Читать книгу Winter Climbs in the Cairngorms. The Cairngorms and Creag Meagaidh онлайн

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Conditions generally do not fluctuate as rapidly in the Cairngorms as elsewhere, and this means that the build-up of good snow-ice can take longer than on other cliffs. It also means that deep soft snow can remain unconsolidated for long periods, making the approaches to the crags arduous, and then requiring a lot of clearing once on the route. In these conditions the buttresses often give better and safer climbing than the gullies. On the other hand the more consistent temperatures mean that climbing is often possible here after a large thaw has stripped the crags bare in other areas.

Routes which rely on seeps and springs for their ice tend to require a period of very cold weather to come into condition. These routes, along with the steepest of the buttress climbs which hold little snow at the best of times, may strip bare after only a short period of thaw or bright sunshine, especially those that are south facing and later in the season. Some routes require a number of melt–freeze cycles to bring them into good condition. These are often in their best condition in the middle to late in the season after a number of these cycles has built up the ice.