Off to Canada........

Well, it's finally here. Off to the airport today to begin the journey to Canada and our expedition to the Homathko Icefield. The last few days have been spent packing, tinkering and checking kit and it's food to finally be heading out of the door! 

 I will be away for 3 weeks so will be out of phone contact during that time. However, emails to On High Hills will still be answered if you're wanting to get in touch to book days out on the hill. You can follow our progress at http://www.alpineskiclub.org.uk/about-us/news

Cairngorm conditions

A few pictures from our friend Alex Cowan, who has been out backpacking in the Cairngorms over the last few days. They show nicely the current conditions on the Moine Mhor, the Feshie Munros and the lower areas of Braeriach. Note the change in the weather this morning, as the last picture shows. Beautiful!

Expedition preparation

Only 10 days to go until I leave for a ski-mountaineering expedition to British Columbia, Canada. We will spend 14+ days traversing and exploring the Homathko Icefield, a remote glaciated wilderness in the wild Coast Mountains. Remarkable how many little things there are to organise for such a trip, most of the house looks like this just now

These mountains are absolutely fantastic, we had a wonderful previous trip there in 2013:

Getting really excited now!  Thanks to the Alpine Ski Club (www.alpineskiclub.org.uk) for supporting this trip for its members.

Sunny on Deeside

A change for today with a visit to the southern part of the Cairngorms, accessed from Braemar and Deeside. And what a day! Scorching! Fantastic to feel warm sun on the face from first thing in the morning. There is still a lot of snow high up on the hills, but the glens and lower hills are snow free, meaning one can take one's pick--- snow free summer walk, or stick to winter and head up to the snowline. Aren't the Cairngorms beautiful?

More fun in the sun

Another fabulous day in the Highlands today. I was up in the north-west doing the round of Moruisg (Munro) and Sgurr nan Ceannaichean (Corbett). If ever a pair of mountains showed that the Corbetts can be more challenging then the Munros it's these two. It must be said that Moruisg is not the most exciting hill compared with its neighbour, however the round of both was delightful on such a day. 

There was a fresh fall of snow, boot deep in places. Fabulous views north to the Torridon hills, and out west across the sea to Skye.

Still winter up on the hills, both axe and crampons needed in places today.

Plenty of winter hazards such as cornices still on the hills, as the following picture shows

The final picture says it all. A cracking day.

The Affric-an Alps

The Scottish hills are something special at all times. But when the weather is like it has been over the last few days there is nowhere better in the world. The forecast was for the best weather to be in the NW Highlands, so we took a trip to that most magical of glens, Glen Affric. Amazing temperature differential, with a below zero sharp frost overnight, but by lunchtime it was almost shorts weather in the glens.

Chilly still on top of course, though with light winds very pleasant. I climbed Carn a' Choire Ghairbh today, a rough and ready Corbett (Scottish hills between 2500ft and 3000ft). From near the head of the loch there is a most amazing stalker's path, that seems to gain you height magically without much effort---a fine feat of design.

From there onto snowfields and thence to the top. Descended down the long ridge straight back towards Affric Lodge, using another stalker's path to get down. 

 Didn't meet anybody all day until almost back at the car park. What this fine little hill may lack in grandeur itself, it more than makes up for in the views, across to the Affric Munros, the Cluanie horseshoe and back down Glen Affric itself. Magical! 

Rainbows & floods

We've had a big thaw over the last couple of days, and rivers and burns are in absolute spate. Having decided on a trip to Glen Feshie today we had to turn back and go the other way around due to the road to Feshiebridge having become a river! We got there eventually, but there is water everywhere, with lots of flooding.  If you're heading out into the hills you need to be really aware of how in spate the burns are, as they could either stop your progress and/or be extremely dangerous. Plan your route carefully!

Once in Glenfeshie we had a great mountain bike down the glen and then back over the great singletrack on the West side of the river.  Soon after starting out got doused in horizontal icy rain, which left with an early stream crossing left me wet from top to bottom. Fortunately the sun came out to make the rest of the trip bearable, but in was glad to get into a warm shower at home! Hopefully the photos give you and idea of how full the rivers are, as well as the sparse snow cover on the lower west facing slopes rising from the Glen up to the Moine Mhor and the Cairngorms proper (which are still snow bound of course!)