Had a unexpected day of work on fri 24/2/12 so decided on the spur of the moment that i would finish work on thurs afternoon and head up to Aviemore with a view to attempting Braeriach,angels peak,Carn Toul and Devils point.5 star hill walking for me as i got a cheap room at the Hilton at Coylumbridge on the Thurs night,mega
after a very good sleep and a hearty breakfast i set of from the car park commonly known as the sugar bowl?!?
sun was out but as i made good progress toward the Chalamain gap the wind was already getting up.At this point i was a bit dissapointed with the severe lack of snow on the ground.
I was making fairly good progress and crossed the Lairig Ghru where a few patches of snow were still on the ground.
the initial climb was fairly easy and i was surprised at how quickly i was over the 1000m contour.After gaining this altitude your fairly exposed and the wind coming in from the NW was brutal,i was struggling to stand up at points,this coupled with the thick ice all over the plateu slowed me down a bit but decided to leave the crampons of as the ice was fairly patchy and the incline wasnt that steep.
on passing the Sron Na Lairige there was a slight descent then climb began to get steeper over a fairly expansive snow field which was fairly frozen.Crampons on,Ice axe oot!i was fairly sheltered for the last 150 m of the ascent but on the Braeriach Plateu itself the winds must have been hitting 80 mph and to add to that the snow/hail was now pummeling me horizontally.
i had a wee seat behind the fairly small cairn,got a few pics and decided that with the weather closing in,the wind getting stronger by the moment and the fact i was on my own it was probably best to call it a day.the return was plain sailing but was i but dissapointed at myself when i got back to the car that i hadnt carried on.I suppose it gives me a excuse for another crack at the other 3,perhaps from Linn of Dee this time.was a great wee walk with great visibility.wish everyday in the hill promised such weather.