Loads of snow & tough going in the Mamores (Munros Completed : Am Bodach (48).
I was able to spend a long weekend up in the Mamores, a range of 10 Munros which can be ascended from Kinlochleven road in the South or Glen Nevis Road in the North. However, the weather was this time against me with a large dump of snow during the previous week and in the 2 days I was there which meant that I was only able to add 1 further summit to the list.
Am Bodach
2011/Mar/11 : The weather was very changeable during the drive up from Glasgow airport varying between cloudy with some small sunshine to complete dense cloud with horizontal sleet. By the time I arrived shortly after midday the weather was cloudy but not overcast. The Munro tops were still visible but the high cloud was moving fast indicating the weather could change quickly at any time. I left shortly after 12:30 pm and followed the wide West Highland Way for a short distance until it heads off on a well trodden track. The track is not steep but a gentle plod but because it is so well used has developed into boggy and wet areas in places.
It wasn’t long before I reached the snow line where I suddenly lost the track but visibility was still good (although the Munro tops were intermittenly disappearing) and direction obvious. However, at around 2pm, I was hit by a squall of low fast moving dark cloud which poured down a mixture of hail and snow, like millions of tiny polystyrene balls). Thankfully, it was short-lived lasting only for about 10 mins but the cloud base had now moved across the W ridge top of Am Bodach. I realised that I had strayed too fart to the left and traversed right across a burn and re-found the track which could now barely be seen below the snow although there were some faint footprints that could be determined. The snow became quite deep, up to knee deep in places, which made for heavy going but for the most part it was able to support my weight.
The final 500m or so was quite heavy going to reach the ridge as I often sank into the snow and visibility was down to about 50m. I reached the ridge at 3:15 pm & continued on to the top in lessening visibility, arriving at the summit just after 3:30pm. There was no point spending any time to savour my 48th Munro as the weather had since closed in at this height so immediately started on the route back down. With the visibility now so low it was difficult to determine the edge of the huge cornices on the NE side of the ridge as cloud merged into snow, so I ensured I hugged the less steep S side where rocks were visible through the snow allowing for a better reference point. It wasn’t long however, about 100m further on where the visibility now improved to around 100m and I could see the ridge edge clearly – and boy those cornices were big! I descended along the ridge for a further 10 mins and then headed SW down the less steep slopes to meet up with the ascent track.
It was at this point that I was hit by another squall, worse than the first, drastically reducing my vision and driving hail directly into my face making things worse. Fortunately, again it didn’t last long and the walk down the slopes was quite enjoyable in the deep virgin snow (the deep snow actually helped on the steep sections on the way down as it helped in preventing slipping). The walk back was easy and enjoyable and once I reached the West Highland Way once again I was soon back at the car at just before 6pm.
The next 2 days were unfortunately a wash out as it rained almost continuously in Kinlochleven with snow on the higher slopes. I did attempt to climb Na Gruagaichean on the last day but was beaten by the deep snow and whiteout conditions just short of 200m from the summit ! Although not the most successful trip, I still thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to the Mamores. I’m looking forward to returning in more favourable weather to bag the remaining nine.
