 Poster: A snowHead
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nbt, how's the missus (and the brake pads, missus more important though obviously)? Or rather how likely is that you will be joining us??
D
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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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The excitement/anxiety surrounding this trip is currently measuring about 8.7 on the sphincter scale.
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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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Still looking at getting up north for at least a day over the weekend, so may see some of you on the slopes.
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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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anyone fancy going to Glencoe on Sunday or Monday ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Deliaskis, We've taken the decision not to travel. Car's fine, but Mrs NBT's had a bit of a wobble following a few good days and it's not worth us risking the journey only to find that the travel has done for her chances of skiing - there's a long history behind all this, so we've decided to stay here and not risk wasting several hundred pounds that could be spent on another trip later in the season. Hope you all have a great weekend though, I'll be thinking of you all with great jealousy. Looking forward to the pics and Trip Report
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nbt, sorry to hear that. Come up next weekend then- the snow's not going anywhere if the forecasts are to be belived 
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II, we'll probably be up for Glencoe on Monday, as it's sort of on the way home (ish!).
See you on Nevis on Saturday afternoon/Sunday though...
D
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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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nbt, that's a shame, hope you have a nice weekend at home and that the Mrs is feeling better soon.
srobbo, glad to hear you're joining us. I think roga, is swopping numbers with people for meeting up.
Looking forward to meeting you all  !
Safe travels everyone.
D
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| II wrote: |
| anyone fancy going to Glencoe on Sunday or Monday ? |
I was thinking in terms of Glencoe both Sunday and Monday - whaddya reckon?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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nbt, sorry to hear that but another time perhaps - hope Mrs nbt gets well soon 
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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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Well I'm definitely not going to make it this weekend now. It's just going to be too expensive for me to drive up for a couple of days and some friends may go in a couple of weeks so I'm going to wait until then.
Hope you all have a great weekend! Think I may try to go to Chill Factor instead, although I'm sure it won't quite be the same!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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Glencoe looked shut when we drove past it earlier today, just before we hit the blizzard...
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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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That's it for us now. Legs are pretty much kaput, so the heavy clutch on my 306 will be fun for the 12 hours or so I expect to spend alternating between first and second gear on the way back to Brighton...
kiwi1, roga and the rest (who I only met by 'real name', god knows what their SH names are...) were all a rare joy to meet, cheers guys. At the time of writing I still owe roga a pint... sorry mate.
Today was snowier underfoot due to some overnight, really good, sadly the back corrie never opened but you can't have everything eh. Same again next year, then ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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paulio, thanks for the reports- the rest of you, pull yur fingers out and let us know what we missed!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ditto roga, will write a proper report later today!
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Deliaskis, glad to see you got back okay - was the trip okay?
I'm currently sitting in work not really being bothered to think seriously about doing anything and thinking about what I was doing this time yesterday... just about to arrive at Glencoe as I recall
Anyway,feeling very laid back today but if I get my s*t together will try to get a report done...
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roga, drive was fine after Glasgow, but a bit of a mare getting down Loch Lomond to Glasgow - I guess you sat in the same queue?
After that it was OK, but lost an hour in that pre-Glasgow queue.
Speak soon
D
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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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Sorry I couldn't be there but Saturday I was skiing new snow in Engelberg.
Was the back corrie actually closed or just Braveheart not open (which is normal) leaving you to traverse back around?
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Saturday I think back corries were closed - summit tow didn't open until about 3pm. Sunday the sign said back corries were offpiste and unpatrolled, hard and icy in places, avalanche debris, risk of cornice collapse, avalanche risk high (3) so i guess they were open on Sunday  . Decided not to risk it without avalanche gear. Plus I'd looked at the entry from Chancer on Saturday, and all the drop ins looked a bit hairy in the conditions. Anyway I had plenty of other skiing to do on the front face as tyhis weekend was the first time I've skied at Nevis. The Black down the side of the Warrens T-bar was particularly nice and the T-bar was remarkably empty.
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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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| roga wrote: |
| areas of nasty ice on the steep sections at the top |
Oh OK - I like steep but not icy.
Didn't know it was ever patrolled - but I suppose when Braveheart is open it must be.
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What a bank holiday weekend!
Anyone else who was there please correct any mistakes, omissions or downright untruths and apologies for the length, here goes:
Part 1 - Nevis
Friday - after an early morning flight into Glasgow and a beautiful journey up from there to Fort William, past Loch Lomond and through Glencoe, I got to Nevis at around 11.30 with VolklAttivaS5 who had arrived separately from Glasgow Airport. Due to high winds we found only a small part of the ski area open but our day tickets were accordingly reduced in price and we spent the next few hours skiing around the lower slopes which were offering a mixture of very firm hardpack and surface powder. Where the latter could be found (or hadn't been blown away  ) some nice turns could be had but with just a few lifts available only a very small part of the area could be explored (unless, of course, you happened to skin up The Goose as Dave Horsley did!).
I can't remember what time we came down but it wasn't that late, I do remember hoping the weather would be a bit better and more lifts open for everyone over the following days though! We met up with Dave, who had come over from Aberdeen, back at the B&B, chatted about the day and found out that he had been up the Goose but it was 'rather' windy up there. After splitting up for a freshen up we all headed out for a meal at the rather excellent Ben Nevis pub and restaurant and were later joined by ccl who was staying at another hotel. Being totally knackered by the time we had our meal we all headed back to our respective residences and I went out like a light!
Saturday - although breezy the weather looked reasonably good in the morning, although this being Scotland it's never easy to tell, the forecast suggested that the wind would die down during the day so we were hopeful at breakfast about the prospects for the day.
We met up with ccl in the morning and in the afternoon with Deliaskis and Mr Deliaskis. II (pronounced "aye, aye" - I was never sure if it was that or "2" in Roman numerals so at least I clarified that over the weekend ) managed to find us during the course of the morning and skied with us for most of the rest of the day too. We missed Palio and Mrs Paulio (sorry guys) but I believe they had a good day and all power to them for making the drive from Brighton to be there, a prize for the furtherest travelled in order I think!
My worry about the weather and number of lifts open the previous day proved to be unfounded with pretty much the whole area open (I think actually Braveheart might have been the only lift not open). The snow was similar to the previous day but topped up with some fresh so a combination of hard pack and powdery snow where it hadn't been scraped off by sideslipping boarders or snowploughing skiers (yup, there were even a few on the reds!). So good skiing all over the hill but the best to be found under the quad chair (some nice pockets of fresh) and on parts of The Goose.
During the course of the day we got the chance to meet kiwi1, who turned out to be a top bloke, and try out some of the Icelantic skis which were absolutely excellent so look out for them in the shops folks! Judging by the smiles on the faces of other people who were coming back after testing them as well as their comments, everyone who had a go thought they were great skis. One word of shame here - all the other manufacturers who had promised to come up bar, I think (and please correct me if I'm wrong kiwi1), Movement, who broke down half way and were really upset to miss the event, pulled out at the last minute. All the same the test was an absolute rip roaring success and the local skiers seemed to really appreciate the effort that kiwi1 had put in - a big thanks from me too for making a great weekend even better.
I think it was today that most of our posse got their first look into the Back Corries but they were closed due to treacherous conditions at the top, there were a number of ice climbers enjoying the conditions though which is always an interesting sight. I'm sure others can comment on their impression of what they saw (just don't mention the idiot peering into the wrong part of the corries saying the chair was buried  ) but they looked absolutely loaded with snow, far more than I recall in January.
At the end of the day we said goodbye to ccl who had to head back to Edinburgh to take a lesson at Hillend dry ski slope - thanks for coming ccl, great meeting you and skiing with you
That evening we briefly, and belatedly, met up with Paulio and then headed out for a really nice curry (now ye cannae do that in France!) which, despite a longer than expected wait turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. After that we were all so tired it was straight to bed to dream of more turns.
Sunday saw the weather improve further and the pistes freshened up with a few centimetres of new snow which made The Goose, wide as it was, even better for folk ripping it up on those fat skis from the ski test. In fact I think everyone appreciated the run which probably attracted the most attention during the day. Having mostly stuck together on Saturday we tended to head off in ones, twos and threes for most of the time bumping into each other (not literally) during the day to wave and grin. I skied much of the day with II and Dave Horsley and we covered a fair amount of terrain, including the black and red runs from the tow. We had all given the latter a go in the morning with varying degrees of success given the temporary whiteout conditions as snow came in heavly for around 20 minutes as we got to the top. I actually far preferred the black run, which, although narrower and icier, was less choppy and cut up (and not strewn with people who were possibly regretting trying it in the first place).
Lunch was had in the restaurant at the top of the gondola and I bumped into a few Winterhighlanders including the legendary George Patton (a veteran of the Scottish ski scene) who pointed out amongst some suitably gnarly freeskiers one of the brothers who won the film competition at the Columbia Rideweek in Courchevel earlier this year. I later discovered these guys had been skiing the back corries despite the ski patrols warnings of "treacherous" conditions - there's hardcore for ya!
Of the three days at Nevis I'd say the best conditions were on the Sunday, a decent amount of fresh in the morning with the hard base softening up nicely towards the middle of the day.
We later skied with Paulio and Mrs Paulio from the top of the mountain and bid them goodbye before their long trip back but it was just Dave and myself by the time we came down to the gondola. Here I spotted kiwi1 with all his gear ready to head down and then home so Dave, rather sensibly, headed off to get over to Cairngorm for the night rather than wait for me to stop yacking on. I said farewells to kiwi1 (took a while) then headed down the gondola myself, said goodbye to Nevis and wondered what Glencoe had in store for us.
All in all an excellent three days, one wasn't so good but in my opinion the other two more than made up for it.
That night those of us who were now left, myself, Deliaskis, Mr Deliaskis and VolklAttivaS5 headed to the rather excellent Crannog seafood restaurant in Fort William and then for a wee drink at the Ben Nevis. This was our last night in Fort William so we then headed back to sort out our stuff and get some sleep.
Part 2 - Glencoe
Monday saw us heading off to Glencoe which is about 30/40 minutes down the A82 on the route south. I really didn't know what to expect since I'd never skied there before but Deliaskis and hubby had and were very positive about the prospect of a re-visit. In the last year I've noticed more and more the passion a number of people have for this ski area, in fact it seems to garner more loyalty and passion than any other in Scotland. I have also become aware of it's reputation for natural, and sometimes rather gnarly terrain as well as it's superb snow holding record. Conversely it has a reputation for having some of the oldest and most basic facilities of any area in Scotland (now that's saying something!)
It's never a great idea to approach anything but the very best with too high hopes, because they are so often dashed, but I have to admit mine were dangerously high as we arrived. From the car park no runs were visible at all but the creaking old access chair was clearly running well and taking the few latecomers up the hill. We grabbed our tickets, or should I say the others grabbed their tickets whilst I tried to catch up (sorry guys), and then headed up the chair. What I found at the top was pretty amazing and for me like stepping back in time to the great days of Scottish skiing (ancient infrastructure and all!) - here laid out before us was a mountain that was loaded with snow and offering natural runs and hits in every direction, only in the beginners areas at the bottom and around some tow paths were the usually ubiquitous Scottish snow fences apparent. The rest of the mountain was, like the Alps, simply covered in snow with the occasional rocky outcrop and natural drop off but unlike the Alps there were no marked pistes so many people were choosing their own lines down the hill - amazing!
Now a place like this wouldn't be to everyone's liking, there are no high speed quads (instead an ancient single seater chair - the only one I've ever seen), no mountain restaurants (the area is small anyway) just a small cafeteria on the hill that was plainly bulging at the seams and a single loo for all comers, but it seemed like heaven for a few hours.
The snow was in my opinion the best we'd skied all weekend, every run was different because you had the whole mountain, barring natural obstacles, to play with and the lifts were surprisingly efficient at keeping queues to a minimum. The piste grading at Nevis was interesting to say the least, the blues seemed more like reds and the reds more like blacks and as for the black... well, it was apparently closed! A very good reason to head back though, The Flypaper (what images that conjures up!) is apparently the steepest black in Scotland. Looking at the terrain I'd guess there are some great opportunities for off piste too but the wind seemed to whip up whenever we headed out of the naturally sheltered main area so with limited time we explored the main 'pistes' which remained surprisingly calm and un-windswept.
For me Glencoe is a great revelation and I'd recommend it to anyone who isn't into stacking up the mileage on bland motorway pistes in the Alps and would like to try something different with some challenge thrown in. It has a feel and atmosphere all of it's own although it did remind me somewhat of Scotland in the old days when I used to watch in awe as expert skiers bombed down the mogulled White Lady on Cairngorm with legs glued together and their straight skis scarcely leaving the fall line. In those days of course the snow was always there and the cover wide and reliable in the winter and the days were sunny in between snowstorms and everyone was positive about the future. Yes, there were queues and some icy runs but it was great and we often skied into June. The problem these days is that as soon as I take the rose tinted spectacles off I realise the memory really does cheat about those days and in reality it was almost as marginal as it is now and there was ice and whiteouts and over-long queues most weekends and holidays and I only skied into June one year. At Glencoe on Monday though I didn't have those rose tinted spectacles and memories to cheat me, it really was the real deal, just like I thought it used to be but probably better!
The End
So there we go - all in all I think the trip was a great success, everyone has been very positive about the experience and some have expressed the wish for a return visit. The ski test went excellently and was enjoyed and appreciated by all and I got to visit what I now know is a fabulous little ski area, Glencoe, for the first time.
I'm up for another next year, anyone else? 
Last edited by 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  on Wed 26-03-08 10:58; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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sounds ace. really sorry we weren;t able to make it now 
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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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glad you had a good time, did you manage to ski (or even find) Spring Run at Glencoe?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Great report, roga, nice one! And great to meet you and the others.
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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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Dear all, sorry I couldn't join you this year, but maybe another time.
Roga, what a superb report about our wee ski resorts. You have have captured perfectly what it is like to have our wee resorts up here and how good they are. There are a lot of people up here who wouldn't be without them. Those people who poo poo them just don't know what they are missing.
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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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roga, Great report but:
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but the creaking old access chair was clearly running well and taking the few latecomers up the hill.
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Thats the new access chair, you should have seen the old one.
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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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easiski, They have replaced it with a very old fixed grip 2 seater.
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roga,
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| anyone fancy a May Day weekend jaunt up to Scotland |
yep - I'm thinking along those lines myself - this evening's BBC weather was predicting more snowfall this weekend. 
I'm of to St Anton this w/e, but will take a view when I get back
PS - why not change the title of this thread to .......May Day weekend YEEEHAAA!
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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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My last day skiing in Scotland in 2006 was 30th April (I think) and last year was 4th April so that makes me a May skiing virgin....
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| roga wrote: |
| BTW, anyone fancy a May Day weekend jaunt up to Scotland for some late season sliding and even sunbathing? |
Hmmm. might just check out the APEX train fares....
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FAQ
It's been snowing here on skye on and off all day but only lieing above 300ft or so. As I type this there is another beefy shower going on outside 
Now I understand. 