Slowly Consolidating
17th January 2026
A relatively settled day with just the odd snow shower during the morning. Visibility was again poor on the tops during the morning. Snow cover is good above about 700 metres. Generally the surface of the snowpack was firmer than it had been a couple of days ago. This was mainly due to drifting yesterday. The snowpack still has some weaknesses within it. However, it did feel quite “sticky”, and is slowly consolidating in the relatively mild conditions. This will continue tomorrow, hence the drop to a moderate hazard. Some significant cornices remain, and these will remain fragile.
The snow fences had done their job and made a good job of catching the snow over the past few days. They do this by causing turbulence in the airflow which results in blowing snow being deposited.
The old style picket fence (with the vertical staves) between a more modern style with the long horizontal beams. In this case both seem to have done a good job of catching the snow. Which type is better overall? As with a lot of things to do with snow I suspect that when you investigate closely I suspect the answer is “it is complicated”, or “it depends”. There is probably a PhD or two in answering that question thoroughly.
There was a short but heavy shower mid morning. This fell as snow above about 750 metres.
A couple of skiers coming down the Goose. I saw ay least 4 teams who had hiked up from the carpark (as the gondola is currently closed for repair work) for a run or two. Above about 800 metres the snow was okay, but with poor visibility/flat light. Below this level where the definition was better, the snow was deep, soft and wet. However, cover is good and hopefully the skiing/visibility will improve a bit for tomorrow.
The white room. Very poor contrast at the top of the ski area.
The view back to Aonach Mor around 1pm. There was still a cloud cap on the hill, but also some blue ski visible above. Later during the afternoon there were some good clear spells.
A photo at 14.30 this afternoon. Blue skies and good visibility! Thanks to Eve Scott for the photo.
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