Avalanche day in Glencoe

Creise from Meall a Bhuridh, showing the extensive snow cover in Glencoe at present

Facet crystals at shear plane at 25cm. depth

Triggered avalanche on Meall a Bhuridh - no inuries

Triggered avalanche - as above

Windy day.

It was a wild morning with torrential rain, thunder, lightening and puddles the width of the A82 on the drive into Glen Coe. It was quite mild at the time, and the tops of the mountains covered in a thick layer of slush/wet snow. Through the day this began to freeze as the temperature dropped. There were also some snow showers through the day, but these did not put down a great deal of fresh snow. 

It was a windy day with plenty of snow in the air at times as seen here at the Scottish Ski Club hut at a height of about 850 metres. However, most of this snow seemed to dissipate into the atmosphere rather than be deposited on the ground, and I struggled to find any deep drifts of fresh snow. 

Last night and early this morning a lot of very wet slushy snow fell and stuck to thing like this snow fence. This froze solid as the temperature dropped.   

 This mornings slush forming an icy crust as the temperature dropped. 

Sron a Choire Odhair-bhig

 Buachaille Etive Mor and the Meall a Bhuiridh hills in the background disappearing into the cloud.

Cornices and yesterdays windslab will be going through a period of instability as the temperature rises and the snowpack is rained on. The rain was just starting about the time I took this picture.

Buachaille Etive Beag

Some brief views in between the showers.

Stob Coire Sgreamhach and Beinn Fhada, with Bidean nam Bian and Stob Coire nan Lochan behind.

Buachaille Etive Beag summit ridge to Stob Dubh, with significant snow transport right to left.

Another Cloudy Day.

 The glen was looking quiet atmospheric and moody, and that was during the best weather part of the day. 

 Stob a Ghlais Choire

This was the best view that I had from the hill, still pretty snowy high up. 

Buachaille Etive Mor

The summit ridge of Stob Dearg: not much to be seen.

Stob Dearg and Coire na Tulaich on my return to my car.

Stob Coire Nan Lochan

 Local Glencoe residents discussing past rescues. 

 Looking North along the Gearr Aonach ridge towards the A82 Glencoe road.

Higher up at 850 metres the snow was firm. Ken about to drop into the main SCNL corrie from the East ridge.

Cloudy on Meall a Bhuiridh.

From the floor of the glen it does not look like there is much snow about. There is in fact plenty of snow at higher levels, it was just hidden in the cloud today. 

 I found some deposits of weak windslab near the summit of Meall a Bhuiridh. This was deposited by last nights snow showers. However, these areas of windslab tended not to be extensive. 

 Objects above about 1000 metres, such as these rocks, a were further riming up in the cloudy conditions. 

Sron a Choire Odhair-bhig

 Looking back towards Buachaille Etive Mor. 

 Looking across the Glen towards Stob Coire nan Lochan and Bidean nam Bian. 

There looks like there was a fair bit of cornice slumping and collapse. This probably occurred during the mild wet conditions experienced on Wednesday evening.  

Stob Coire nan Lochan

Head of Coire Gabhail.

Stob Coire nan Lochan East ridge looking towards Gearr Aonach.

Buachaille Etive Beag

Looking towards pt.902m on Buachaille Etive Beag from Stob Coire Raineach.  

There are 9 people on Mam Buidhe.

Coire na Tulaich (Old team re-training)

Looking North from Coire na Tulaich

Pete Harrop one of our original SAIS forecasters makes a return the service

Look in up into Coire na Tulaich 

More new snow

North-Easterly aspect of Meall a Bhuiridh

Looking East from Meall a Bhuiridh

Easterly aspect of Stob Dearg (Buachaille Etive Mor)

New snow on higher slopes

Easy shears of windslab on older firm snow at 1050m NE aspect

Buachaille Etive Mor (old avalanche debris Crowberry and Ravens Gullies)

Sron na Creise

A drier day today with less rain 

Looking into Stob coire nan Lochan

brighter spells

                                      Glen Coe with mild conditions but plenty of snow.

pit site @ 920 metres today

heavy thaw below 800 metres

Avalanche guru's from Canada- Alan Jones and Alan Dennis they need to brush up on their wet grains classifications

3 metres plus

           Rain at most levels today with a scattering of new snow above 950 metres.

Coire na Tulaich on Buachaille Etive Mor

Changing weather in Glen Coe today, looking towards Buachaille Etive Mor on the left.

The 3 sisters of Glen Coe in one of the brighter moments this morning before the rain set in

Failures and signs of weaknesses in the snowpack.

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blocks breaking in weakly bonded windslab

Near the summit of Meall a Bhuiridh 

Rimed up rocks in the foreground showing yesterdays strong winds with the Ben in the distance

Note 2 avalanches on the Easterly aspect.