons on it being the most snow since 1945

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-26339994

 

[Toddy]

Yet a really mild, wet, Winter everywhere else.
Ach well, at least the access roads are clear

atb,
M

 

[Shewie]

We're heading up to Strathyre in the morning for a few days, packing the snowboarding gear for a day at Glencoe or Glenshee

 

[Goatboy]

You'll be gagging to get up once the conditions are right Uilleachan! (Was a cracking picture of you on the hill in the "Natural Fibre" thread by the way).
I miss having epics on the hill tops, frozen belays or water running behind the ice I'm clinging too. Strangely one of the biggest dumps I ever had in this country was lower down in Glen Clova of all places. We'd camped out behind the trees at the hotel and awoke to a strange silence. The tent (my old TNF VE25) was totally buried by snow that had drifted in the lee of the woods. We dug ourselves out, had breakfast and headed up to Loch Brandy and The Lairds Chamber. I was trying to break ground through massive amounts of snow that I kept falling through. Was so exhausted that I threw up at the top! To add to the fun my mate had forgotten his goggles and went partially snow blind on the return trip, was feeling particularly crook poor chap. Once down we found that the access road were blocked; even the tractors couldn't get out. Still it wasn't too bad as we were stranded near the hotel and spent a couple of days in the climbers bar eating stovies and drinking beer! (All good sustaining stuff for winter warriors!) After that I figured Snow shoes would be a good idea to float on the snow rather than piling through it, but the winters got milder again for a few years so that and the idea of cross country ski-ing to climbs became a pipe dream. (Then I moved here and the village gets cut off by snow every few years despite being near a main route).
Have fun up the tops mate, nothing better that sitting atop a climb in the meagre sunshine munching some fruit cake and a mug of tea contemplating the trachle down again.
ATB,
GB.

 

[Uilleachan]

Aye GB, it'll have to wait until the end of next week, too much work on at the moment.

I had a wander a couple of weeks back but gave up as the snow was so deep and then when things firmed up I reckoned there was an avalanche risk on the slope above, pool table sized bits of 2" slab sliding off under my feet, on what should be the path off I trotted whistling a 3/4 pipe retreat march. All in all I didn't get too far.

All the northern aspects are fully loaded to the point it's unwise to venture on, we need a thaw and a hard re-freeze to make things safe.

Still, plenty snow for the snow-hole mob, if they can get to around 3,000' to 4,000'. It's all above 2,000'.

 

[Uilleachan]

On my way down the road Wednesday afternoon, I counted 12 lots of major avalanche debris on the glensheil and cluanie hills. That was me driving with limited opportunity for hill watching, so there were bound to be many more. All seemed to have dropped from 2500' height and lower on north east & north west aspects. Perhaps the results of a recent thaw earlier in the week. Worth the watching that.