Wednesday in Sneachda

Was out yesterday in the Cairngorms. Derek and I did Patey's Route and then I wandered down Alladins Couloir and he went down the Mirror and we met at the foot of the Mirror Direct. Ron and Fi from Talisman Mountaineering were there so we stood and chatted until they were done before climbing the pitch and abing off.
It was warm and sunny out of the breeze (which was also quite mild). Patey's was wet and although there was a good deal of ice it was either thin and brittle or fatter and cruddy. Nonetheless we enjoyed our climb up one of Sneachda's most arresting lines. The ice on the miror direct was more frinedly with hooks and footsteps from previous ascents up steep, slightly damp ice. A stunning day and a drop in temperatures in Friday should firm things up nicely. All the moisture in Patey's should regenerate ice quickly and the easier gullies are full of wet snow. The upper parts of Lochain and Fiacaill Butress area were retaining white cover well where the Pottage and Alladins Butress were losing there's and looking rockier. Again a freze would bring that white stuff back into good climbing condition quickly.