Serious amounts of snow have fallen over the Scottish mountains this year, apparently the most in 50 years.
Being new to this amount of the white stuff, we felt it was prudent to undertake a little training in the skills we might need if we should be foolish enough to blunder into any wintry type weather.
Having seen an advert in our local Tiso (Inverness), we booked onto a basic
Winter Skills Course.
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| Loch Morlich and Glenmore Forest Park from near the car park (NJ002077) |
Friday evening was spent in the coffee shop at Tiso, doing the classroom bit with Emma, our instructor.
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| Digging snow holes by a frozen Allt Clais a'Mheirlich, Coire Laogh Mor |
We met, on Saturday, in Aviemore and due to the blue skies and reasonable forecast we went up to the ski area lower car park on Cairn Gorm.
It really wasn't very far to the snow.
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Digging snow holes
by a frozen Allt Clais a'Mheirlich, Coire Laogh Mor |
Many ice axe arrest practises and a snow hole later, we donned crampons and headed up...
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| Coire Laogh Mor from the snow hole |
The weather was great (a touch windy at times), the views superlative.
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| Creagan Dubh from the snow hole |
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Snow hole by a frozen
Allt Clais a'Mheirlich, Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Frozen Allt Clais a'Mheirlich, Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Coire Laogh Mor to Loch Morlich |
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| Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Old avalanche debris in Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Checking for avalanche risk in Coire Laogh Mor |
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| Coire Laogh Mor to Loch Morlich |
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| Crampon practise on Creagan Dubh |
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| More crampon practise on Creagan Dubh |
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| On Creagan Dubh |
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| Ice axe arrest practise into Coire Laogh Mor |
Feeling just a bit more confident to go up in the snow.
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| After glissade into Coire Laogh Mor |
Whoop whoop!
