After the quite splendid Hogmanay celebrations at Nethy Bridge, we all headed rather late for the Cairngorm Mountain, some to take the funicular, a couple to climb (who had left bright and early), and the rest to go for a walk.
However, once we got out of the car, and the wind hit us, almost everyone wussed out, just leaving myself and Liam to go for a daunder into the coire. It was icy going, and the wind was against us the whole way, blowing up some spectacular snow devils as it whipped at the surface. There is not much snow other than in the gullies and hollows that was icy neve, great for cramponing, but tricky to walk on.
As Liam had taken it steady the night before, (and has age on his side), we made good time into the coire, stopping to chat to folks on the way. We just intended on spending a little time covering some basic winter skills, as Liam had never walked in winter before, and that we did. After short sessions on boot use, axe use, crampons and self-belaying, we traipsed around a little in our crampons, before setting off back to the centre.
We knew our friends Adam and Ben were climbing in the coire, and saw them on Finger's Ridge iv 4, although of course we didn't know it was them! They had an 'interesting time' finishing the route in the wind! We could see the spindrift being whipped off the Goat Track, and were glad to not be up there.
We returned via the Fiachaill a'Choire Chais, trying to make our job easier by looking for ribbons of neve to crampon on. We did find a few hundred metres, but it was then down the nature trail path, unusually evident with the lack of snow.
A nice bracing afternoon out, cobwebs well and truly blown.
Now, fingers crossed for some snow!
However, once we got out of the car, and the wind hit us, almost everyone wussed out, just leaving myself and Liam to go for a daunder into the coire. It was icy going, and the wind was against us the whole way, blowing up some spectacular snow devils as it whipped at the surface. There is not much snow other than in the gullies and hollows that was icy neve, great for cramponing, but tricky to walk on.
As Liam had taken it steady the night before, (and has age on his side), we made good time into the coire, stopping to chat to folks on the way. We just intended on spending a little time covering some basic winter skills, as Liam had never walked in winter before, and that we did. After short sessions on boot use, axe use, crampons and self-belaying, we traipsed around a little in our crampons, before setting off back to the centre.
We knew our friends Adam and Ben were climbing in the coire, and saw them on Finger's Ridge iv 4, although of course we didn't know it was them! They had an 'interesting time' finishing the route in the wind! We could see the spindrift being whipped off the Goat Track, and were glad to not be up there.
We returned via the Fiachaill a'Choire Chais, trying to make our job easier by looking for ribbons of neve to crampon on. We did find a few hundred metres, but it was then down the nature trail path, unusually evident with the lack of snow.
A nice bracing afternoon out, cobwebs well and truly blown.
Now, fingers crossed for some snow!