Aonach Mor. Left Twin. Was pessimistic at 6.00am with drizzle on tent and 9 degrees. Even more pessimistic on walk in. Traveresed round and approached up saturated snow slopes. Buttresses were stripped bare, but gullies still complete.

Not Applicable

Enveloped by cloud but completely sheltered from wind. Plateau iced up. Cold miserable skiers visible through the gloom queuing to slither down a damp narrow band of white-ish stuff.

Superb conditions. Really! Had to negotiate a couple of mini begschrunds at bottom of gully. Then had 40m of suberb 60 - 75 degree ice up the deep cleft. First time axe placements all the way and even good enough to take screws. Great atmostphere. Axe swings echoing off the walls. Easy ground above was just frozen enough not to be cruddy. Just one other party seen in corrie (Easy Gully then Right Twin). Plenty enough snow to survive a bit more of this damn thaw. I presume gullies on the Ben must still be pretty good? Anyone know? ps. Sunday spent in warm sun at Bowden. Leo Holding and Andy Cave there cruising up routes mortals could only dream of. - Come back winter.

D Brown & F Murray

dbrown2436 at aol dot com

Sat Indicator Wall V 4 Sun Smiths Icicle Variation V 5

Grade V

Sat OK Sun more cloud weather crapped out later on in the day (technical term)

Other routes in condition included. Comb Gully, Green Gully, Gardyloo, Tower Scoop, Good Friday, No 2 + No 3, No 3 Gully Buttress. Not a lot else.

Richard Harrison York MC

rmharrison at lineone dot net

Indicator Wall

Not Applicable

Perfect - hard frost and intense sunshine. Freezing level rose to about 1100m later in the day but stayed below freezing on highest part of mountain all day. Cloud cover elsewhere to south and west, but north side of the Ben and summit clear all day.

Conditions very good high up. Remaining ice above about 1100m, all remaining snow frozen hard. Many teams doing Indicator and Indicator Right Hand, Gardyloo Buttress, Tower Scoop, and high routes in Coire na Ciste (Raeburn's, Cascade, Two Gully Buttress etc). Fantastic day. All lower ice and snow has completely stripped off the faces and gullies below about 1000m.

Adam

akassyk at netscapeonline dot co dot uk

Lower Cascade IV (5)

Grade IV

As good as it gets.

A good modern style ice route, steep and sustained. Just one long pitch though. The route stands out distinctly now that the surrounding buttresses are stripped. First 30m were a bit brittle with some plating. Then angle eased slightly and ice improved. Lots of fat ice still remaining. Slightly chandeliered on left. Upper Cascade not in so finished up Raeburn's Easy. (good nick, great situations).

Many other routes being climbed, even more in condition; Green, Comb, No 2, several on No 2 butress, Good Friday, Smiths, Tower Scoop, Cresta.

D Brown & F Murray

dbrown2463 at aol dot com

Left Twin, Aonach Mor - Coire nan Lochan.

Not Applicable

Mild

Sugar snow, thawing ice. Ice in good nick higher up - cornices dodgey, everything dripping. Thanks to the complete incompetent prats and their leader who lowered them down the gully on top of us from a top rope to climb it. Learn to climb somewhere else.

Dave Virdee

davy_virdee at hotmail dot com