NORTHERN CAIRNGORMS AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS MON 24/1/05 Light snow showers on moderate Northerly winds have led to further build-up of new slab on Southerly aspects. North-East to South-East aspects above 850 metres are also affected especially on sheltered locations and gully heads. At 1196 metres on a Southerly aspect tests showed a weakly bonded snowpack due to hard and soft layers. The avalanche hazard is Considerable (Category 3). AVALANCHE HAZARD OUTLOOK TUE 25/1/05 The Northerly airstream will continue with very light snow and heavy drifting due to strong winds. Weakly bonded slab will build mainly on Southerly aspects above 850 metres. North-West through North to South-East aspects will also be affected due to localised wind effects especially areas with steep convex slopes, gully heads and crag aprons. The avalanche hazard will be Considerable (Category 3). CLIMBING CONDITIONS SNOW DISTRIBUTION: Snow cover on plateau improving. ICING: Climbable ice on some South-West aspects. COMMENT: Very poor visibility over the Cairngorms today. LOCHABER AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS MON 24/1/05 Areas of moderately bonded snow are present on many North- East, East and South-East aspects above 1000m. Greatest accumulations are on scarp slopes and gully exits. The avalanche hazard is Moderate (Category 2). Wind scoured slopes are frozen and stable. AVALANCHE HAZARD OUTLOOK TUE 25/1/05 The freezing level will gradually rise to around 1000m on Tuesday with no significant precipitation. Areas of moderately bonded snow will remain mainly on North-East, East and South- East aspects above 1000m with greatest accumulations on scarp slopes and gully exits. The avalanche hazard will be Moderate (Category 2). CLIMBING CONDITIONS SNOW DISTRIBUTION: Main accumulations remain on Eastern aspects. ICING: Freezing level rising to 1000m during Tuesday. COMMENT: Many routes now in reasonable condition. GLENCOE AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS MON 24/1/05 Cold settled conditions have helped to maintain the generally well bonded snowpack. Very light snow showers today and Northerly winds are forming some fresh accumulations of windslab in sheltered locations above 900 metres. The greatest accumulations of windslab exist in sheltered gullies and on slopes with a NE to SE aspect above 900 metres. The avalanche hazard is Moderate (Category 2). AVALANCHE HAZARD OUTLOOK TUE 25/1/05 Milder conditions with very light sleet or snow and fresh Northerly winds will affect the area overnight and through Tuesday but no significant amounts of new snow are expected. Accumulations of existing windslab will be affected by rising temperatures reducing stability initially. These accumulations are mainly in sheltered gullies and on steep slopes with a North- East to South-East aspect. The avalanche hazard will be Considerable (Category 3). CLIMBING CONDITIONS SNOW DISTRIBUTION: Snow above 600 metres on Monday. ICING: Freezing level 900 metres overnight rising to 1000 metres on Tuesday. COMMENT: Ice forming on rocks and paths above 700 metres on Monday. SOUTHERN CAIRNGORMS AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS MON 24/1/05 It has remained cold with very little new snowfall. Areas of moderately to weakly bonded windslab are still to be found in very sheltered NE aspects with larger areas on SE aspects above 850 metres. Some S aspects also hold recently wind deposited snow but generally this is not deep. The avalanche hazard is Considerable (Category 3). Elsewhere cover is thin or wind scoured. AVALANCHE HAZARD OUTLOOK TUE 25/1/05 It will stay cooler on the tops overnight after which the freezing level will rise to around 1000 metres. Most areas of windslab will be subject to thaw conditions. These areas will be in sheltered features on NE aspects but mostly on SE and some S aspects above 850 metres. Stability of recently formed cornices will also be suspect. The avalanche hazard will be Considerable (Category 3). CLIMBING CONDITIONS SNOW DISTRIBUTION: Generally thin but some gullies and burns are now holding reasonable depth. ICING: Ice is present but mostly subject to thaw. COMMENT: Freezing levels due to rise to around 1000 metres. CREAG MEAGAIDH AVALANCHE HAZARD 1500 HRS MON 24/1/05 North-West winds and occasional light snow showers have combined to create accumulations of new windslab on North- East to South-East aspects. Most significant areas of slab lie on steeper ground above 900 metres where field tests revealed easy shears in near-surface layers. Layers in the mid-pack, above old snow-ice, showed better stability. The avalanche hazard remains Considerable (Category 3). AVALANCHE HAZARD OUTLOOK TUE 25/1/05 Somewhat milder temperatures and only a few sleety showers carried on moderate Northerly winds will lead to some new windslab formation. This will be limited to very sheltered South to South-East aspects above 950 metres. Some consolidation of the snowpack is expected in all locations as temperatures rise slowly. The avalanche hazard will become Moderate (Category 2). CLIMBING CONDITIONS SNOW DISTRIBUTION: Good cover down to 700m. ICING: Ice still forming. Crags remain buried in snow. COMMENT: Good uphill and plateau ski touring but treacherous crust hampers elegant downhill progress! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------