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Coronation Wall

Cairngorms National Park

A useful vantage point before trying the more serious Coire Cas headwall

Freeride Skiing Moderate

Distance
551 m
Ascent
0 m
Descent
108 m
Low Point
999 m
High Point
1.1 km
Gradient
35˚
Coronation Wall Map

The Coronation Wall is a wide, open face, accessed from the Ptarmigan top station, which finishes in Coire Cas. The route has a lengthy traverse to access the main face, but it is a great asset for assessing conditions around Coire Cas if you're thinking of tackling the more serious Coire Cas headwall.

Description

Start by traversing in a south-westerly direction from the Ptarmigan building. It's important that you keep as much height as possible here, to ensure you get the best descent on the Coronation Wall itself.

As you traverse around the mountain, the Coire Cas headwall will appear ahead, and the “Traverse” green-grade marked run will be running roughly parallel to your tracks. Once you’ve reached this point, you can choose when to start the proper descent, which will end on the green run below. Either take a zig-zag route down towards the Coire Cas t-bar or, if you’re itching to get going, you can simply shred straight down to the run below.

It’s important to be aware of the avalanche risk in this area. Cairngorm Mountain generally display flags near the Ptarmigan station, warning of any potential avalanche danger.

Despite the combination of a long traverse with a relatively short descent, the Coronation Wall is a great way to get up close to the steeper Coire Cas headwall, to scope out any potential dangers there.

Difficulty

Moderate

Slopes become slightly steeper at around 25-30 degrees.

Low Exposure (E1)

1 out of 4

Exposure is limited to that of the slope itself. Getting hurt is still likely if the slope is steep and/or the snow is hard.

Remoteness

2 out of 4

Away from help but easily accessed.

Best time to visit

between December and March

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area