Djouce 31-03-2008

arctictree

Here's a snap of Djouce taken at 8:50am. Looks like a snowy heaven up there!



A

Mothman

Great to see as I don't have view from here.

And White Hill only just living up to it name.

It's Djouces southern shoulder and would be the route I'd take

Danno

I knew it was cold enough for sleet here last night! Beautiful photo arctictree. Pity we don't have enough highland in this country to warrant snow-capped peaks for much of the year.

Mothman

I went ahead and did a quick scramble up.
It was 1pm before I got near and a big thaw had happened since the earlier photo by Artictree.


I saw the first snow at about 480m, this photo at 510m on the north side of woodland in the shade.


On top of White Hill is the Wicklow Way which is board walked for this section.
Looking south towards Lug. I can't remember when I last saw so much snow :eek:


and looking north towards top of Djouce


Finally the obligitory photo. This a knee deep drift on the very top of Djouce.
I said at beginning that I scrambled up. I ran/walked up and down with trail runners, and I got up keeping feet dry and hardly had to go through snow.


I enjoyed my afternoon.

arctictree

Lovely pics there Mothman - was a lovely day for a walk.

Must have been mad conditions up there around 4am. Which way did you tackle it? Did you enter via the woods above Lough Tay?

Longfield, was it still snowing when you were driving by there to work this morning?

I think we'll have to arrange a snow 'crack squad' where we can track this kind of event properly!!

A

Snowbie

Nice one MM, arctictree.
A couple of questions,
Any idea of the temp up there, any thermo with you?

What direction was the drifts? i was reporting a NW wind while BB was reporting an easterly during the late evening.

Finally, where's the snowman?.Gotta make a snowman.:D

Mothman

A couple of questions,
Any idea of the temp up there, any thermo with you?

No thermo, but was not particularly cold. guesstimate 5-6C, fairly quick thaw on.
Felt chilly before descending as wind picked up and cloud started closing in.

What direction was the drifts?

NNW/SSE

Finally, where's the snowman?.Gotta make a snowman.:D

As you see, more symbolic than artistic

Mothman

arctictree wrote: »

Which way did you tackle it? Did you enter via the woods above Lough Tay?

A

Was on bicycle, I prefer to do climb by foot,
Left the wheels at the entrance opposite Ballinatoe Golf Club and went up on northern side of forest block.

Snowbie

Mothman wrote: »

No thermo, but was not particularly cold. guesstimate 5-6C, fairly quick thaw on.
Felt chilly before descending as wind picked up and cloud started closing in.


NNW/SSE





As you see, more symbolic than artistic

Now thats the spirit, thats what im talking about:D

Yeah looked as if a rapid thaw was on comparing the early shot from arctictree

Supercell

Great pics Arctictree and Mothman (looney).
The snow as something else around 07:00 when I was driving past it, it had stopped falling but was right down to the base of the mountain and the surrounding fields, Scarr was white to its base too, nothing on the gorund here though looking at the coverage must have been some sneacta falling here at some stage during the night.

Longfield

Longfield wrote: »

Great pics Arctictree and Mothman (looney).
The snow as something else around 07:00 when I was driving past it, it had stopped falling but was right down to the base of the mountain and the surrounding fields, Scarr was white to its base too, nothing on the gorund here though looking at the coverage must have been some sneacta falling here at some stage during the night.

yeah it's a brilliant example of what a high mountain can do to the adjacent lower immediate area in terms of weather and in this case snow.
There was very little snow on Mt Leinster though at 2796ft to the south and none on croghan or croghan moira at above 2000ft even in the south wicklow mts so that effect was very localised.

I don't agree with Danno's assertion that there could have been sleet at sea level well away from the Djouce/Lug micro climate.
That would have been soft hail.
If sleet was capable of hapening at sea level or up to a few hundered feet above you would have had more widespread settled snow above 1000ft everywhere under that precip band.


Great photo's lads.
Isn't it a great resource we have(even for the Dublin based) that at this time of the year ,a short drive away you can be in mountains and snow like that albeit shortlived

Mothman,I'm not the only insane one it seems.

Mothman

Deleted User wrote: »

Mothman,I'm not the only insane one it seems.

It takes one to know one

and that applies to

(looney)

as well!!

Supercell

Deleted User wrote: »

yeah it's a brilliant example of what a high mountain can do to the adjacent lower immediate area in terms of weather and in this case snow.

Yep, thats one thing I've learned since moving here - height on its own sometimes isn't enough (though it sure helps most of the time), but having a mountain very close generates moisture and presumably katabatic winds allowing snow to fall at a level much lower than nearby only a little further from the mountain which may not even have anything falling at all..

There was certainly snow at my elevation at the base of Scarr, but nothing at all here.
Someday..I'll be living....

Paddy.1

Longfield wrote: »

Yep, thats one thing I've learned since moving here - height on its own sometimes isn't enough (though it sure helps most of the time), but having a mountain very close generates moisture and presumably katabatic winds allowing snow to fall at a level much lower than nearby only a little further from the mountain which may not even have anything falling at all..

There was certainly snow at my elevation at the base of Scarr, but nothing at all here.
Someday..I'll be living....

Being born and bred on the "central plain", I often forget what a generally mountianous country we live in. The only mountains I have ever climbed is Cough Patrick and one in Recess, though I was knackered after each effort. Nice pictures. Looks like really gentle country down there, some place I have to see before I return to the ground.

nacho libre

Great photos. I was only thinking the other day about visiting Wicklow as it's a part of the country i've never been to before.