| Scottish Winter |
| Walking in the hills in winter is a natural progression from summer mountain walking. Once you as a walker have developed some confidence and skills in summer it is easier to move onto winter terrain. The winter environment presents a whole new bag of sights, sounds and experiences - you also need many new skills and some special equipment to cope with the conditions. Being able to deal with the winter environment is a vital key to enjoying winter walking and although a blue sky and sunshine is very enticing during the winter months, the conditions can change and put you in a desperate situation if not well prepared. Using my skills as a Winter ML, I can introduce you safely to the winter environment and the skills needed. This page offers a small taste of winter. |
| Approaching Ben Nevis (1344m) and Cairn Mor Dearg from the north. The sun is shining through a thin layer of cloud on our early morning walk-in. Left, on the final slopes towards Carn Mor Dearg before we move onto a traverse of the impressive Carn Mor Dearg Arete linking it to Ben Nevis. Although the summit of The Ben seams small from this vantage point, the summit plateau is the size of several football pitches. The steep northern side of Ben Nevis, above the CIC hut, is the location of Scotland's most classic winter climbs across a range of grades. Because of Ben Nevis's altitude, although modest, and close proximity to the west coast of Scotland it has a climate of its very own. On average the summit is only clear roughly 30 days a year, and the average summit temperature is -0.3 degrees Celcius. |
| Below left, a very atmospheric picture of an evening in the Black Mount mountains south east of Glen Etive on the west coast of Scotland and below right, getting ready for a night out. With some know how, a night out can be a fantastic experience be it in a tent or snowhole even when the weather isn't very inviting. |
| The view east from the summit of Ben Nevis. Two climbers pack their kit while enjoying the superb conditions. Below, chatting on the descent after a great day, though there is work to do yet as the sun is setting and there are still two hours back to the car. |
| Above, more experienced winter mountaineers on the The Fiacaill Ridge which separates two of the most popular winter venues in Scotland, namely Coire an t-Sneachda from Coire an Lochain in the Cairngorms. The route along the ridge can be selected to give more or less technical scrambling, or a challenging walk for the less experienced winter walker. Below, a cairn with wind eroded snow and rime ice. Below right, crampons and a walkers axe are essential pieces of kit |
| Above left, the ptarmigan in its winter plumage and right, surface hoar crystals which form on the surface of the snow during cold nights. If the temperature at night falls very low then these crystals become quite large and if buried by fresh snow soon after, then they form a very weak layer in the snow pack. |
| The weather is often far from perfect during a Scottish winter and the conditions in the mountains are often as these three pictures indicate - rime ice, strong winds and poor visibility. The right equipment and skills to cope are essential. The picture on the left shows us taking a short break at the top of the Fiacaill a Choire Cas in the Cairngorms in eastern Scotland. Snow or sleet falls in the Cairngorms on 100 days a year and the strongest gust of wind in the UK has been recorded at the weather station on the summit of Cairngorm - 173mph or 77 m/s! Below, we approach the summit of Ben Macdui - Scotlands second highest summit at 1309m. |
| Below, Ben Macdui in the distance from Cairn Lochain on another visit from the one above. The vast arctic plateau of the Cairngorms National Park can be quite a navigational challenge in bad weather. I remember one occasion which turned out to be an 11 hour day. We ascended Cairn Lochan via the Fiacaill Ridge and then walked to Ben Macdui over the terrain you see below. The return was dogged by very poor visibility and thigh deep snow on the walk out from Coire an Lochan. The last two hours were after dark and we returned to the car at 8 pm. However, we were well prepared with headtorches, clothing and food. |
| Above, looking back east from the northern edge of Coire an Lochain below Aonach Mor in superb conditions. Left, ascending a steep scarp slope in firm snow with crampons and one axe. |
| The final pictures below are from an ascent of Stob Ban (999m) via Glen Nevis. The round trip of 9 km took a little under 6 hours with stops. We were blessed with -5 degrees Celcius, sunshine and absolutely not a breath of wind. |
