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DrHosking


Posts: 427
Joined: Jul 2004
Last Visited: 16:08
18th Mar 2019
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 13.39hrs on Fri 23 Oct 15
some great photo's here!

[jamesroddie.com]

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 18.21hrs on Sun 25 Oct 15
Little update on where things are in the NW Highlands.

Calum Anton was up the Glen Affric hills on Friday with John Pottie, and they both saw the existing snow on the hills of An Riabhachan, Tom a' Choinich and Toll Creagach.

An Riabhachan- 23.10.2015 by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

Tom a' Choinich- 23.10.2015 by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

Toll Creagach - 23.10.2015 by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

The snow on An Riabhachan and Tom a' Choinich is almost assured to survive, and Toll Creagach is looking quite likely. Not shown are the three patches on Sgurr na Lapaich (two avalanche patches and the one on Sgurr nan Clachan Geala). In total in the NW Highlands, therefore, there are currently twelve patches, ten of which are likely to survive. Not likely to survive is the one on the unnamed outlier of Carn Eige, as photographed by Brian Findlay on 18 October [www.flickr.com]

Here's what I think will survive (EDIT TO INCLUDE BEINN DEARG)
Tom a' Choinich - two patches
Toll Creagach - one patch
An Riabhachan - two patches
Beinn Dearg - two patches
Sgurr na Lapaich - three patches



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 20.25hrs Sun 25 Oct 15 by firefly.
firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 18.24hrs on Sun 25 Oct 15
I went up Beinn Bhrotain yesterday to see the Coire an t-Sneachda patch. I had expected it to be small(ish), but was very pleasantly surprised to see it so large. Approximately 40 x 50 x 3 metres. A certainty for survival.

Untitled by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

Some nice snow tunnel pictures (spoiled by the glaikit model) here: [www.flickr.com]
h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
Last Visited: 18:38
2nd Sep 2019
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Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 19.34hrs on Sun 25 Oct 15
I'd a wander up to see the new snow and the effect it had had on Ciste Mhearad. The patch is well covered by 2-3 inches but the tunnel has all but collapsed since last week. Two thin narrow bridges remain. The snow was really sticky and heavy so the skiing was rubbish .. but still fun smiling smiley
Some photos here [www.winterhighland.info]

Helen
firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 21.37hrs on Sun 25 Oct 15
I'm not sure if this link is clickable if you haven't got Facebook. It shows the last bit of snow on Bidean nam Bian at very close quarters. Dog for scale! [www.facebook.com]
tim1mw


Posts: 700
Joined: Nov 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 10.59hrs on Mon 26 Oct 15
h11lly Wrote:
I'd a wander up to see the new snow and the effect it had had on Ciste Mhearad. The patch is well covered by 2-3 inches but the tunnel has all but collapsed since last week. Two thin narrow bridges remain. The snow was really sticky and heavy so the skiing was rubbish .. but still fun


I was in Snowdonia yesterday for a day trip (Llanberis) and had wondered if there was a chance of seeing a dusting of new snow on the summits, but there was nothing visible. The higher peaks were all shrouded in mist, so it was difficult to tell and I didn't go all that high myself (I was wandering around the old Dinorwig quarries). I spoke to somebody at who had been up to the summit of Snowdown fairly early and she didn't mention any snow.
firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 10.26hrs on Sun 1 Nov 15
Hugely enjoyable trip up Creag Meagaidh yesterday to see what remained of the snow. I took the bike up from Aberarder right to Lochan a' Choire in Coire Ardair. A bit of a slog in places, but it meant the return journey took less than 20 minutes!

Anway...

I ventured up into Easy Gully to see the two very large patches still in evidence. The lower patch is the smallest, but there's still a good bit of life left in it, as you can see from the picture:

Easy Gully lower patch by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

IC in photo for scale by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

I estimate that this patch will easily survive, even though it was suffering badly in yesterday's very mild weather. There's enough of it there to persist, even if the current weather persists, for a good few weeks.

The upper patch was by far the largest. This is a racing-certainty for survival. I didn't go up to it, though, as the ground in Easy Gully was treacherous. Not so much the steepness, but there was a huge amount of very wet mud and rock, some of it moving worryingly when I traversed over it. I took my photos and got out of there pronto!

Easy Gully by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

I took a rather unconventional route onto the summit plateau, emerging from Easy Gully on to the large face which sits between Raeburn's and Easy gullies. The ground was steep but easily negotiated. From the top I peered in to see what remained of the snow that survived last year at the head of Raeburn's.

Raeburn's Gully patch close-up by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

The old snow was surrounded to a certain extent by new (24th October), but the patch itself seems to have missed out. It's pretty shallow, and I don't imagine that it'll take more than a couple of weeks of mild weather to finish it off.

The same is true for the patch west of Creag Meagaidh summit. Looked like the only patch visible in that area, though the mist did make observation tricky.

West of Creag Meagaidh summit by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

I saw the other two patches known to us and got a picture of each. The first is readily visible from the car park. It's east facing and touch-and-go for survival.

East facing patch, below Puist Coire Ardair by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

The second is Coire nan Gall of Carn Liath, which sits at an altitude of about 910 metres (just below 3000 ft). If you look at the picture closely you can see chunks of the snow have come off and fallen to the bottom of the coire. Very steep ground.

by Iain Cameron, on Flickr

All told, eight patches visible yesterday. Of those, assuming we go back to seasonal weather, I would hope that 4 or 5 will survive.
Norseman


Posts: 51
Joined: Jun 2012
Last Visited: 18:00
4th May 2019
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 21.28hrs on Mon 2 Nov 15
Forecast looks mostly mild until mid-month at least with just brief cooler interludes so unlikely for any lasting snow to arrive soon.Are many patches likely to be vulnerable if this pattern remains for several weeks?
Anyone know when [or if]the two patches on Sgurr Mor in the Fannichs visible from the A835 melted? They were still there a couple of weeks ago.
h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
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2nd Sep 2019
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Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 00.07hrs on Wed 4 Nov 15
Ciste Mhearad today and below a year ago. It was rock solid today and had a lethal film of ice on the north half. Stuck to the south edge for turns which was just solid! I suspect that part doesn't see the sun at all now.



Helen
Da kishman


Posts: 308
Joined: Nov 2003
Last Visited: 17:31
10th Jan 2018
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 11.00hrs on Wed 4 Nov 15
Some photos from last few days.
On Cairn Gorm on Sunday - zoom of the 'snowy coire' of MacDui;'patch by the pool' the biggest patch visible and certain to survive. Patches also north of pbtp, south of (only just visible,and probably not in the photo!) and high up at the head of the Garbh Uisge Mor:

Garbh Uisge Beag and Feith Buidhe slabs:

Coire Domhain - the old snow, 2 thin slivers low down, the higher patch from the previous weekend - old snow probably gone by now?!:

And a shot of Ciste Mearad from above, to complement Helen's!:

Then went to Carn Mor Dearg yesterday in stunning weather to get some shots of the Ben's remaining snow. I counted 33 patches, inc fragments broken off main patches, and reckon 18-20 could easily survive - 31 patches in the main coire, and 2 remnants high up in Coire Leis.

Slightly closer!:

On the way home, got a look at Aonach Mor and the An Agaidh Garbh of Aonach Beag;unfortunately the stunning light wasn't great for viewing snow patches,but I counted 9 or 10 on Aonach Beag,this excluding the 'enigma' patch, and 5 in Coire an Lochain of Aonach Mor, inc 'pro-talus' and 'pirahna' which are both in the region of 100m!
Finally,the Aisre Chaim of Geal Charn, from tuesday. Probably 1 other patch not visible in this shot, further to the north:

Some more photos here [www.flickr.com]



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 11.01hrs Wed 4 Nov 15 by Da kishman.
alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
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Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 15.01hrs on Wed 4 Nov 15
Interesting to see the CM patch in the same location as last year in Helen's photos above given just how different the patch had been each of the previous summers since 2010.
firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 09.48hrs on Thu 5 Nov 15
Excellent work, Da kishman! Fills in some blanks, particularly the state of Aisre Cham on Geal-Charn.

Alastair Hubbard had a fine (and long) walk on the Cairngorms yesterday after camping out on the 3rd on the high plateau. He managed to get some good snaps of the following:

Garbh Choire Mor - [flic.kr]
Coire Domhain - [flic.kr] This will probably be gone today.
Beinn Bhrotain - [flic.kr] A guaranteed survival. In fact, it'll probably be two patches before the end of the week, judging from the thinness of the bridge.
flugeryl


Posts: 2307
Joined: Oct 2004
Last Visited: 12:40
11th Mar 2021
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Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 12.38hrs on Fri 6 Nov 15
as a general observer only on this topic...is there any patches surviving more than one year..snow that fell in 13/14 winter

Be Nice to Skiers, they have it hard enough already
snowpatch94


Posts: 87
Joined: Jul 2006
Last Visited: 20:30
7th Aug 2019
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 19.28hrs on Fri 6 Nov 15
The Jet Stream is making a comeback and is set to blow in from next week. Most of the weather models are now consistently showing westerly winds and snow showers with quite significant accumulations possible at Munro level interspersed with milder interludes.

Perhaps too late for Choire Dhomain but Chiste Mherraid will be safely through....interesting enough CD may turn out to be like CM last year...

That is....the old snow melted but there was new snow in the area when the lasting snow arrived...
Da kishman


Posts: 308
Joined: Nov 2003
Last Visited: 17:31
10th Jan 2018
Re: 2015 Scottish snow patch season
Date Posted: 20.40hrs on Sat 7 Nov 15
On a pedantic note,the snow at coire domhain in Alistair Hubbard's photo is October 2015 snow,not last winters ☺The old snow will have melted by the 3rd probably! Also looks like the GCM snow will probably split into 3 after the last few days of horribly mild weather 😢
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