28th Feb 2010 - Ben Loyal Ski Tour

Ben Loyal is not my favourite hill, whoever suggested the description "the Queen of Scottish Hills" or some such phrase had a different outlook from me. To my mind neighbouring Ben Hope is a far superior hill, but then, I'm probably its biggest fan. There was, however, a load of snow about on the 28th Feb and I needed something close to a ploughed road, and a ski tour of Ben Loyal had crossed my mind before. Ben Loyal surely couldn't get any better than under almost complete snow cover? I decided to start from the southern end of the mountain and make for the summit, An Caisteal, via Carn an Tionail. There are photos, a map and some description of the day below:

Lettermore on the east side of Ben Loyal with the rising sun lighting the summit ridge

My starting point near Inchkinloch

My route on to and off Ben Loyal's main ridge. I skinned past Loch na Beiste making for the south-east flank of Carn an Tionail.

The summit of Ben Loyal, An Caisteal, a wonderful granite tor (despite my earlier comments)

Ben Loyal or Mont Blanc?

Ben Hope from the summit of Ben Loyal

.....and a more detailed view of Ben Hope's wild eastern corries

  I hadn't planned on visiting the 558m Cnoc nan Cuilean but on the approach from the south its snow smothered south-western slopes looked amazing and I had to ski them on the way back south from Ben Loyal. 

A pleasant descent from Carn an Tionail spoilt near the top by icey sastrugi

Cnoc nan Cuilean. Its snowy south west side on the right

Back to Ben Loyal from the foot of the Cnoc

Beautifully patterned sastrugi at just 450m altitude on Cnoc nan Cuilean

Ben Klibreck

Plenty of windslab

East from Cnoc nan Cuilean across Sutherland to Ben Griam Mor and Beg

Nice powder on the ski descent of Cnoc nan Cuilean

Ben Loyal from the Kyle of Tongue causeway later in the afternoon

All in all a very special day!

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Jason Bonniface, 23/03/2010

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