Yesterday was a real taste of the winter storms we will surely get over the next few months. Heavy rain and very gusty strong winds battered the west coast for most of the day. Thankfully it cleared in the afternoon and last night was quite clear. Today was a calm day (but stormy again on the East coast) so I went up Tower Ridge with staff from The Ice Factor.

We were looking at guiding skills - short roping, moving together Alpine style and changing quickly from these to pitching and back. It stayed dry all day but it was quite Autumnal. The clear night let the temperature drop sufficiently for a little verglas and ice in the puddles. Not quite a winter ascent but a nice sign that winter is on its way.