Snow patrol: Out and about in Scotland's mountains

Snow-covered Slioch in Wester Ross in a picture taken this week

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) has completed the first full month of its latest season.

Every winter, the service assesses avalanche risk in six mountain areas and its reports are consulted by walkers, skiers and climbers alongside checks of mountain weather forecasts.

A party of skiers on a windy day in the Northern Cairngorms

A splitboarder enjoying calmer conditions in the Northern Cairngorms

The six mountain areas involved are Lochaber, Glen Coe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon.

Thirteen avalanches have been recorded by the service so far this season, which started on 14 December and will run until about mid-April.

Patterns on a frozen loch at Lochnagar

There were 261 recorded last season and a total of 90 avalanches were recorded in the 2016-17 season - the lowest number in almost 10 years.

However, there were 350 avalanches noted by SAIS in its 2013-14 season.

The snow covered Cairngorms earlier this week

The view to Braeriach, the third highest mountain in Britain

Snow cover and blues skies in the mountains of Lochaber

The season so far has been a mixed bag in terms of weather and snow conditions.

Earlier this month, there was little snow and the weather was mild.

This week, the SAIS teams were carrying out their work in a winter wonderland under clear blue skies.

A trail left by a skier in Torridon

An atmospheric image from Glen Coe

A mountain hare, in the bottom left of the image, in an almost snowless Southern Cairngorms

All images copyright of Scottish Avalanche Information Service.