A cool day with light winds, and summit temperatures averaging around minus 4 Celsius.  A thin cover of snow has developed at higher levels, this lies mostly on bare ground, thin ribbons of firm old snow remain in some areas at the highest levels.  Cold conditions are expected to continue over the next few days. Cloudy conditions with fleeting clear spells. A dusting of snow at 650 metres. Looking towards the Northern corries. Lurchers gully. Looking out towards the Allt burn. Looking towards Coire an Lochain, twin burns can be seen to the right ..read more

Northerly winds have led to much cooler temperatures with a dusting of new snow in the Cairngorms.  Sparse ribbons of firm snow remain at the highest of levels.  Cold temperatures are set to continue over the next few days.   ..read more

After the cold snap, it has been milder over the weekend with some snow loss.  Fluctuating temperatures are expected during the first part of the week with the potential for some cooler temperatures towards the end of the week.  See photos below for general conditions of remaining snow. Coire an Lochain Coire an t-Sneachda Cairngorm and the Cas headwall   ..read more

Prior to the start of the season on the 14th December, a standby service is provided. Forecasters have been monitoring the weather conditions as well as making field observations in the Northern Cairngorms and Lochaber. The snow cover of recent days is largely superficial, although the snow line has gradually crept down the hill to achieve a “wintery look” above 800-850 metres. There are some localised deeper deposits on West and North-West facing slopes above 900 metres. The freezing level was around 950 metres today. Some isolated instabilities may be present around the coire rim, particular ..read more

Prior to the start of the season on the 14th December, a standby service is provided. With Storm Debi rolling through Scotland, forecasters have been out in the Northern Cairngorms and Lochaber today, tasked with making field observations. I will let the images do the talking. But the snow cover of recent days is largely superficial with some localised deeper deposits on North-West facing slopes above 1000 metres. The freezing level was around 1100 metres. Overnight some light precipitation is expected, although the Northern Cairngorms are expected to avoid the worst, greatest amounts being li ..read more

South-South-East winds increased to storm force through the morning with summit gusts of around 85 mph.  These type of winds can often be much stronger at lower altitudes,  this is due to the topography of the Cairngorms as the winds pick up speed across the plateau then gather momentum down areas such as Coire Cas and the head wall.  At times this can make simple excursions such as crossing the ski area car park, and opening a car door seem quite arduous. This image of Coire an Lochain gives the impression of a nice calm day. A closer look at Coire an Lochain before turning ..read more

The snowpack was quite firm on all aspects at the start of the day, this gradually softned on sun exposed slopes, shaded aspects remained firm.  Today’s good visibility made for an excellent opportunity to take some general photos of conditions up high.  There were a few ski tourers heading for the plateau and beyond, also hill walkers, mountaineers and climbers making the most of the good weather. A great day for anyone heading to Braeriach.   Views towards Ben Macdui, Cairn Toul and Braeriach in the far distance. An ice covered Loch Etchachan, Stac an Fharaidh foreground ..read more

The SAIS 2022-23 winter season ended on a high, as far as the weather is concerned. Today is the last forecast for this winter. SAIS operations will restart in mid-December, with a standby service prior to that in this area. (Above) Coire an Lochain. (Above) Coire an Lochain. (Above) Coire an t-Sneachda. (Above) Coire an t-Sneachda: Jacob’s Ladder across to the ‘Goat Track’. (Above) Coire Cas. (Above) Cairn Gorm and the Northern Corries across Loch Morlich ..read more

A generally bright day with a few wintry showers, summit temperatures around minus one at midday.  The storm snow from Wednesday continues to consolidate, the milder temperatures are helping this process.  Turning progressively milder over the weekend. Views from the summit plateau of Cairngorm looking South-East. Looking down the South side of Cairngorm, Loch Avon in the distance. Coire an t-Sneachda, once again looking quite wintry. The summit tor on Cairngorm. Thawing rime ice on the summit tor of Cairngorm     ..read more

It was a less windy day today, though the cloud base stayed around 1000m during the time I was out. (Above) Looking across to Lurchers Gully area. (Above) Coire an t-Sneachda (the best view I had of the hill). (Above) Northern Coires (from Aviemore, late afternoon). (Above) Braeriach (from Aviemore, late afernoon).   ..read more