Snow On The Scottish Mountains 2015.

[Polar Maritime]

Despite relatively benign overall conditions in the mountains, big full-depth avalanches and cornice collapses are happening. Avalanches at this time of year at often at their most catastrophic, despite the winter starting to retreat. This photo shows Carn an Leth-choin in the Monadhliath yesterday morning with at least two full-depth wet slides plainly visible.

 

[Norrance]

This one was near Glenshee. Reported on BBC Scotland website from SAIS yesterday.

 

More pictures in the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-32015917

[Polar Maritime]

Last winter was very snowy at higher levels. Despite a mild spring, summer and autumn, there were a good number of snowpatch survivals including Aonach Mor, Aonach Beag, Creag Meagaidh and several on Ben Nevis. I wrote a few blog posts about visiting some of these patches last autumn. The single biggest contributing factor to snowpack survival is how much snow accumulates in appropriate locations during the winter. As we are roughly around the time of year that snow depths reach their maximum in these locations, I thought it would be a good time to compare the state of this years snow accumulations to previous years.

 

http://blairfyffe.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/snow-cover-in-lochaber-2.html

[Polar Maritime]

Plenty of snowpack remaining on the Nevis Range.

[johnholmes]

lovely photos PM

[Polar Maritime]

Back Corries on Nevis Range looking loaded this morning..

 

[Polar Maritime]

Looks like Winter returns to the Scottish Mountains this weekend.

[Polar Maritime]

45cm of fresh from next Tuesday.

[Northernlights]

Still have very visible remains of a big drift on the Cawdor hills at below 1500 feet latest I have seen snow on these hills for a very long time.

 

Ben Wyvis and especially the hills to the west of Wyvis are loaded. But with a temperature of 1c this morning here and a cool daytime temperatures  next week midsummer skiing on the western ranges on long runs looks more and more certain.

[Polar Maritime]

Looks more like December than May today on Nevis Range, Plenty more to come over next week ☺

[Northernlights]

Here  is  todays fresh snow on Ben Wyvis

[Polar Maritime]

More snow today than this time last year on upper Nevis slopes. Pics from Firefly..

[Polar Maritime]

East Gully on Aonach Mor is full of snow.

[Norrance]

And here is the main basin at Glencoe this evening.

and closer up

Oops. It has clouded up since I posted the link.

[Polar Maritime]

The Ben this morning looking stunning, but please BEWARE. Locharber Mountain Rescue have issued a warning that it is still full winter conditions on the summit. 

 

Another Bank Holiday weekend and lots of people planning a wee walk up Ben Nevis. Before you head up thought you might want to read the press release put out by the Mountaineering Council for Scotland today -

"The Mountaineering Council of Scotland is urging caution to the thousands of hillwalkers planning to climb Ben Nevis this Bank Holiday weekend and in coming weeks. Winter conditions and snows in excess of two metres deep are making navigation in poor visibility particularly challenging above the 900 metre contour line on Scotland’s highest peak. Some of the navigation cairns, relied on by many walkers traversing the summit plateau, are completely buried under snow, heightening the risk of accidents on The Ben’s renowned cliffs."

Take care if you are going up and be prepared for full on winter conditions.There is still over 2 metres of snow on summit and in Red Burn on descent.

 

[roughyed]

Mr Corbyn is saying there is a new glacier growing/forming on Glencoe. 

[The PIT]

Mr Corbyn is saying there is a new glacier growing/forming on Glencoe. 

LOL I don't think we need to say more.

[4wd]

It's probably a reference to that study last year which said 'almost' that.
It's hardly something new since several snow patches have lasted for decades only melting out completely a very few times.
The base of larger patches is essentially how a glacier starts but you need an increasing ly large snowfield first.
I'd not call it a glacier until ice starts to flow under it's own weight which would be many years of accumulation.

It's a shame we don't have much information or evidence about how the snow patches behaved in the little ice age.

[Polar Maritime]

It's probably a reference to that study last year which said 'almost' that.

It's hardly something new since several snow patches have lasted for decades only melting out completely a very few times.

The base of larger patches is essentially how a glacier starts but you need an increasing ly large snowfield first.

I'd not call it a glacier until ice starts to flow under it's own weight which would be many years of accumulation.

It's a shame we don't have much information or evidence about how the snow patches behaved in the little ice age.

 

Anything for Mr C to get a headline or a new subscriber..

[Norrance]

Mr Corbyn is saying there is a new glacier growing/forming on Glencoe. 

It has been a long time since Glencoe snow made it through to the following Winter, never mind a glacier forming there. There is a lot there this year though but there was a lot in 2014 too and it still didn't make it.

 

Edit. I am told that snow has never made it through at Glencoe, at least since people have been monitoring it.

[Polar Maritime]

Back Corries looking great and more snow forecast up there over the next few days.

 

[picog]

Back Corries looking great and more snow forecast up there over the next few days.

 

That looks very impressive for late May. In the relatively few times I have been up the Scottish mountains at this time of year, I have never seen as much snow.

[Polar Maritime]

The Back Corries-Nevis range is seeing some big cornice drops this weekend.

 

https://vimeo.com/129314079

[Polar Maritime]

Ben Nevis looks great for the time of year with plenty of Snow available for Spring skiing. 

 

Iain Cameron â€@theiaincameron  3h3 hours ago

The amazing Ben Nevis y'day. Roger Wild & co. get some winter skiing done as, er, summer approaches... #scotwinter

 

[4wd]

View image on Twitter

 

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Iain Cameron @theiaincameron

Gary Hodgson's pic of Ben Nevis today. About a foot of fresh, and same forecast for next 36 hours. Strewth. #snow

10:21 PM - 30 May 2015