In and out of Narnia!
28th February 2025
The weather for the last day of February on the Northern Cairngorms was quite contrasting. On the Northern slopes, snowy, cold and very chilly. While on the Southern aspects there was significantly less snow, warm spring sunshine and out of the wind felt pleasantly warm. There was even a group of rock climbers making their way on to Stag rocks. Crossing back over the plateau to Coire an t-Sneachda was a bit like climbing inside Professor Digory’s wardrobe and emerging into a wintery Narnia, fortunately I didn’t see the White Witch!
The older snow patches remain firm and icy with some very serious runout below the crags. There are isolated and shallow accumulations of wind drifted snow on North to East aspects above 1000 metres. These are generally avoidable and are mostly confined to core rims and sheltered gullies.
Tomorrow the winds will be strong Westerlies and there is a possibility of some isolated snow showers bring early morning, there is some uncertainty about the amounts of new snow. The existing areas of wind drifted snow will continue to develop on North to East aspects above 100 metres.
Forty Thieves area on the left, Alladins buttress in the middle, Goat Track on the right.
View from Forty Thieves area toward Fiscal buttress
View from above Forty Theives area, across Mess of Pottage towards Cairngorm 1245m
Fiacaill buttress in Coire an t-Sneachda
View of Hells Lum crag
View into Garbh Uisge Beag, with Sheltstone on the left.
View into Coire Domhain, the snow is confined to the Easterly aspects. Some snow holes had been dug on the right of the photo.
Southside of Cairngorm from near Coire Raibert, warm and pleasant out of the wind.
Climbers abseiling into Diagonal gully to go rock climbing in the sun on Stag rocks.
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