What's your view on midweek next week? I'm seeing plus2 on metcheck in most places but up to +7 or 8 on Met office for First William etc. Am I being overly pessimistic to say that's not a forecast to be booking a week off work for?
Hard to call, as you know! One of the reasons I live where I do is so that I don't need to think about booking weeks off and can just do day or weekend trips.
There's an awful lot happening from Sunday onwards and also the usual forecast uncertainty.
A big dump, with high winds, on places that already have 'considerable' avalanche risk followed by rising temps is not a great combo and makes for complicated decision making. Wind in the south will mean that many crag aprons and top outs will be loaded.
I think that if you could come up north and be super flexible you'd get stuff done but it would require a lot of careful thought and potentially some driving around.
I'm worried that Saturday will just be waist deep powder and not much of actual climbing. Am I wrong?
I'm worried that Saturday will just be waist deep powder and not much of actual climbing. Am I wrong?
I've not been out in the FW area so I can't offer much insight into conditions. There certainly doesn't look to be much ice about and there is a lot of soft snow in places.
Can you get in touch with the guide and ask what the options are?
The snow has been heavily wind distributed in the places I've been and some areas a bit further south have much less snow so it may be that they know of some less wadey options. They may even know of some in condition ice. Ice has formed in some mid altitude places so it's not impossible.
With so many options of altitude, aspect and venue type a guide really should be able to come up with the goods on a day like Saturday.Â
Did you go Molgrips? Shat out quite a lot earlier on Skye than forecast.Â
Blea Tarn today was bloody marvelous. Never ever seen so many people on one climb. I reckon about 40 people on Birketts at one point. Guess perhaps 60 people climbed it in total.
People relaying messages up and down the crag constantly and climbing 3 abreast in loads of places. Sounds absolutely hellish but it worked really well apart from one old tool who kept getting lowered down various pitches from the top to top rope them, oblivious to people leading up.
After the rush....
Two days on Bla Bheinn. The good weather photos are from the first day! Had planned to go down Glen Brittle but road was shut due to sheet ice.
Stunning
Blea Tarn today was bloody marvelous. Never ever seen so many people on one climb. I reckon about 40 people on Birketts at one point. Guess perhaps 60 people climbed it in total.
I was astonished to see two other parties on the same crag as us. Of course we knew all of them!Â
Joking aside, I'd love to do a winter route in the Lakes at some point. Specifically, Bowfell Buttress.Â