
Initial plans where downsized from a big two day exped with friends in the Mamores to a two smaller days due to friends dropping out. Plan was still to visiit Mamores, but planned on two or three tops in one day instead.
Left Kinlochleven at 7:30am and walked (waded) in to Stob Coire a' Chairn. The forecast was for heavy snow all day, the previous day had been for snow but not loads. It was pretty obvious within first hour of walk that more had fallen than was forecast!
The Avalanche forecasts covers Lochaber and Glencoe, but not really the mamores, but the reading the text from the worst of the two forecast (Lochaber) and looking at what was going on as I walked into the corrie, I noticed some cross loading on smaller rocks. I decided to ascend via a small rib/ridge just to be on the safe side, and when I reached the main ridge (Ring of Steall) the wind was leaving a cornice on the south east side of the ridge and scouring on the north west side , as the winds were forecast to be south westerly I was a bit perplexed. !
ascending via the North east ridge at times the snow was deep (waist height) and it was slow going , with strong winds and spindrift.
I reached the top and after a careless small nav error which I quickly realised (this reminded me that its always good to take a quick bearing before you move off)
although it was effectively a ridge I was walking on, I needed keep out my compass and check bearing often as viz was poor and the result of getting it wrong was pretty bad!
the winds where definitely coming from SW as I travelled along towards the second top and I could see cornices developing all along the ridge.
I met a group coming towards me, said hello and kept going to the summit of the next top Sgurr An Iubhair. Looking at the time I realised that bagging another top was going to make me finish my walk in the dark so I decided to drop off the ridge and after a bit of cross boulder field descent, I would pick up a path in Coire na h eirghe. It basically meant heading for a stream where they seemed to be a path indicated on the map, which I might see in the snow or might not!
But luckily as I got to a stream junction a track appeared with fresh footprints going up the hill. I took it to be the group i saw earler, but it made for uch easier walking. and after hitting the WHW i was back in Kinlochleven for 5pm.
A gnarly and enjoyable day.
Area :
Ben Nevis & Aonach Mor (Fort William To Loch Leven)
This area covers the mountains between Fort William, Loch Leven (to the south) and Loch Treig (to the east). The area includes Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg, The Mamores, The Aonachs and The Grey Corries. An impressive 20 Munros are split equally by Glen Nevis and the waters of Abhainn Rath. Relatively accessible from the A82, these mountains hold some classic walking and climbing routes such as The Ring of Steall in the Mamores and Point Five Gully on Ben Nevis. Includes all major peaks above 600m.