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Trip to Cairngorms in February

Trip to Cairngorms in February


Postby MrMunro » Sun Jan 16, 2022 7:31 pm

Hi! I’m new to this forum so I hope I am posting on the correct discussion page. I’m planning to go walking/wild camping in the Cairngorms next month to bag some more Munro’s, I have been to the Cairngorms a few month ago already and I have plenty of experience walking in the summer but I really want to try walking in the winter as I’m obsessed with the idea of becoming a mountaineer one day. However I understand that walking in Scotland in the winter can be dangerous especially if you go alone, which I will be and I am only 19 years old so naturally I don’t have much experience walking in the winter. I have all the correct winter gear, ice axe/crampons etc but I wanted to use this forum to ask if anyone with more experience had any good tips for a newbie like me! I have watched some videos on how to use crampons and kicking steps etc and I am very confident when it comes to navigation. If anyone has some advice it would be great to hear it, especially if anyone thinks my plan to go walking in the winter alone sounds too dangerous!
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby WalkWithWallace » Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:50 am

If you haven't got anyone more experienced to help you, then getting yourself on a winter skills course would be a shrewd move.

Mountaineering Scotland run courses and offer plenty advice:

Advice:
https://www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/thinkwinter/winter-skills

Courses:
https://www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/courses-and-events/our-courses/winter-skills

Mountain guides based in the Cairngorms can run bespoke day courses too. 8)
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby jmarkb » Mon Jan 17, 2022 11:08 am

I understand your enthusiasm, but please take it slowly - you potentially have a long mountaineering career ahead of you and it is worth investing time to gain the skills you need to be competent and safe.

Another vote for getting some instruction if at all possible (I realise that you might not be able to afford it easily). Preferably, don't go alone - try to find some more experienced folk to hook up with (e.g. a club or more informal meetup group). And don't start with wild camping, or the Cairngorms! Much better to start with day trips on some less remote hills with simpler navigation (however confident you might be in summer, winter navigation, especially on the Cairngorm plateau, is a whole step up).
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby ahukippax » Mon Jan 17, 2022 12:21 pm

Totally agree with the comments so far. Either go with someone who has the relevant skills or go on a course. The cairngorms in winter are not to be underestimated. You don't want your first go at ice axe breaking to be a 'live' one. It needs practice as does walking in crampons correctly. However, even more important are the navigational skills. In winter snow cover hides paths and other features. Those of us who have experienced white out conditions where you cannot see anything in front of you know the value of being able to navigate.

Saying that, experience is the sum of near misses. Maybe try a couple of lower/easier hills first, but you cannot beat good instruction to give you the confidence to go out on your own.
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon Jan 17, 2022 1:44 pm

MrMunro wrote:Hi! I’m new to this forum so I hope I am posting on the correct discussion page. I’m planning to go walking/wild camping in the Cairngorms next month to bag some more Munro’s, I have been to the Cairngorms a few month ago already and I have plenty of experience walking in the summer but I really want to try walking in the winter as I’m obsessed with the idea of becoming a mountaineer one day. However I understand that walking in Scotland in the winter can be dangerous especially if you go alone, which I will be and I am only 19 years old so naturally I don’t have much experience walking in the winter. I have all the correct winter gear, ice axe/crampons etc but I wanted to use this forum to ask if anyone with more experience had any good tips for a newbie like me! I have watched some videos on how to use crampons and kicking steps etc and I am very confident when it comes to navigation. If anyone has some advice it would be great to hear it, especially if anyone thinks my plan to go walking in the winter alone sounds too dangerous!


Good points made by others, especially about going on a course, and maybe joining a walking group too. As a basic, a winter skills course will teach you when and how to use crampons, on different sorts of slopes, and ice axe self arrest. Some courses also cover how to navigate in a white-out and how to assess avalanche risks.

And for day by day planning your routes to take account of weather and snow conditions, these websites are useful - https://www.mwis.org.uk/ and https://www.sais.gov.uk/.

The Cairngorms is a big and very varied area. Personally I would be wary about going to the higher and remoter parts in winter. However, there are also areas which are more accessible and potentially safer in bad weather, although everywhere has the potential for deep snow, blizzards and simply a slip on an icy path.

My own choices for these slightly easier areas would be the hills around Glen Clova / Glen Esk, the hills either side of the A93 ( but I wouldn't venture beyond Glas Maol onto the central Mounth plateau) and the hills immediately around the A9 at Drumochter. If you are staying in Aviemore, there are also the Monadh Liath, Bynack Mor and Meall a'Bhuachaille.

If your plans are not fixed yet, you could also consider the southern Highlands / Loch Lomond National Park where some of the hills are less remote. All paths can become invisible in deep snow, but the main paths on the more popular hills such as Ben Ledi, Ben Lomond, Ben Lawers and Schiehallion are those most likely to remain traceable. Even if you are a good navigator, it is always nice to have a clear path underfoot if the weather is bad.

One other principle which I tend to have in my mind in winter, is that an hour in the morning is worth two in the afternoon. I tend to start walking early and aim to be off the hill by mid-afternoon.

It is stressful to be looking at time and the remaining daylight. My personal impression is that a lot of accidents occur when descending, especially if descending in haste.

All that sounds quite foreboding, but I'm sure you will in fact have a great time. Here's what it can be like when the weather's good! - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=60840

Tim
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby MrMunro » Mon Jan 17, 2022 2:14 pm

Thank you everyone for your replies! It was definitely on my mind that I shouldn’t go alone considering my lack of experience but sadly I’m pretty short on climbing partners so I usually have to go by myself. My plans aren’t totally fixed yet so I may considering walking somewhere else that is a bit more beginner friendly or walking some smaller hills instead of climbing the larger Munro’s as I was initially intending to do. I was initially planning on walking on the western plateau and then staying overnight at Corrour bothy, but since I have heard that it can be particularly dangerous there during winter, maybe I’ll venture somewhere else. Does anyone know of any hills/ camping spots that might be more beginner friendly in the Cairngorms?
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby Giant Stoneater » Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:14 pm

Another thing to remember is bothies can get busy and Corrour is one of them, so you should always carry a tent just in case.
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby katyhills » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:33 pm

Almost anywhere would be less dangerous in winter than the Cairngorms. While I appreciate you're confidence, especially with navigation, it's a very treacherous place in poor conditions.
Are you absolutely set on going there?

Some of the ones further west would be a better shout, if you are. :)

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/mullach-clach-a-bhlair.shtml
and you could do it with it's neighbour if you're wild camping
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/sgor-gaoith.shtml
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby al78 » Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:52 pm

The Drummochter hills might be a safer alternative to gain experience.
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby davekeiller » Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:48 pm

One of the big problems with the Cairngorms is the plateau. It's really easy to get lost on a plateau because it's flat!
Personally, I think wild camping for your first winter trip is ambitious.
Perhaps try staying somewhere like a youth hostel or B&B. One option would be Crianlarich. Easily accessible by public transport and loads of options on the doorstep which are less committing and less dangerous than the Cairngorms.
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby Caberfeidh » Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:46 am

You can't get experience without doing it; I learned in the Cairngorms in winter, sometimes on my own, sometimes with others. The trouble with others is, they can be bad company, poor at what they attempt, they may welch out if they get scared or be too ambitious and get you into trouble. There are bothies and shelters throughout the Cairngorms. Bobb Scott's Bothy is a few hundred yards downstream from Derry Lodge in Glen Luibeg/Glen Lui. Corrour in the run up to the Lairig Ghru is frequently busy and not very big, also lacks fuel. The Hutchison Hut below Loch Etchachan in Corrie Etchachan is tiny with no firewood around. Ryvoan is small but at least has the forest down the track for firewood, but it's a bit of a hike from anywhere worthwhile. The Shelter Stone up the end of Loch Avon (pronounced A'an) is a cold, uncomfortable cave under a rock. There are other hovels; the Fords of A'an Shelter is just somewhere to duck in out of a storm, likewise the howff at Garbh Corrie of Braeriach.
When I cut my teeth in the Cairngorms I stayed at Bob Scott's, wandered up Glen Derry and chose easy, low-grade gullies filled with frozen snow. They were fun to practice with the ice axe and crampons and have a long, easy-angled run-out to slide to a halt after a long glissade. Don't bother trying to get to the top, they get very steep and complicated high up; just practice with the axe and crampons on the easy bits.Get yourself a helmet, and wear it. If mist starts to form, get back down to your accommodation.
Hostels are good for meeting others and getting warm and clean but can cost a bit; approx £20 for a bunk in a dorm, more if it's a single room, as may be necessary during Covid restrictions.
Of course, all the usual warnings apply - check the weather forecast before you go, keep checking it for changes and if it turns bad, don't go.
I feel a sudden urge to post lots of photos...

Scotties 1989#2r.jpg
Bob Scott's Bothy, nice winter conditions


carncrom#1r.jpg
Carn Crom, start of the ridge alomg to Derry Cairngorm


Long Axe.jpg
I slipped and dangled from my tether - always keep your axe attached!


Lairigh Ghru #1r.jpg
Lairig Ghru sunrise


Bob Scotts Icicles#R.jpg
Bob Scott's Bothy icicles


001aR.jpg
The Shelter Stone at Loch A'an. Cold, uncomfortable, infested with rodents. Holiday choice for the discerning traveller.


Lairig Ghru winter#3 R.jpg
Lairig Ghru in winter


Snowshoes05.jpg
wear a helmet!


Autumnal pics 010.jpg
Pass of Ryvoan, the bothy is just beyond the rise in the ground, far off.


IMG_1358#p#r.jpg
Freezing mist forming unexepctedly - time to leave


Unicorn_Meat.jpg
Remember to take plenty of provisions
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby Boris_the_Bold » Sat Jan 29, 2022 3:23 pm

In terms of getting into winter walking, I'd start with day walks, to avoid the need to carry a big pack through soft snow or up and down steep slippy hillsides.

The snag with the Cairngorms is that most of them are a long way from the road, so better suited for trips in May and June, (when there is lots of daylight) than overnight camping trips in February, IMO. You also need pretty good kit to enjoy camping in February, especially if you also want to be able to carry it any distance from the roadside).

So, I'd drop the idea of camping and instead look for hostels and bunk-houses that give you access to a variety of day walks (high, medium and low level - Munros, Corbetts, woods, valleys etc) - Crianlarich, Bridge of Orchy, Loch Ossian, Braemar, Newtonmore/Kingussie etc
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Re: Trip to Cairngorms in February

Postby Jan Pawlowski » Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:13 am

WalkWithWallace wrote:If you haven't got anyone more experienced to help you, then getting yourself on a winter skills course would be a shrewd move.

Mountaineering Scotland run courses and offer plenty advice:

Mountain guides based in the Cairngorms can run bespoke day courses too. 8)


I heard from a friend that these courses were very useful for him
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