 Poster: A snowHead
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Yoda, i bailed on saturday - glad I did!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tuesday 12 January 2010
Blowing a gale here in Aberdare at 10ish.
No snow yet, but the orangey / grey hue that signals its imminent arrival is all around me 
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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norris, we met two tourers coming back from the summit. I asked if they were Eagles (as I knew an aerie was around somewhere) but they said "No, just mad". 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mike Pow, Started snowing about 20 miles south of you 
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Just started here
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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Didn't want to start a new thread seeing as this one's going along nicely and there's some great info and pics on here already.
Please excuse me while I play catch up. Hopefully it will all be in sync by the time I get out again.
TR: Wales - Between a Rock and a Soft Place
"The Brecon Beacons is a Park of consistent character. Imagine, if you can, wave after wave of open mountainside, rising and dipping fluidly across the landscape like some giant, petrified green sea.
Although a mountainous area, these highlands have little in common with their northern counterpart in the Snowdonia National Park, where a lucky dip landscape of boulder-strewn slopes, jagged pinnacles, boggy moors and wooded valleys changes by the mile.
In comparison, the Beacons are reassuringly uncomplicated and homogenous. In topographical terms, this is a Park of few surprises, of highland pure and simple. There is a fundamental simplicity and solidity about the Beacons, qualities underlined by the wide, open spaces and big skies that are such a feature of this part of Wales.
The uniformity displayed by the Brecon Beacons derives from the nature of the underlying rock, Old Red Sandstone, which divides the ancient rocks of central Wales from the south Wales coalfield.
Old Red Sandstone is a sedimentary rock which has weathered to create the smooth, rounded profiles, enlivened by ice-sculpted ridges and escarpments, which characterise much of the Brecon Beacons.
Haughty alpinists may scoff at the moderate height of these mountains. They do so at their peril. The Beacons have a formidable reputation for rewarding complacency by biting back. Gradual, deceptively gentle slopes lead to knife-edge escarpments which plunge suddenly and steeply.
The mountainsides are treeless, affording scant protection from the chilling wind and few reference points for those not handy with a compass. And when mists and rain descend - as they often do - it is all too easy to become disorientated and hypothermic, as demonstrated by the number of victims which the Brecon Beacons continue to claim and the frequency with which the mountain rescue teams are called out.
It is wise not to underestimate the challenges posed by the SAS' favourite training ground."
Roger Thomas
Brecon Beacons : The Official National Park Guide
I first skied in The Brecon Beacons National Park in the spring of 1998, after returning from a 10-day holiday to Stranda, Norway.
An unexpected late March dump had blanketed the slopes around the four main peaks of the Beacons - Corn Du (873m), Pen-y-Fan (886m), Cribyn (795m) and Fan-y-Big (719m) offering exciting and challenging turns.
I was able to ski the NW face of Fan-y-Big but the crown jewels of Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn's steeper slopes eluded me.
We also got enough snow in my town of Aberdare that spring to make turns on the hills above my home. One memorable morning was spent skiing through the opencast mining machinery and slag heaps of Tower Colliery, much to the amazement of the crane drivers.
2004 / 05
Five years ago I juggled 'mannying' for a family of 3 children here in Aberdare with instructing during the UK school holidays in the Dolomites of Italy. I would head up to the Brecon Beacons at every opportunity, and managed to get 18 days in that winter.
I kept this thread going, but unfortunately the pics are not showing up.
Powder in The Brecon Beacons
The steeper slopes of Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn still eluded me, and to my knowledge the NW face of Cribyn and the NE face of Pen-y-Fan are yet to be skied.
This shot was taken from Cribyn looking back to the NE face of Pen-y-Fan
and looking down the NE face of Pen-y-Fan from the summit plateau
2009/10
I was due to spend my fourth winter on the island of Hokkaido when I got the call at the start of September to head home to look after both my parents.
As I was going to be here indefinitely I brought all my gear home with me in the hope of making turns on the hills above my home and in the Beacons.
Sunday 08 November 2009
First trip over the Beacons just to clear the cobwebs, work on the fitness and take some autumn scenics.
Cefn Crew
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Monday 30 November 2009
Since the first snow had fallen on the Beacons I'd followed the weather forecast on the Met Office site religiously, tuned into Derek Brockway on Wales Today and Radio Wales, and received numerous calls from my Aunty Val updating me on the snow status on Fan Fawr. Fan Fawr is the peak on the other side of the A470 road from Pen-y-Fan, which she can see from her bedroom window. If there's snow on Fan Fawr, then there's normally double on Pen-y-Fan.
Met Office Weather Forecast for the Brecon Beacons
Derek's Blog
So I drove over in the afternoon to chance my arm.
As I was heading up for some sunset shots and turns I received plenty of gentle ribbing from the walkers that were making their way down off the mountain.
It wouldn't be the first time I'd hiked up something with my skis on my back only to hike back down, thank you Yotei 
The walk from the 'Toliets' car park to Bwlch Duwynt (the notch between Corn Du and Cefn Crew) takes around 45 mins fully laden, with a further 15 mins to the summit of Pen-y-Fan.
There'd been a pretty good fall of snow and I was loving the light, the views, the clash between autumn and winter, and the thought of actually making turns.
Llyn Cwm Llwch from the summit of Corn Du
The slopes below Pen-y-Fan filling in nicely, with the town of Brecon in the distance
Pen-y-Fan from the summit of Corn Du
Rhiw yr Ysgyfarnog and Corn Du
Corn Du and Llyn Cwm Llwch
And then it was time to make the first turns of the season 
Cefn Crew from the summit of Corn Du. I skied below the rocks in the foreground and then traversed over to the slope top left. Hiked to the top of the ridge and dropped in. 5 to 10cm of frozen granules. Fast and furious. Fabulous.
Corn Du from below Cefn Crew
The goods
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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more more - we want more!!! dont leave us in suspense
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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?
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Mike Pow, Wow!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mike Pow, spectacular ophotos mate
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fantastic!
Can't wait for the rest. Hope you got one of Swansea Bay glistening
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Amazing photos - thanks Mike Pow
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Fair play...you can take a good photo!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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Thursday 31 December 2009
Christmas came and went and the rain returned to the Valleys washing all the goodness away 
Went up this afternon and skied from the top of Corn Du half way back to the car park. Then hiked back up to the Cefn Crew ridge line and skied to within about 500m of the river.
Bolierplate, dust on crust, dry packed powder on a solid base, breakable crust and frozen tussocks. It was FAST.
The snow wasn't as good as the pre-Christmas falls, but more extensive.
But no visibility, hence no pics.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mike Pow, Can't wait for the next installment. 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks guys.
NEWSFLASH
Today was all time.
Beg, steal or borrow time off tomorrow and get out there before the thaw and the throng trash it.
Will continue the installments anon
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Poster: A snowHead
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damm - i saw on the webcam it looked sunny.....forecast was was low cloud all day.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just missed you. Saw you walking back up. Thanks for putting the bootpack in. Made my life a lot easier.
That was a great line.
Did you hit anything?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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couple of little scrapes on rocks but some nice drops and then on run out some nice little gully hops/lips.. it was some work getting those boots in , very glad i brought my ice axe, was using it all the way up...just holding head in my hand and using the saw and the spiky handle to give purchase to pull up! was awesome day tho... on par with any day ive had in europe, nz,etc.. and better as 2 hours from home!... home this global cooling keeps up!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Excellent.
Sent you a PM
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cheers! all replied too... bath now then got to play 5 a side in couple of hours....think ill not be running around too much!
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OMG - seething with jealousy.......
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| geoffers wrote: |
| Mike Pow at the risk of being a bit boring what camera/lens are you using for the panoramic shots in your reports : very professional |
Canon 7D with a 28-135mm kit lens
All the 'landscape' panorama shots are shot 'portrait' and stitched together in Photoshop. At least 4 shots, sometimes as many as 12.
The 'portrait' panorama shots are shot 'landscape' then as above.
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FAQ
- fantastic pics & superb weather, considering how grey &miserable it was here in Brizzle.
