The Cairngorms are ‘a little piece of the arctic in Scotland’ according to the SMC Munros Guide and the area contains many of the tallest peaks in the East Highlands. Ben Macdui (1309m), Cairn Gorm (1244m) and Braeriach (1296) are probably three of the better known and the whole area is full of steep corries and high plateaux. Access to the mountains is typically from Aviemore or Braemar.
Putting into practice what I learned the previous day during the avalanche awareness course. Weather was partially cloudy at the start with the sun coming out later in the day. The wind was moderate to start with and it got more windy as the day progressed. Especially at the top it was very cold and although I had extra warm gear with me, my face felt cold with a wind chill of -12. The conditions underfoot were variable with knee deep dry snow at the lower levels and frozen snow and ice at the top. However rocks were still sticking out in all areas which made the use of crampons a personal choice. Ideally you would like more snow/ice cover to use the crampons. The ground would be better suited for micro spikes. Although not making any major navigation errors I found I still need to work on my micro navigation.
