A rare day.....

I've been to Cairngorm  many many times, but a day as glorious as today is still a preciously rare thing - I've don't think I've ever been able to see as far into the mountains or experienced such clarity here in winter before.

With the avalanche forecast stuck at scary we decided to hit the classic Fiacaill Ridge in Coire an Sneachda - a fantastic Grade I/II climb depending on conditions - & today the conditions were amazing with a foot of fresh snow and some hard blown rime ice higher up. We know each others strengths and weaknesses pretty well so we were all happy to solo the route - which let us overtake a couple of other parties - and when we reached the plateau we had enough left in the tank that as everyone else headed down we were able to make the most of the conditions and head over to Stag Rocks and take in the fantastic views across to Shelterstone and Carn Etchachan. We broke trail through the fresh snow and didn't see a soul. As the sun started to set we headed for Cairngorm and with the crowds gone enjoyed a quiet walk down.