Up the Ben

Looking up toward the Orion Face

Number Three Gully Buttress and Creag Coire na Ciste
Carn Dearg Buttress


I was up the Ben today. The higher buttresses were looking well hoared up. There was some ice in the seepage lines on Carn Dearg (Waterfall Gully, CIC Hut Icefall, Gemini etc). The Orion and Minus faces were looking quite white, but how much of that is useful ice starting to form,and how much is cruddy snow was hard to tell (although I suspect much of it was the latter)
The longer range forectas suggests a thaw then cold Easterly winds. This will stabalise the snowpack and, as long as it is not too long a thaw, is likley to improve climbing conditions.
Blair