Heavy rain and strong SE winds turned Scott and Andrew back from the start of Curved Ridge this morning. It was thawing to the summit of Buachaille Etive Mor and the guys were already wet through so the suffering/reward balance tipped too far the wrong way and they headed back home. Had they stuck with it (for several hours) they would have had a pleasant walk back down from the summit in clearing weather and colder temperatures.

After two slightly warmer days it cooled again slightly during today to stabilise the old snow quite well. The back coires of Nevis Range would not have been fun to ski as the SE wind blew the fresh snow off the old crusty snow. The best skiing I had was on the Nid Ridge which had already filled in with quite a bit of fresh snow.

It was a rare glimpse of sunshine - it looks like we'll be back to stormy weather again for another wee while but there might well be the chance of some good climbing if you are in the right place at the right time. The crags are certainly very snowy and icy.

Happy New Year!