Glover's Chimney.

We had a big weekend of thaw that stripped back our snow cover and melted some ice. This did not stop people trying to climb steep routes although many were turned back by soggy snow and cruddy ice. There were also some cornice collapses. This morning we woke to find it had cooled down a little on the tops with the freezing level sitting at 1000m. This did not freeze everything imediately but it did mean that things were a bit more stable for Bob and me to go climbing.

We chose Glover's Chimney since is had a nice pitch of ice at the base, a great chimney at the top and nothing was going to fall down on us! It worked a treat and we enjoyed the climbing. It has been nearly thirty years since Bob was there last so it was a treat to see Tower Gap again and finish Tower Ridge. Since is was a bit of a grey day we chose some fetching outfits to bring a little colour to the crag!

The rocks were lightly rimed but also had lots of verglas on them. This was melting off by the end of the day but in the wind on top the icy crust was still there on the snow. Crags facing the wind will be better well frozen and rimed. The freezing level is up and down over the summits all week and we will get some fresh snow, especially on Friday by the look of it.