72cm of snow and chill temp of -23C

unkel

On Lug next week. Anybody going hiking?

Linky

beertons

My missus went up last Sunday, said it was the coldest and wettest she has ever been. And very sloppy. Good craic though.

FrostyJack

beertons wrote: »

My missus went up last Sunday, said it was the coldest and wettest she has ever been. And very sloppy. Good craic though.

Coldest maybe

Would there be a risk of avalanche up there if it is bad? Hopefully no one goes up in jeans.

CardinalJ

FrostyJack wrote: »

Coldest maybe

Would there be a risk of avalanche up there if it is bad? Hopefully no one goes up in jeans.

:pac::pac::pac::pac:

Funny, I was saying on the weather forum that based on the forecast to date, I would consider not heading out onto lug. Not at all as concerned about the cold as I would be about the snow. I remember maybe 5 years ago getting to the top of lug after heading up a gully and being so tired I reconsidered whether I should be there or not. Genuinely gasping, total miscalculation on my part. A long trudge in deep snow saps energy far more than I calculated. Hadn't done it in ages.

Hopefully anyone heading out over the next week or so has a good think about their limits.

beertons

Just in case anyone is getting idea's reading this, she went up with a guide. Took 6 hours I think. 4.5 going up, and 1.5 down.

BarryD2

I'm sure it'll be no better or worse that normal Irish cold snaps. The only thing you can be sure of though, is that the wind from the east will be bitter. No good for man nor beast.

Alun

I was talking to someone from the Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team today about this very subject and she said some of the team members had experienced avalanches in the South Prison especially if there was a big cornice at the top.

And then of course there's Mulhall's Cottage.

Alun

BarryD2 wrote: »

I'm sure it'll be no better or worse that normal Irish cold snaps. The only thing you can be sure of though, is that the wind from the east will be bitter. No good for man nor beast.

Thing is that conditions are very similar to 2010. Very cold air coming in from NE over the Irish Sea which sucks up moisture from the relatively warm water. It's called the lake effect.

Mickeroo

It's not looking as cold as 2010 but the amount of snow we might get in the east especially has the potential to be way out of the ordinary for us.

CardinalJ

From todays Irish Times about a mess on Carrauntoohil recently where a guided group got into problems.
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/ireland/chaos-on-carrauntoohil-too-few-guides-too-late-starting-1.3401951

Also this from Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue about the upcoming cold spell.
https://www.facebook.com/DWMRT/posts/10155893979600590

When you look at what went wrong for people on the Carrauntoohil story compared with what DWMT suggest, it's miles apart. In any case, if any of us are heading out over the next few days it's worth having a look at both links.

Alun

Their comment on the snow cornices on the top of the South Prison are definitely not to be ignored. Especially when visibility is bad it's quite possible to be walking along what you think is the edge, when in fact you have nothing underneath you but fresh air. Very dangerous. Even two weeks ago there was a significant overhang there.

Anyway, if the promised snow does materialize, you'll have difficulty even getting close enough to Lug by car to start a walk, let alone climb it safely.

BarryD2

CardinalJ wrote: »

Also this from Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue about the upcoming cold spell.
https://www.facebook.com/DWMRT/posts/10155893979600590

Some good reasonable balanced advice there. Go out on the hills if you will by all means, but be prepared.