 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The alps is F1
Scotland is Rallying 
Both Magic
Cheers
Bob
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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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moffatross, it's not working for some reason.
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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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A couple photos from Saturday at CairnGorm. Ignoring what happened in the morning, the afternoon was very good indeed. Best powder of the day was down from the summit towards Coire Raibert, and also down from 'Windy Col' into Sneachda. That off-piste snow was very stable (on Saturday), but now that the wind has picked up it has created instabilities in all sorts of places (with lots of avalanches being reported), so I wouldn't necessarily recommend straying from the pistes until conditions change.
Photos:
http://www.highland-instinct.co.uk/gallery/cg/winter200910/10jan09/
Take your pick!
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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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firstracks, If you were in the same car as HighRustler you were 6 cars behind me in the queue on saturday 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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II - I was about 6 cars behind HighRustler, so you'd have been about 12 in front of me!
Ross - yep, great to get away from the crowds. Couldn't help but be happy after that run. What a fantastic way to turn around a nightmare start! 
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Frustrating Friday last week - sitting in a queue for 3 hours at the Spittal, then wending our way north, quietly cursing the slow progress under that beautiful blue sky. However, once there the conditions were super.
Poor day at Glenshee today. Windy, flat light, and the snow cover is deteriorating. What a change a few days make !
Very quiet, as this picture looking down Sunnyside shows.
I am aware that Fartbags are not universally admired here, but having dragged my 30 year old Nevica from the cupboard today, I have to say they are comfortable to ski in. Surprisingly, I was not alone - I counted 8 other fartbags of varying hues on the slopes (that was just the fellas and it was a quiet day) but I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get any pix. Just you lot wait - they'll make a comeback yet! BTW, if worn by a female are they still called Fartbags or is there a more ladylike description ?
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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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| Quote: |
| IMHO it has a buzz, and a thrill, all of it's own |
Buzz and thrill were not high on my list to describe Glenshee today 12th Jan. Poor visibility with sideways sleet and only the bottom pomas were open due to the high winds. Bloody miserable and I'm glad I only bought a 1/2 day ticket.
On the positive side, the snow was drifting nicely to fill gaps and the roads are clear.
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It does seem to be payback for over 3 weeks of light winds during the cold spell. No let up for Wednesday, if anything the wind picked up more on CairnGorm Mountain this evening gusting just shy of 70mph on the lower slopes and over 80mph on the Summit.
Only Glenshee and the Lecht were able to offer lift served snowsports on Tuesday and that's the best shot on Wednesday too, though no guarantees on the road front! The Link Road on CairnGorm is a lost cause with South Easterly gales when there's as much snow as there currently is to blow about. Huge drifts infront of the Base Station apparently and the funicular is buried in several places, and one hates to think how much digging might be required at the tunnel.
So even though the weather is forecast to ease up early doors on Thursday, for the areas that have not been open today and the further up and out parts of Glenshee there is going to be a huge amount of preparation and storm recovery work required, esp on CairnGorm where there is the most snow and now the most wind. The Link Road and final climb up to Coire Cas is going to take a lot of work, so a delayed start at best seems inevitable on Thursday with perhaps uplift restricted to the lower mountain until further up and out is sorted out. Glencoe and Nevis Range will have a head start on Thursday with not having the road issue to sort out.
Unfortunately during Friday morning the weather is forecast to go downhill as wind speeds climb skywards again. Storm to Hurricane force winds forecast for Saturday, before possibly easing for Sunday.
If your planning a trip, Thursday is the day to go for in the near future, but be prepared that the sliding might be limited due to the work required after 3 days of full on storming. Hold fire on any plans for the weekend just now, till the forecast for Sunday firms up, maybe Saturday might change yet, but the forecast has been horribly consistent in being simply awful.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Winterhighland, do you think peeps are going to be able to jump the road if it's drifting so much?
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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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easiski, they'll have to find it. The down road on CairnGorm is under 13ft of snow, heavy earth moving equipment is moving in at 4am to try and make some headway on clearing at least one road into Coire Cas where the ploughs and blowers failed.
Even once the Daylodge is reached by staff it will take considerable time to sort out the car park, once the hill has been assessed (and this may take some time while equipment is dug out around the Daylodge) there is going to be a phenomenal amount of preparation and storm recovery work needed. If anything opens on the 'Gorm tomorrow it's likely to just be lower surface lifts, but it's by no means certain that staff will even reach the Daylodge tomorrow!
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Went to Glenshee yesterday. Flat, little wind, v poor visibilty. but good fun.
Cairnwell side very poor. Icy or sugary. Cairnwell Tbar, Tiger & Carn A didn't open.
Sunnyside & Meall Odhar home run had the nicest snow.
Had to wait until 1.30pm for GM to open. But it was worth the wait. Black run closed but red run down the bowl was lovely. A little heavy but fast.
I took my garmin bike computer with me and was surprised that not including uplifts I managed 25 miles of skiing in 1 day (11.30 - 4) at a Scottish resort. 3943m of decent.
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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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Winterhighland,
Any more news?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
THE MOUNTAIN AND ALL FACILITIES, ACCESS ROADS AND CARPARKS WILL BE CLOSED TODAY (SATURDAY) TO ALLOW DIGGING OUT AFTER MAJOR DRIFTING DURING THE STORM. We have come in this morning and it feels like groundhog day - all our work yesterday has been filled in again. We're at it again with 2 x 23 tone caterpillar diggers, our own ploughs and the piste machines who are also moving snow down banks so the diggers have some where to put the dug out snow.
It is unlikely that we will be able to open for snowsports this weekend. Staff continue to work on the road, and we will assess conditions throughout the day - watch this web site and www.cairngormmountain.org for updates before setting off for the mountain.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Poor Fitzwilliams
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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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stunning, amazing conditions
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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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At Glenshee today, condiitons pretty good in the morning, nice snow cover and nice weather, got a bit cloudier in the afternoon and the queues got huge although they were handing free cake out in the queues Hiked up the tiger last thing and it was lush, hopefully the chair will open soon. Hoping to go up cairngorm tomorrow.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I am 99% sure the sign was done by a chap called Bill I think his name is. I think he did the original Nevis Range piste maps and perhaps others too. He is an art teacher from a school in the Highlands. I've come across him when I've worked for Interski. He used to (probably still does) take school parties ski-ing. I'm also fairly sure he does ski patrol stuff. If it is the same person, he is a really nice chap with a great talent for drawing. 
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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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What's the best 3 day forecast site ? I'd like to pop up for a last minute trip but obviously want to make sure the weather is looking good.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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david@mediacopy, start here....http://www.winterhighland.info/weather/
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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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Cheers
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You know it makes sense.
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at glenshee today, first time on skis in 10-15 years. Great weather, runs were a little icy to start with, but started to soften up nicely as the day went on and it was pretty quiet too so no real queues to speak of
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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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Jeepers at the gunbarrel ... there's a river under there somewhere !! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A long way under, its almost flat - usually it a natural pipe.
Looking at some of the pictures on winterhighland there looks to have been a fair redistribution of the snow, with some scoured areas appearing and some big drifts on the runs and in the gulley lines. The funicular has caught a lot of snow - definitely acting like a giant snow fence, which is probably not good as the snow would be better drifted into the Lady
Have a look at:
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/file.php?2,file=6012
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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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Jeepers! Bet they wish they'd left the Link Poma in now - pic on WH shows bags of snow on the track. In case anyone doesn't know about it there's a Facebook group 'Revive the Ciste and West Wall chairlifts at Cairngorm'. I doubt it does any good belonging to these groups - but then look at the Rage against the Machine campaign! 
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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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Glenshee has just featured in BBC Breakfast.
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^ lol
^^ what time, roughly, was it on?
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brian
brian
Guest
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Forecast for the weekend is pretty good: generally light winds, mostly sunny on Saturday, more cloud and perhaps a bit of light snow from the East on Sunday. Not exactly sure what the surface will be like, been a mix of snow/wet snow/rain overnight by the looks of things, so it might be a tad firm after clearing skies tonight.
Worth a trip though, I'd say. Thinking of giving the Coe a bash in the hope of getting the best of any sun and it not being too mobbed.
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Glencoe had at least 6 inches of new snow last night, really freshened things up at all levels esp with the drifting. Flypaper is officially open for the first time this season so that tells us the base is slowly building depth. Plateau caught a fair bit of drifting stuff in the fences, so is improved too, Overall with the fresh snow and looking to have the best of the overhead I think it's prob the pick for the weekend.
Meanwhile on CairnGorm the sun sets on the digging squad!
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FAQ
