Glencoe, Sunday 16th February 2014

6:30 start from Glasgow to head up to Coe, the going was slow with a few idiot drivers on the A82 as usual and a few road works. Spent about 40 minutes in the queue once there for my ticket and the car park was full again. Turns out it was a school holiday. The top lifts are still buried with no chance of recovery today so it’s the lower mountain available. Luckily there is a great cover of snow. For the first run of the day I take skiers left from the top of the access chair back down the black run toward the car park. This is the first time I’ve done this run and the top section is beautiful. Lower done, the heather makes for combat conditions. Back up the access chair, I make my way to mid mountaineers I do laps of the Cliffy and Wall t-bar. Thrombosis and the Wall are loaded and offer great soft wind pack runs. Getting a bit board, I decide to hike to the summit of Meall à Bhùiridh. I take a path up the hard pack on the right side looking up between Happy Valley and Main Basin. At times the spindrift makes for poor visibility. Going not too bad. I see others hiking up the path of the top t-bar. It looks a bit steep and slippery. I prefer my route. Once at the top there are few others. I rest, drink and take in the view.

Starting at the top of Rannoch Glades I soon decide the wind scoured sastrugi is too jarring and cross back to Main Basin where I find deep packed pow! The sun is making an appearance as I take lazy turns back down towards the crowds. Although busy the queues were moving well. The snow depth is of the like I have never seen. The lifts all having to be cut out of the snow pack. The rescue hut is still under snow. A breezy day with flashes of sun. Temperatures not too bad, not much below freezing.