Coire an t-Sneachda
Encyclopedia
Coire an t-Sneachda is a glacial cirque
or corrie landform
in the Cairngorm
or Am Monadh Ruadh mountain range in the Grampian Mountains of the Scottish Highlands
.
The summits of Cairn Lochan (1215m) and Stob Coire an t-Sneachda (1176m) lie above Coire an t-Sneachda's headwall.
The Gaelic Coire an t-Sneachda roughly translates to the English language
as "Corrie of the Snow".
. The nearest major town is Aviemore
. The nearest road access point is the Cairn Gorm
ski centre, which is located approximately 4 km away (approx. 45–60 minutes walking, in fair conditions).
approximately 10,000 to 11,000 years before present during the Younger Dryas
stadial
. This cold period, which is also known as the Loch Lomond stadial, was the last mini ice-age that brought glaciers and tundra
conditions to the Scottish Highlands.
ski centre and the relatively reliable snow and ice conditions throughout the winter season.
A number of climbers have been killed in the corrie, attracting some media attention. Most notoriously, in the winter of 2007 five climbers died after falls or from exposure in adverse conditions during a two-month period. A member of the Cairngorms
mountain MRT (Mountain Rescue Team) was quoted by BBC Scotland
as stating, "... it may [be] down to a combination of factors such as how easily accessible the corrie is – it is about an hour's walk from the ski centre car park – people not having adequate equipment and poor climbing conditions".
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
or corrie landform
Landform
A landform or physical feature in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
in the Cairngorm
Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name - Cairn Gorm.-Name:...
or Am Monadh Ruadh mountain range in the Grampian Mountains of the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
.
The summits of Cairn Lochan (1215m) and Stob Coire an t-Sneachda (1176m) lie above Coire an t-Sneachda's headwall.
The Gaelic Coire an t-Sneachda roughly translates to the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Corrie of the Snow".
Location and access
Coire an t-Sneachda is located in Invernesshire, Northern ScotlandNorthern Scotland
Northern Scotland is an administrative division of Scotland used for police and fire services. It consists of Highland, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and the Western Isles. The police service uses Northern in its name, but the fire service uses the name Highlands and Islands Fire and...
. The nearest major town is Aviemore
Aviemore
Aviemore is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm...
. The nearest road access point is the Cairn Gorm
Cairn Gorm
Cairn Gorm is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands overlooking Strathspey and the town of Aviemore. At 1245 metres it is the sixth highest mountain in the United Kingdom...
ski centre, which is located approximately 4 km away (approx. 45–60 minutes walking, in fair conditions).
Geology
The last glacier occupied this corrie or cirqueCirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
approximately 10,000 to 11,000 years before present during the Younger Dryas
Younger Dryas
The Younger Dryas stadial, also referred to as the Big Freeze, was a geologically brief period of cold climatic conditions and drought between approximately 12.8 and 11.5 ka BP, or 12,800 and 11,500 years before present...
stadial
Stadial
A stadial is a period of lower temperatures during an interglacial separating the glacial periods of an ice age. Such periods are of insufficient duration or intensity to be considered glacial periods...
. This cold period, which is also known as the Loch Lomond stadial, was the last mini ice-age that brought glaciers and tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
conditions to the Scottish Highlands.
Mountaineering
The corrie is a popular destination for mountaineers, primarily because of its easy accessibility from the Cairn GormCairn Gorm
Cairn Gorm is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands overlooking Strathspey and the town of Aviemore. At 1245 metres it is the sixth highest mountain in the United Kingdom...
ski centre and the relatively reliable snow and ice conditions throughout the winter season.
A number of climbers have been killed in the corrie, attracting some media attention. Most notoriously, in the winter of 2007 five climbers died after falls or from exposure in adverse conditions during a two-month period. A member of the Cairngorms
Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are a mountain range in the eastern Highlands of Scotland closely associated with the mountain of the same name - Cairn Gorm.-Name:...
mountain MRT (Mountain Rescue Team) was quoted by BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
as stating, "... it may [be] down to a combination of factors such as how easily accessible the corrie is – it is about an hour's walk from the ski centre car park – people not having adequate equipment and poor climbing conditions".
External links
- Geological information
- Database of winter climbs from ukclimbing.com
- "Death in the snow: why have five climbers been killed on one peak", Guardian
- http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v280/n5719/pdf/280199a0.pdf/Journal article from NatureNatureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
: "Loch Lomond Stadial"]