Waiting for the snow gates to open!
We'll put today down to experience! There has been a lot of internet talk about the new developments at Creagan Cha-No, overlooking Strath Nethy, so John, Campbell and I headed over to have a look at this accessible single pitch winter crag. Despite claims to the contrary on the web it's a good 1h30 walk in. The approach is challenging in limited visibility so we opted for the GPS method which brought us neatly to the top of Anvil Buttress. Yesterdays lean experiences in Coire An t-Sneachda led us to believe there was limited snow cover even on lee slopes, however the top of our intended descent route, Recovery Gully, had a large cornice and was heavily loaded with soft slab. We had a brief look at abseiling down the line of Anvil Gully (IV 4) but with the crag being well buried under fresh snow and the weather worsening we opted to run away. The Northern Corries were still looking fairly lean but I guess we now know where all the new snow that fell last night has ended up!
Looking down the line of Anvil Gully (IV 4), named for the obvious block and a reasonable option for an abseil approach.
Time to run away for tea and medals!
Time to run away for tea and medals!
