snow at altitude??

coolagad

Anyone been over 600-700 metres in this snow. Im sure there must be avalanche risk at this stage with cornices overhanging on cliffs and corries. Let me kno am missing the best winter for 20 years sitting here in 28c heat!!!:mad:

burly

Hi,

Was up on Galtymore on Saturday (930m high), snow was 1m deep in places, (see the pictures of the walking sticks buried in it!), great day up there, went sliding down the mountain, spent about 5 hours up there just playing around,it was like a different country!

Check out the pictures

[IMG]file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Andrew%20Howard/My%20Documents/P2070081.JPG[/IMG]

coolagad

excellent shots, more like something you would see in scotland. saw some pics on the Irish Mountaneering Club website of guys skiing on Lug. Looked more like Norway!!

Supercell

Fantastic pics burly, love them
Now skiing on Lug - I'd love to see pictures of that, must be insane amounts of snow on that mountain right now.

coolagad

here's the link...lucky b#st#rds!

http://www.climbing.ie/cpg/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=10206&pos=2

One guy in the forum mentions snow balls rolling down the hill towards him as he waded up the north prisons. thats a sure sign of avalanche potential if ever I heard one :eek:

I once read a report back from back in the 60's (63 I think) where 2 ucd students died on the Lug. The Dail had a big debate and were talking about banning climbing in dangerous conditions!!

Another old story goes of an avalanche during heavy snow in the 18th century burying a farm in the Barravore Valley just below Lug. Dont know how true that one is.

nacho libre

so that's what snow heaven looks like. i always wondered...

arctictree

coolagad wrote: »

Another old story goes of an avalanche during heavy snow in the 18th century burying a farm in the Barravore Valley just below Lug. Dont know how true that one is.

Apparantly it does happen:

http://archives.tcm.ie/carlownationalist/2006/01/25/story26830.asp

We have also some of the finest examples of mountain passes such as the Sally Gap, Askanagap (It was here that one of the few fatal avalanche’s in Ireland occurred on March 23rd, 1867. A man named Jim Mulhall and his wife and four children died when his house was covered in snow).

I hear on the news this morning that 2 snow boarders had to stay over night on Lug as they lost their map and a big fog came down.
Mountain rescue teams from across the country and the air sea rescue are looking for them.
They are safe so far though as thankfully they have phone contact with them.
I'd imagine they wont be in a hurry to go back up though unless they are absolutely certain that it's going to be clear.

coolagad

arctictree wrote: »

Apparantly it does happen:

http://archives.tcm.ie/carlownationalist/2006/01/25/story26830.asp

I dont believe it, thats the one. Thanks Black Friar. I thought it was a old myth.

I was on Lug a few years ago and experienced windslab avalanche. I also seen a big wet snow slide on Carrauntoohill one Paddies day! I think wet snow slides would be more common in ireland given the quick thaws and lack of powder.

Mods do you want to move this to the main forum, I'm consciuos we're in pictures and I think its a good discussion. Not often you get to talk about avalanches in Ireland!!