End of the Season 2024/25
6th April 2025
A lovely weather day to end the SAIS 2024-25 forecasting season. Not exactly a classic Scottish winter and although it had some decent cold spells was generally warmer and drier than average. This combination has left us with a very limited snowpack, more akin to what you would expect to find in late May or June than in early April.
It felt very warm and summery on Southerly aspects today. However, in shady North aspects it remained pretty chilly with the remaining patches of snow staying hard, icy and frozen throughout the day, and in some places streaks of water ice forming.
SAIS operations will restart in mid-December, with a standby service prior to that in this area depending on weather and conditions. Thanks to everyone who commented on the blog and said hello to us on the hill this season. We will see you in 8 months of so for the start of the epic snowy winter of 2025/26*.
* All the snowy days we didn’t get this year must be being saved up for next winter, because that is how weather works right, perhaps, please….
Coire an t-Sneachda
The top of Coire Domhain with dark and shady Carn Etchachan behind.
The head waters of the Feith Buidhe
The so called viewing platform above Hell’s Lum. As the name suggest the flat rocks in the center left of the picture give spectacular views, just don’t fall off.
The view back over towards Cairngorm.
Loch Avon with Stag Rocks on the left.
Carn Etchacan and the ShelterStone crags. Too far away to see if anyone was out climbing today. While it was very pleasantly warm in the sunshine today, I suspect in shady locations the rock would have felt pretty chilly (see final photo of this post).
The Feith Buidhe slabs with Ben MacDui behind.
Ice forming on a water course on a shady North aspect, in this case near the Goat Track in Coire an t-Sneachda. Although warm in the sunshine it is frosty at night, the past few morning I have had to scrape ice off the car. On higher North facing aspects it is remaining cold all day, with some water ice forming, and any snow in these locations being being very hard and icy, creating a real slip hazard. Meanwhile on locations exposed to the sunshine it felt like the middle of summer.
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Robin
6th April 2025 6:26 pm
Many thanks to all the team who have brought us vital information about potential dangers on these magnificent mountains. Wonderful pictures that are such a draw to the different areas and even education on climate and how you calculate the avalanche danger.
Such a pity in some ways about the lack of snow- we have hardly seen a flake here in Northumberland over the winter.
Perhaps 2025/26 winter will indeed be notable for snow rather than a lack of the white stuff! The weather does indeed often ‘pay back’
Enjoy your summer.
ncairngormsadmin
7th April 2025 11:00 am
Hi Robin
thanks for your comment,
hopefully there will be more snow next winter,
in the meantime have a great summer!