Black ice everywhere

cdaly_

Hoping the cloud cover increases a bit and keeps it from freezing...

loinnsigh

At exactly what point does HTFU become CTFO*?

(*= Cop the .... on)

daragh_

Few dodgy spots coming out of Bray/Old Conna towards Enniskerry this morning.

buffalo

90k out past Black Bull, around Dunshauglin, nothing encountered.

Wishbone Ash

Encountered several FCC gritting trucks on my Sunday night spin.

Hope it stays dry tonight as I've no car tomorrow so will have to cycle regardless.

bcmf

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Encountered several FCC gritting trucks on my Sunday night spin.

Guaranteed to have no frost/snow now if the Gritters were out.

Wishbone Ash

Minus 3 in east Leinster tonight according to post news weather forecast.

oflahero

Sally Gap is not your friend at the moment, at least according to a nice Estonian chap I ran into twice today, who went halfway up the Kilbride approach before plumping for discretion rather than valour and turning around.

uphillonly

No ice this afternoon up Ballinnascorney hill coming from Rathfarnam & then going up R759 to Kippure Village, a bit of slush on the verges. If it goes sub-zero tonight, I'd expect it to be slippy tomorrow morning on that stretch.

Beasty

A bit breezy but no sign of ice where I am at present.

(a sunny 21 degrees in fact)

uphillonly

Beasty wrote: »

A bit breezy but no sign of ice where I am at present.

(a sunny 21 degrees in fact)

Surely in your cocktail?

irishmotorist

Roads are icy in Lucan and its -1.5 outside. Winter tyres this morning!

The Noble Nudge

Just a thank you to the numerous concerned motorists Saturday who offered me a lift home. My faith is restored in mankind again...
Got caught in the snow up the Gap -3.8 degrees.....

amjon.

Anyone been up around Military Road today? Is it safe?

doozerie

There was someone from Dublin Mountain Rescue (I think) being interviewed on RTE Radio 1 this morning. Apparently they've had to rescue 100 people from Sallygap, and possibly Wicklow Gap as well I'm not quite sure, in the last 48 hours. 49 of them were in one bus, but that still leaves a lot of other vehicles whose drivers decided to travel on roads that sound impassable. The guy reckoned there are about 20 abandoned vehicles up there, some of which he thinks are likely to be vandalised and/or burnt out before they are reclaimed.

He said there is about 2 inches of snow on top of solid ice on the roads. He saw a rescue vehicle trying to recover a car yesterday and while it was doing so another car drive down from Sallygap and crashed into it. I don't envy him his job.

Given that the weather for the next few days looks set to remain very cold, it sounds like going anywhere near Sallygap or Wicklow Gap is a very bad idea.

amjon.

For what it's worth, I was up Cruagh doing intervals yesterday as far as the second bridge and the roads where perfectly clear.

ThisRegard

There's a couple of photos here
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151491165145590.540929.184831150589&type=1
taken on Saturday when the guys were up to their ears up there. To be fair they did say some people just got caught out by the arrival of the snow and weren't all rubber neckers.

Here's one of the buses getting cosy with a car.

BostonB

I thought they close off the road when it snows up there. When I used to commute over the mountains they would often be closed off in bad weather.

ThisRegard

And a couple of road bikes on the roof of one of their defenders belonging to a couple of lads they picked up on the way.

Diarmuid

amjon. wrote: »

For what it's worth, I was up Cruagh doing intervals yesterday as far as the second bridge and the roads where perfectly clear.

Likewise I was up doing intervals up the same road to above the viewing point between 8 and 9:30 this morning and the road was fine. It's been salted.

doozerie

I listened to the radio report again just now, and it was just Sallygap that was being talked about, no mention of Wicklow Gap at all. Also, the guy said it was 50mm of *ice* with a layer of snow on top, not a thick layer of snow on top of a thin layer of ice as I'd originally thought he said. He also said that the roads up there are not officially closed, there are no signs of any kind apparently, which is very odd.

doozerie

ThisRegard wrote: »

And a couple of road bikes on the roof of one of their defenders belonging to a couple of lads they picked up on the way.

Based on the shifters it looks like the bikes are fitted with Shimano and SRAM groupsets. Any Campag-equipped bike with its italian sensitivities would have refused to go anywhere near the snow line, it would prefer to be indoors at home browsing through holiday brochures for sunny climates. On Saturday my own Campag-equipped bike was very reluctant to let me get up Cruagh Road - it was the strangest thing, but it's the only explanation that springs to mind for the fact that my bike got slower and slower as the road rose higher…

One of the photos on that Facebook page seems to show the road past Lough Tay submerged in the snow. That low wall that separates the road from a steep drop seems much lower, and the drop much steeper, in those conditions.

oflahero

doozerie wrote: »

He also said that the roads up there are not officially closed, there are no signs of any kind apparently, which is very odd.

I've never seen the roads with an actual barrier across them. This seems to be as good as it gets.

buffalo

oflahero wrote: »

I've never seen the roads with an actual barrier across them. This seems to be as good as it gets.

This was what they did in January:

seamus

I love how they got two volunteers to stand there because they knew some idiots would try move the barriers aside thinking their Qashquai would be grand getting up to the gap.

buffalo

seamus wrote: »

I love how they got two volunteers to stand there because they knew some idiots would try move the barriers aside thinking their Qashquai would be grand getting up to the gap.

Dermot Illogical

seamus wrote: »

I love how they got two volunteers to stand there because they knew some idiots would try move the barriers aside thinking their Qashquai would be grand getting up to the gap.

Stop! Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, 'ere the other side he see.

doozerie

seamus wrote: »

I love how they got two volunteers to stand there because they knew some idiots would try move the barriers aside thinking their Qashquai would be grand getting up to the gap.

From what I understand the two people in the picture are just kids who happened to be near the barrier when the photo was taken. Mind you, the prospect of a teenager getting all emo on them is probably more daunting to most adults than being accosted by a beefcake with gnarly hands - the power of annoyance trumps the power of intimidation, quite often.

The Noble Nudge

Has anyone been over the gap from featherbeds direction/
Gap to djouce area today are the roads clear of snow??

Planet X

They're giving 9 days out from a fairly decent snow/cold weather event over on Weather
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056857548&page=112

better take the snow tyres down off the hooks. You "might" see some action this time.
I love snow.