You are NOT Logged in.
Chat about all aspects of snowsports, backcountry, climbing and mountaineering.
Goto Thread: PreviousNext
Goto: Forum ListMessage ListNew TopicSearchLog In
Current Page:39 of 40
firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 08.26hrs on Mon 24 Nov 14
Good man, Da kishman! Your photos are extremely useful, and none more so than the Coire an Lochain one. There's little doubt in my mind that this will survive. There's also little doubt that Garbh Choire Mor's three patches will also be there, and will survive. The big question is the patch at FB slabs, which looks to be precarious.

Very disappointing that Ciste Mhearad is in its death throes. I had hoped that both this and Carn na Caim would have made it. But, as coaster says, consolation is to be had in the first snow outside the Cairngorms and Nevis range to make it to winter since 2000 (Creag Meagaidh, which is assured).

I saw a photo on Facebook yesterday of Aonach Mor. It showed the protalus patch there, and still large. You could just make out one of the Piranha patches amid the new snow, and I would imagine both of these will survive. There's possibly a third (Piranha, smaller patch) there, but I will ask the chappie to take a zoomed photo when conditions allow. The same photo showed a couple of patches on An Agaidh Gharbh of Aonach Beag. I expect both of these to survive.

Like coaster, I'm up for a visit to the Ben to do a final survey next weekend. If any of the Winterhighanders that haven't been on a snow-survey visit fancy going to one of the most impressive Scottish snow locations then make yourself known!

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 20.55hrs on Mon 24 Nov 14
A few photos of the Ben, taken on the 19th November. [www.flickr.com]

Still some snow left in Coire na Ciste, a couple of which should survive.

Da kishman


Posts: 308
Joined: Nov 2003
Last Visited: 17:31
10th Jan 2018
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 13.38hrs on Sat 29 Nov 14
The last 2 'patches'(!) at Ciste Mearad, 11.30am today! A disappointing outcome,as this will be gone by the end of today,missing another potential snowfall by a day or two!:


Now,at the risk of sounding sacriligeous, I came very close to just tossing the biggest bit of 'snow' in the burn and being done with it!
On a more interesting (and non-sacriligeous!) note,IF the 'Michaelmas' patch in GCM has survived, then it now becomes the 3rd most persistent snow patch in the Cairngorms going back to 1971,usurping Ciste Mearad!
According to 'Watson et al' in 'Weather' vol 57, Oct 2002, Between 1971 & 2000,the 'Michaelmas' patch survived 13 summers to the following winter, c.w. 16 years survival at CM. Both survived in 2000.Since then, CM has now NEVER SURVIVED,whilst 'Michaelmas' has on 4 occasions;2007,08,12 & 14.
As I say, this only holds true upon confirmation that the 'Michaelmas' patch has indeed survived and is covered by the new snow which fell on Nov 3rd.

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 09.31hrs on Sun 30 Nov 14
Excellent information, Da kishman. And your analysis is right I think. Michaelmas Fare is almost certainly still there.

Here are some hot-off-the-press photos from this morning, courtesy of Back Corries on Facebook:



Aonach Mòr - 30.11.2014 by iainjamescameron, on Flickr


An Agaidh Gharbh, Aoanch Beag - 30.11.2014 by iainjamescameron, on Flickr



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 09.33hrs Sun 30 Nov 14 by firefly.

eddy0810


Posts: 11
Joined: Nov 2010
Last Visited: 13:36
26th Oct 2015
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 16.10hrs on Sun 30 Nov 14
A few photos from a run along the Loch Mullardoch munro ridge yesterday. Found a few patches of snow just East of the main summit of An Riabhachan and a frozen lochan just West of the summit. Sun isn't going to touch these and with the cold weather moving in they should last. Deepest patch was maybe 10cm, about 0.5m long and 0.3m wide. Apologies for the poor quality photos!

Winter is coming - albeit rather slowly!



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 16.11hrs Sun 30 Nov 14 by eddy0810.

Attachments: IMG_8683.jpg (34kB)   IMG_8689.jpg (44kB)   IMG_8705_2.jpg (48kB)   IMG_8680.jpg (36kB)  
DrHosking


Posts: 427
Joined: Jul 2004
Last Visited: 16:08
18th Mar 2019
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 08.33hrs on Tue 2 Dec 14
At last some white stuff on the hills! Ok, nothing special but its something, hopefully this will be the lasting stuff.

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 07.40hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
As I wrote to Chionophile last night, it's looking good for the Cairngorms now. I suspect that the snow of the 3rd November was lasting at Garbh Choire Mor and Coire an Lochain. I'd also say that Monday night's snow will be covering (to a significant extent) the patch at the Feith Buidhe slabs, which must have been very small indeed. Perhaps Da kishman can confirm that?

I see also that h11lly went on a trip yesterday to the Marquis Wells on Cairn Gorm. Decent covering in places, and it looks as though Ciste Mhearad has missed out by a matter of days. How frustrating!

In the west, Aonach Mòr's patches are looking good (as is Ob Gully and Point 5 Gully of Ben Nevis) and I think by the end of the week we will be sitting pretty there, too. The snow that fell on Monday night has done it, I think. Fingers crossed!

Aonach Beag and Zero Gully of Ben Nevis are less certain. Their altitude makes the date later, so still worth watching! I also think that Monday's snow may have given Raeburn's on CM a good covering. Another definite survival.

So, as it stands, I believe that these are the extant patches:
Cairn Gorm/MacDui - 3 (2 at Coire an Lochain, one at Feith Buidhe slabs)
Braeriach - 3 (Garbh Choire Mor)
Creag Meagaidh - 1 (Raeburn's Gully)
Aonach Beag - 3 (2 at An Agaidh Gharbh, 1 below NE face)
Aonach Mor - 3 (1 at Protalus, 2 at Piranha)
Ben Nevis - 7 (2 at Zero Gully, 1 at Point 5, 1 at upper Ob Gully, 3 in Coire na Ciste)

I make that a total of 20 patches, unless I've calculate wrong or miscounted! The next few days will go a long way to seeing if this number translates to survivals...



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 07.43hrs Wed 3 Dec 14 by firefly.

Bomp


Posts: 172
Joined: Nov 2010
Last Visited: 17:00
22nd Apr 2021
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 10.11hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
Not bad for what looks likely to be the warmest year on record...

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 12.37hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
Any lingering doubt that Braeriach hasn't had lasting snow dispelled!

[www.tarmachan.blogspot.co.uk]

snowpatch94


Posts: 87
Joined: Jul 2006
Last Visited: 20:30
7th Aug 2019
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 13.57hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
Are we 100% sure that Cm didn't survive....? There could have been a surviving sliver
This is from last Friday and shows where it was....

[www.flickr.com]

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 14.07hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
The last word has to go to Da kishman here, I think. He's been there more often than anyone this season. My own view is that it disappeared late on Saturday 29th or early Sunday 30th.

Da kishman


Posts: 308
Joined: Nov 2003
Last Visited: 17:31
10th Jan 2018
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 19.05hrs on Wed 3 Dec 14
firefly Wrote:
The last word has to go to Da kishman here, I think. He's been there more often than anyone this season. My own view is that it disappeared late on Saturday 29th or early Sunday 30th.

Aye, agree Iain! Willing to concede it may have lasted til early hours Sunday, but defo won't have been there 24hrs after my photo was taken! The weather on saturday was mild and cloudy - still believe it would have succumbed before midnight - certainly down as 29th melt date in the Ranger database - sorry Snowpatch 94!
A couple of observations/questions Iain re west coast - hadn't the 'Pirahna' patch split into 3? And,what about patches that were high above the main Ob gully patch, in Gardyloo gully - have they been confirmed as melted?

h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
Last Visited: 18:38
2nd Sep 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 09.08hrs on Thu 4 Dec 14
I was up Cairngorm on Sunday 30th Nov. Kicking myself that I didn't actually go to check on Ciste Mhearad's absence but I took some photos from the summit. They were directly into the sun but these two I think show the Feith Buidhe slab patch but it could be one from the fall earlier in the month. Perhaps you could confirm Da Kishman as I've not been on the summit for a good while to clock patches.

[www.flickr.com]
and crop [www.flickr.com]

I'd taken my skis- for a walk- following two people the previous day telling me that there was still enough from the fall earlier in the month to ski by the fences. There wasn't for me, but I found a patch in Marquis Wells that was worth trying out my new boots on and allowed for six turns ! However it was frozen solid and I did wonder then if Ciste Mhearad might have made it to that day. However I was on route to meeting someone in the Ptarmigan and didn't have time to divert.

Helen

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 09.17hrs on Thu 4 Dec 14
I thought as much! Thanks for the update.

I don't believe that the Piranha patch has split into 3, but it's hard to be certain. The last good photo I saw showed it as 2, and I'm inclined to go with that. My belief is that lasting snow has now come there, and to protalus. I suspect that it's also come to the An Agaidh Gharbh patches, but will get this confirmed over the next couple of days by a very reliable local (Roy Bridge) observer that I've managed to recruit!

As for Ben Nevis, Point 5 has actually split in 2 now (see here: [flic.kr]), so that'll need to be counted extra. Zero Gully is holding on, and at least one (and probably 2) is assured of survival. I'm not 100% sure about Gardyloo. I had hoped to get up there with coaster this week, but I've gone over on my ankle when running and am struggling to get mobile. Perhaps a couple of worthies on here fancy a weekend sojourn? I suspect, though, by the time the weekend is over any snow remaining there will be buried, given the forecast. Gut feeling is that there's a wee bit near the bottom at the usual bit, but absent any positive sightings we have to err on the side of caution.

snowpatch94


Posts: 87
Joined: Jul 2006
Last Visited: 20:30
7th Aug 2019
Re: 2014 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 12.37hrs on Thu 4 Dec 14
Hi Helen... Was this the patch you found on Marquis Well ?

[www.flickr.com]

I did notice areas that there were skiable on the lee side of the fences going up the traverse but the snow was rock hard

Current Page:39 of 40
Your Name: 
Your Email: 
Subject: