Jon, I would be really interested to read both of the papers you mentioned above, if you wouldn’t mind sending them please?
[email protected] I also skied the Labyrinth area several times from the late 80s into the 1990s. Magic!
Haven’t managed to get there with skis for ages, with family commitments in winter, so am really enjoying Mark’s adventures.
I also enjoy Ossa in winter. Have summited several times in full winter conditions, including one occasion with Ian Ferrier when the snow was incredibly deep, we estimated up to 10m thick in the final bowl before the summit. The snow was well consolidated and no trouble to kick steps up the steep pinch on that occasion.
It’s very satisfying when the steep pinch is just the right level of difficulty with snow conditions to make it achievable but still relatively low risk.
Have needed to turn back several times from the section before the steep pinch that is prone to icing up. Too dangerous when iced unless properly equipped for mountaineering. Similar with Anne in winter.
Cheers, John