Braeriach
Probably the most commonly used route up Braeriach starts from Sugar Bowl car park, on the road leading to the Cairn Gorm ski area. From here a path leads over the hillside to a steep-sided rocky ravine known as the Chalamain Gap, before descending around 100 metres (330 ft) to the Lairig Ghru. After crossing this pass the route heads for the summit via Braeriach's north ridge, crossing a subsidiary peak, Sròn na Lairige. The summit is about nine kilometres (5+1⁄2 miles) from the car park by this route.
Snow patch
The lingering snows of Braeriach are amongst the most persistent snow patches in Scotland and the whole British Isles. Sphinx is a remote patch of snow in Cairngorms National Park on Braeriach, which is historically known for its semi-permanent year-round longevity; the north-facing corrie of Garbh Coire Mor has entirely melted only in 1933, 1959, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The rate and occurrence of melting appears to be increasing. Named for a nearby climbing route, it was first noted by members of the Scottish Mountaineering Club in the 1840s, and is thought by scientists to have fully melted in the 18th century, given the climatic and meteorological records. More generally, Garbh Choire Mor is Scotland's snowiest corrie, where snow typically persists into the summer months. Declining snow cover has persisted in the area since the winter of 1983–1984.
See also
References
- ^ "Braeriach". Hill Bagging - the online version of the Database of British and Irish Hills (DoBIH). 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "Braeriach". Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba: Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland.
- ^ "Scotland's 'Sphinx' snow patch melts away for only eighth time in 300 years". NBC News. 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Scotland 'snow-free' for fourth time in six years". BBC News Online. 8 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "UK's longest-lasting patch of snow melts away - BBC News". BBC News. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
- ^ "Publication". Cairngorms National Park Authority.
- ^ "Scotland's Sphinx snow patch is in its throes – in pictures". the Guardian. 18 September 2017.
57°04′41″N 3°43′44″W / 57.07817°N 3.72883°W
Media related to Braeriach at Wikimedia Commons