October Snow in the Cairngorms

"It's like the North Pole!" The Cairngorm Weather Station

Snow has been lying high in the Cairngorms for the last few days so I thought I’d go up and have a look. Snow in October isn’t unusual. It also isn’t unusual for it to thaw and then no more fall for several weeks or even a couple of months. Snow now is no indication of the type of winter to come. With warmer temperatures forecast the next few days I expect this early touch of winter will soon be over.

The snow had fallen down to 600 metres but had mostly thawed at this level. Freezing conditions had then frozen the melt water and formed icy patches on the path up the east ridge of Coire na Ciste and there was verglas on some stones. I soon learnt not to tread on the latter as the thin veneer of ice was impossible to see. Much more and I’d have worn the micro spikes I was carrying. However as soon as I reached the freezing level the slipperiness disappeared. The snow and the rocks were dry. Higher up the snow had drifted and was shin deep in places, barely covering the stony ground in others.

On the ascent.View across Coire Laogh Mor.

The sky was overcast but the clouds were high, well above the summits, and quite thin – occasionally the hazy white disk of the sun appeared. The intermittent breeze was bitterly cold. This was winter.

As Cairn Gorm came into view I could see a few people descending the main path, the first I’d seen. I shared the summit with just one other walker who looked up at the rime ice clad weather station and called out “it’s like the North Pole!”.

I wandered round for a short while looking at the views and taking photographs. Handling the camera with just thin gloves on froze my hands and before heading down I changed to thicker ones. I had my hood up over my wool hat and there was ice in my beard.

Ben Macdui

Across the frozen Cairngorm Plateau clouds touched the summit of Ben Macdui. Across the rocky Northern Corries Braeriach was backed by a line of undulating white cloud with solid grey above it. All was colourless, cold and hard. But still grand and harshly beautiful. I love this landscape.

View across the Northern Corries to Braeriach

Turning away I descended the same way. Once out of the bitter breeze I stopped for a snack and a hot drink, sitting on my pack. A walker passed me also heading down, grunting a brief hello. He didn’t look happy. Probably because he was carrying skis. I’d seen nowhere with enough snow for more than a few turns. The air had warmed slightly lower down and the ice had melted off the rocks and was crunchy rather than slippery on the path.

The first day out in winter conditions each autumn always feels significant, the start of a different outdoor season.