Stob Ban and Mullach nan Coireanin the Mamores next week

[madprof]

I'm going to be in Glen Nevis next week for a couple of days and fancied doing these Munros if conditions allowed. Weather is looking a bit iffy but we'll see what MWIS/SAIS/my sense of self-preservation have to say about it.

What I'm most interested in is the avalanche risk when heading up to the ridge via Coire a' Mhusgain. I'll be following the route as detailed here - http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/stobban.shtml
Should the prevailing wind have been south westerly and a good load of snow dumped in the area I'm a bit concerned that I'll get it falling on me as I head up. There was one reported avalanche on 27th Jan off a buttress nearby but no others.
The terrain looks ripe for swallowing me up in a snowy bed of death with a nice little gully but I'd be interested to hear what anyone more familiar with the area (I've done a snowy Ring of Steall and that is about it) thinks.

[jmarkb]

Some big avalanches have come down and crossed the path in the last week or so: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=579595 . Definitely worth keeping an eye on the SAIS forecast and avoiding during periods of thaw or heavy snowfall. The N ridge of Stob Ban is a potentially safer alternative: there is just a short section of fairly easy scrambling on it.

[madprof]

Thank you, yes just happened to read that and gawp at the pictures. Mmm. I will be watching carefully but looks ropey.

[madprof]

So I went up the Ben today as a sighter for the snow conditions. Got to the Red Burn and turned around. The snow is in awful condition and I would have had to cross the gully with the snow in it starting to slide down. The path round to the CIC hut had debris from a couple of avalanches on it too. Great.
Might have a look at the north ridge of Stob Ban if the wind is OK but not holding out much hope.

[Cairngormwanderer]

Hi, Is this the Stob Ban you're talking about? https://twitter.com/ukhillwalking/status/438644076749926400/photo/1

[jmarkb]

Hi, Is this the Stob Ban you're talking about? https://twitter.com/ukhillwalking/status/438644076749926400/photo/1

Yes, that's the wee arete on the N ridge of Stob Ban, between point 912 and the next top north. Looks unusually narrow just now with the big build up of snow.

[madprof]

The arete has now avalanched! I got up to just shy of the 912m top and saw (with some horror) that the whole eastern half has fallen. There is about 2-3m of snow on top of the arete but only the western face is still there. Rock is showing on the east face. I could have just gone straight round to Mullach Nan Coirean but the quality of the snow is bad. I was struggling to get the crampons to hold at times so I called it a day. Looking back as I descended, the ridge away to Mullach Nan Coirean had a scar along the top of the north face where it was beginning to slip.
Maybe the cooler weekend weather will firm things up.

[madprof]

Oh hang on I think I got confused. Oops. So the route from the 912m top to the munro top has gone bad as viewed from the arete in the photo.