News is starting to trickle in from the Skye Winter Festival organised by local guide Mike Lates. Conditions have been cold and icy and a number of new routes have been found including an excellent-looking icefall in Coire a’ Ghrunnda climbed on January 24 by Michael Barnard and Tim Oates.
“Despite its prominence in the corrie this icefall is pretty reluctant to form well,” Michael told me. “At least a couple of teams have been in for a look in the past. We called it Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (IV,4) in anticipation of the big thaw due the following day. Last Saturday it looked white again but I think most of this was powder!”
Ha, yes, I was in one of the teams that walked in for a look. We spotted this big icefall and got more and more excited as we got closer, but unfortunately by the time we arrived it was falling down, that wall really catches the sun. Glad someone got it done.