Spiral Gully

Day one of an Introduction toe Winter Climbing course for Glenmore Lodge today and I'm teamed up with Tom and David. We were on Spiral Gully today (we did the LH finish- straight up the couloir from just beyond the bend- nice pitch of III). The freezing level was above the summits and there were strong gusts getting worse in the afternoon. Buttresses went black during the day but easier gullys are all still very full. the surface snow was softening but there was still firm stuff beneath and ice in places (Mirror Direct was fat and busy as usual).

We rescued a sleeping bag blowing across the coire and returned it to the clutch of bags it had blown from and watched at least 3 stuff sacks and various contents whirling around in different places.
The next few days look to be set to be quite wild with a series of rapid freezes and thaws with some precipitation. It will just be a matter of timing as to when it is mild and wild, when it is snowy and blowy and when it is bomber neve!

Spiral Gully LH from Alan Halewood on Vimeo.