Snow Watch 2011

We were also in Garden Castle area this weekend ... attempting to get to the top of Mashai Pass. We slept Friday night in Annex cave. The snow was "patchy" up until the cave, but from the cave up, it became much deeper. Because it was so fresh and powdery, it made it hard going as with each step we were sinking in; up to our thighs much of the time, having to "snow-plough" our way though. It was very difficult to negotiate as we got higher onto the rocky sections as we couldn't see the gaps between the snow covered rocks and kept "falling" into the spaces .. so easy to twist a knee or break a leg. We decided to turn around just before entering the gully "proper", feeling a little defeated but also elated and privileged to have had the opportunity to attempt it. Reckon the snow will be around for quite a while in the upper part of the pass. Would love to have seen it up on the escarpment ... it must be a Winter Wonderland.

Some pics from Sat & Sun, heading up towards Sentinel, Beacon Buttress Gully and view to Tooth.

Nice pics wish i was there..

Me too! Awesome pictures! Looks like tough going.

@Christine: you only enter the gully on the Mashai Pass right at the top, and you still are never in the actual gully, you just walk across it. I had to walk a few metres up the gully itself the first time I did Mashai Pass (we lost the path, this was within 1km of the summit), after almost no time we reached a 3m high waterfall, it was a mission getting back out of the gully but on leaving the gully we found the path again quickly. So its probably a good thing you turned around when you did.

Also, when I tried Mashai Pass early in winter this year, we found the part in the shadow of the Rhino to be very cold, I can't imagine how cold it must have been with heavy snow...

I would love to see some photos of my favourite area in the snow (especially the Mashai Fangs if you got that far)...

We've been up Mashai Pass a number of times and are familiar with the route - I probably worded my previous posting incorrectly! I've attached (or at least tried to attach) two pics. The one showing the depth of the snow and the other was taken shortly before our "turn-around". It was a stunning day, fortunately no wind and the temperature howevered around 0C in the shade - I've experienced far colder conditions in that Pass.

Looks AWESOME!!! Wish I could do my planned trip to Ifidi via chain ladders. I drive a corsa bakki & it wouldn't be possible to drive up that road without 4x4.

Will be at the beach this weekend, but must make a plan soon to get to the berg!!! AAARRRGGGHHH

Nice! The place you turned around was more or less where I turned around when I tried the pass earlier this year (my problem was time and the lack of fitness of the person that I was hiking with)... I agree, that pass gets freezing in winter...