MCofS Scrambling Weekend
Posted by Max Hunter on 17th October, 2015
Nathalie and Carla
Fiacaill Ridge
This weekend I’m working for Heather Mourning on a Mountaineering Council of Scotland Scrambling weekend course. Today, with Nathalie (from Canary Islands) and Carla (from Madrid, Spain) I headed into Coire an t-Sneachda. We introduced scrambling on the Twin Ribs and then moved onto the Fiaciall Ridge.
Conditions are amazing at the moment with the high pressure. The day started cold with a wide spread inversion, and ground frost – but soon the autumnal sun was up heating up the land and melting the frost. We found a great deal of frost heave in the loose soil, and in many shady places it was several days old. We did come down the goat track, but it was heavily iced up, and I had to do a great deal of management to keep it safe. It might be best avoided by walkers at the moment until the ice melts.
Looking over to the frosty buttresses
Looking back from the ridge
Big difference between sun and shade temp
The Fiacaill Ridge still frosty
About to top out on the ridge
Looking back from the Mountain Rescue box