Final day of Winter Skills course

GLWS Day 5 from Alan Halewood on Vimeo.

strong winds and heavy snow when we woke for the last day of the Glenmore Lodge winter skills course yesterday morning. We were able to get the vans as far as the Ciste Car park so we walked from there round to Coire Cas. Then we carried on into Sneachda in deep drifting snow. We went as far as the moraines and it was obvious from the walk in that there were deep patches of windslab around. With care we released the cornice on a small slope and several avalanches of large blocks of slab. After that we each built a small emergency shelter but had some food together in the group shelter we have been carrying all week. The weather had brightened by now- still gusty winds but less snow so we headed up to windy col to the left of The Mess of Pottage and on to 1141 before descending the Cas ridge. That just left us with the short walk back round to the Ciste to finish the week. It's been a full on week for the team- many of whom were out in winter conditions for the first time- but they've coped well with the skills to be learnt (both hard skills and things like the personal organisation needed to avoid faff in the winter) and should be able to go away for some of their own adventures now. Back west now for next week!