how were the queues at gorm today? heating reports of over an hour
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Yes @kb36, there is a lot of complaints on Cairngorms Facebook page about the length of time people were in queues, part of this was because some of the lower lifts aren't ready to open yet, the forecast was good so it looks as though everyone headed for the hills, we were up early had some runs before it got busy and left.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
was gonna go up tomorrow but think it will be Glenshee or the lecht instead
@neilkav, I think Nevis have a premium range for ski hire as well as their normal range. Not sure how good it is, but maybe an option. Check their website.
Cheers, will take a look
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
larry1950 wrote:
@neilkav, The snow at Cairngorm was very good today with top to bottom skiing, it was incredibly busy with it being a weekend and good weather and not all the lifts open yet the Cas tow didn't come on until mid afternoon due to an electrical fault, Carpark tow Fiacall ridge and West Wall poma don't have quite enough snow yet. I can't help you with the ski hire but it might be worth giving Cairngorm a call to check what they have, also there is an Ellis Brigham in Aviemore who do ski hire.
@neilkav, If you are going mid week all areas should be quieter, I rarely ski at weekends this Saturday was an exception as the previous two days had been low cloud and snow, I had forgotten that the road to Glenshee on the Aberdeen side was closed which may have made Cairngorm even busier but I think there is now a temporary road open which may help. Have fun wherever you choose to go.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cheers will do
After all it is free
After all it is free
was at the lecht today, superhero snow and fantastic conditions, yes not the most challenging runs but great for a blast and whilst busy the queues were really not bad at all, almost went to cairngorm but think we made the right choice
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Cairngorm was excellent today. Queues were nothing like Saturday. No longer than 5 mins in the drags and if you were not on the 1st funicular you were on the second.
Wind had a bit of a nip to it though.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
that's not what they were saying elsewhere
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Was my experience of being there
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Mind 1st train up was an hour late, wonder if a lot of people got peed off and went elsewhere.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
could explain it, folk turning up for first lift and having to wait
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Yesterday at Cairngorm was a joke. Not enough uplift available but they still sold every ticket they could. Car Parks were full by 10:00 am. Some great snow conditions up top and on M1 and White Lady. However, there was the occasional big lump of granite sticking up.
First train was late this morning so we looped the Day Lodge run a couple of times but it kept stopping as the wire was being pulled off the first wheel. The Liftie was blaming beginner tea-tray riders who kept falling and pulling it sideways. I think he was right. There was a sign saying "No Beginners" but given the wait for the train some ignored it.
Saturday queue for Ciste T-Bar
Looking up the Ciste
Tourers on the Ciste
The Ptarmigan looking like a polar ice station.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
No lift queues down my way this afternoon
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Had a good day yesterday at Glenshee. Snow was great, although vis wasn't the best!(but that's skiing in Scotland)
Queues were particularly long on some on the sunny side lifts going back towards the car parks. Otherwise not a bad day. Again it's not surprising given its the first weekend being open. Hopefully they'll get a few top ups and open the whole mountain
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
This shows the conditions at Cairngorm this weekend.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@moffatross, where were you at? I toured over Sgor Gaoith (above Glen Feshie) and had a glorious descent on squeaky snow. It was like your skis were on rails; somewhat unforgiving but if you trusted your skis huge fun!
Was also up at the Lecht yesterday. Good snow cover and conditions.
Car park was full but did not seem to equate to the numbers on the slopes. Got heaps of runs in and traffic free on the way down.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@MadMountainMan, that was on Broad Law near Tweedsmuir. The snow was wind-affected and grabby, the light was dull and flat, hence I found it hard going but it was brilliant to be out. Oddly enouh, the night ski across the Lowthers a couple of days ago was easier skiing by headtorch than yesterday in that flat daylight. I think a headtorch gives great definition and you can pick out sastrugi far better. I'm not sure if I will get a chance to ski a groomer in the north this season so I'm grabbing local opportunities when I can.
@MadMountainMan, that was on Broad Law near Tweedsmuir. The snow was wind-affected and grabby, the light was dull and flat, hence I found it hard going but it was brilliant to be out. Oddly enouh, the night ski across the Lowthers a couple of days ago was easier skiing by headtorch than yesterday in that flat daylight. I think a headtorch gives great definition and you can pick out sastrugi far better. I'm not sure if I will get a chance to ski a groomer in the north this season so I'm grabbing local opportunities when I can.
I've never skied that far south (in the UK)! That's kind of how the snow was for me; wind compacted and so rather grabby, but at least it wasn't breakable crust! I don't mind that sort of snow so long as I don't try to do any skid at the end of the turn! (If I do then I tend to turn cartwheels!).
That'll be it for me in Scotland now, unless there's any late snow after mid April as I'm off to Chamonix from now till then.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
MadMountainMan wrote:
@moffatross, where were you at? I toured over Sgor Gaoith (above Glen Feshie) and had a glorious descent on squeaky snow. It was like your skis were on rails; somewhat unforgiving but if you trusted your skis huge fun!
Saturday or sunday? We had a good if somewhat cloudy trip on Sgor Gaoith on Sunday.
After all it is free
After all it is free
I am lucky & live pretty equidistant from Glencoe, Glenshee & Cairngorm - can get time off this week - Wednesday or Thursday....but which to go to?.....given that whatever is written on the resort Facebook pages is usually stories of the fairy tale variety re conditions. Who's been where over the last few days & how good was the snow? Thanks
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@malarkey99, if you look at the video above it shows what the conditions were like on Saturday and Sunday on M1, Ciste, Ptarmigan, White Lady, Cas and a few other bits. As the saying goes "A (moving ) picture paints a thousand words."
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
prog99 wrote:
MadMountainMan wrote:
@moffatross, where were you at? I toured over Sgor Gaoith (above Glen Feshie) and had a glorious descent on squeaky snow. It was like your skis were on rails; somewhat unforgiving but if you trusted your skis huge fun!
Saturday or sunday? We had a good if somewhat cloudy trip on Sgor Gaoith on Sunday.
Hah! Sunday so I probably saw you then. I was on my own and on the summit around one'ish. I spoke to a couple of skiers on the way up and at the summit and a couple of split boarders back at the car park.
It was a shame it never really cleared up but it was really only the top 100m or so that were actually in the cloud and by Cairngorm standards that's not too bad!
A temporary period of freeze on higher summits in Scotland centred on Friday night, but otherwise until next Tuesday, a
prolonged and often rapid thaw in unusually warm (for January) southerly winds. There will be frequent rain western
mountains and extensive low cloud, albeit cloud will often break off the summits in northern Scotland.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Sadly, these things happen in Scotland Gaza - though the fact that you know that never makes it any easier to take, especially after such decent looking cover.
We'll all just have to cross everything, do snow dances and wait for the return of the snow...Not much of a season so far though eh ?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Very true @mountainaddict. Have you seen the Cairngorm webcams today? What looked like good cover last weekend now seems to be in Lock Morlich. My son is (supposed) to be racing at the Lecht this weekend and with a 3.5-4 hour drive ahead of us this evening I'm not relishing the prospect of getting there tomorrow to be told they have had to cancel. Looking at the webcams they do seem to have faired better than Cairngorm but there is a lot of brown patches appearing. With a temp of 7c tomorrow I suspect that even if they do race tomorrow Sunday may well be cancelled.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Nevis is already looking pretty bare compared to a couple of days ago.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:
Have you seen the Cairngorm webcams today?
Plucked up the courage to have a look this morning...weren't actually as bad as I'd feared! Had expected totally brown on the lower slopes but there was still a fair looking cover. However...Glencoe looks to have taken a bad hit - cover now looking very thin.
Looking at a possible trip up next weekend - but haven't checked the longer term forecast yet.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Some friends were up at Lecht yesterday and apparently it was OK. Glenshee has taken a big hit though, Lecht seems to have been a bit more sheltered a bit from the warm wind.
It was very warm today on my bike ride out to Aboyne - but there was plenty of snow visible further into the Cairngorms.
Looking at the GFS ensembles for Aberdeenshire it looks like cooling down during the day tomorrow, and some precipitation on Tuesday which might fall as snow at higher elevations but probably rain at resort level. 29th-31st looking like it might be around seasonal average and after that the lines are all over the shop so it's anyone's guess.
Cairngorm GFS looking a lot livelier on the precipitation front across the forecast but unfortunately from 25th-27th it's probably going to be rain. Temps then dropping to around about seasonal average again, and with the increase precipitation further West, Cairngorm could well get some snow later in the week.
Nevis and Glencoe have even more precipitation in the forecast so looks like they will get very heavy rain the next few days
Overall looking much wetter and windier the further West you go, but warm all over for the next few days at least. Maybe a little snow later in the week.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@bobmcstuff, I was at the Lecht for the Gordon Skiers Open. The cover was reasonable and the U8, U10 & U12 got 3 runs in. It was getting very soft by the end and it was only a lot of shovelling between races that stop the kids skiing on heather. The older kids were on Buzzard and that cut up really badly. The conditions had deteriorated so much that they had to cancel today's races.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
25th January and it was 13.5 Degrees C driving into work in Edinburgh at 7.00 am this morning !
The webcams are all looking pretty brown this morning, warm and windy overnight and I think it has been like a hairdryer on the hills.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
This from Cairngorm just about sums up the disaster that is facing Scottish skiing this winter:-
Quote:
SNOWSPORTS CLOSED today due to high winds and broken pistes. We will not be running piste machines today to safeguard the remaining snow pack and will have to wait until the temperatures drop back to freezing, to patch up the pistes. Another night of high winds with temperatures topping +10C. Currently 65mph at the tunnel mouth with a temperature of +4.6C at the top station. We are assessing the snow cover after this major period of thaw. Temperatures going to drop back below freezing this evening so we hope the snow pack remains good until then.
You can see on this video what the conditions were like at the Lecht on Saturday. Although there is quite a bit of brown around it seemed to be mostly heather and mud so not too deadly for equipment.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:
This....just about sums up the disaster that is facing Scottish skiing this winter...
With it:
1. Only being January.
2. Not unknown for Scottish skiing to operate into May...
...it may be a little too early yet to write off the whole season as a disaster - there may yet be significant snowfalls in what's left of January plus February, March and April.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@mountainaddict, I should have been more specific and said "..this winter so far." The resorts have only had 2 weekends so far and that must be hurting financially, not only for them but the wider industry that relies on the winter ski season.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Agreed Gaza....
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Looking to me like there should be some snow tomorrow. Very wet today though.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
?
- there may yet be significant snowfalls in what's left of January plus February, March and April.