Editing Cairn Gorm (section)

==Hiking and climbing==
In clear, calm weather, the ascent of Cairn Gorm is a straightforward hike via the alpine ski area on the northern slopes. But when the mountain is stormbound, particularly in winter during [[blizzard]] and high avalanche risk conditions, any ascent or descent can be potentially lethal - particularly during ''white-outs'' when it is easy to lose one's bearings near the barren, featureless summit which is ringed in many directions by precipitous drops. In common with all the highest Cairngorm summits, ascents during winter conditions (which can and usually do extend well into springtime) will often require good navigation skills and winter climbing equipment such as crampons and ice-axes. The ''Windy Ridge'' path on ''Sròn an Aonaich'' lying to the northeast of Coire Cas is a steep and direct route, and is generally recommended by local Rangers, guides and guidebooks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/maps/map1_4cg.shtml|title=Cairn Gorm and the northern corries - Route Map}}</ref> Another route to the summit is the access road up the centre of Coire Cas, however this route is a track used by the railway operator's vehicles, and gives an indirect route with several steep sections. It is not recommended as an ascent route, especially during the skiing season, though it gives good views of the [[Cairngorm Mountain Railway]] in its lower sections. Also in Coire Cas, ''Fiacaill a' Choire Chais'' offers a good [[walking]] route to Cairn Gorm and the adjacent plateau. A circuit of the cliff tops overlooking the Northern Corries of Cairn Gorm is highly recommended in many guide books and publications, giving one of the finest views in Scotland.<ref>Adam Watson. The Cairngorms, Scottish Mountaineering Trust</ref> Walkers are advised to consult the local map<ref>Ordnance Survey. 1:50,000 scale. Sheet 36. Grantown and Cairngorm.</ref> and call in at the Ranger Base at the car park.

There are many climbing routes at the head of [[Coire an t-Sneachda]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=25|title=Coire an t'Sneachda}}</ref> and Coire an Lochain,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=74|title=Coire an Lochain (Cairngorm)}}</ref> and in winter these corries form one of Scotland's major [[ice climbing]] areas.

===1971 disaster===
{{main|Cairngorm Plateau disaster}}
On 21–22 November 1971, five pupils from [[Ainslie Park High School]] in Edinburgh and a trainee instructor from Newcastle-under-Lyme died in a blizzard at Feith Buidhe on the Cairn Gorm plateau.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aircrew-saltire.org/lib128.htm|title=Cairngorm Disaster 1971 - Scottish Saltire Branch - Aircrew Association|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190548/http://www.aircrew-saltire.org/lib128.htm|archivedate=3 March 2016}}</ref> It stands as the UK's worst mountaineering disaster.<ref>Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Association. 1988. Friends in High Places. ed Cliff, Peter.</ref>