 Poster: A snowHead
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There's too much snow - seems the top lifts are endlessly being dug out. I was at Glencoe on Thursday and like Mosha Marc, says only the bottom half was open which unfortunately only opens up a small area. I opted for Nevis Range on Friday. There was more terrain open there and managed some great runs down The Goose.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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nickr, too much wind, not too much snow - every time they dig the lifts out the wind comes and fills it back in.
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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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So, with the Main basin T bar at the Coe...
Is the problem not caused by the fact that they're only really doing a perfunctory job or digging it out?
There's a huge trench down the north face of the hill. At the edge of the trench are piles of solid snow where it's been dug out. These solid lumps of snow aren't going to get worn down by the wind, they're there till summer. They help turn the lift line into a great big snow trap. Whatever way the wind blows (and boy has it blown this year) a huge proportion of the windblown snow is going to get blown into that huge bloody trench they've dug in the mountain. Once it's in there it aint coming out. And each time they dig it deeper it just makes it a more efficient snow trap.
Surely what they need to do is stick the pistbasher blade on at an angle and go up and down the lift track pushing the snow either west or eastwards far out of the way. Push it somewhere that it doesn't matter when the wind dumps more snow behind the pile.
Or run the pistebashers along the contours and shove the snow either onto the main basin or over to the Spring Run side.
What they're doing now is just pointless. King Canute would have sympathised.
Or they could just keep doing what they're doing now and hope the wind drops. 
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^ Uhmmm... do you not think they might have tried that ?
Easier said than done in the small weather windows - especially since the lower mountain lifts have also need regularly dug out before they can get to the top.
Here is an incredible photo of the West Wall chairlift at Cairngorm (not mine)
Pylons totally buried.
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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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| Quote: |
| ^ Uhmmm... do you not think they might have tried that ? |
Urm, no, not really. The impression I got from when I was there, and supported by various photos is that the've dug a humungous trench, and not tried to move the snow far from the lift track. I get the impression they're doing much of the work with diggers and by hand.
Until they manage to get the area under the pylons flat then they've no chance of stopping it filling with snow again.
If only they invented a bulldozer type machine capable of moving huge amounts of snow round the mountain...
Lovely pictures of the West Wall Chairlift, but largely irrelevant since the damn thing hasn't been used in years if not decades.
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TheGeneralist, but how would they get the piste basher under the tow when there is too much snow? I think they need to dig it out by hand first then perhaps if it ever stops snowing and blowing for long enough they might get the piste basher there.
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TheGeneralist : you seem to have no concept how much snow actually needs to be moved and also what a big task that is.
1. The tow cant be simply dug out with a groomer (as you would seriously risk damaging the cable / plyons and also the groomer)
2. Digging the top out will take several days of good weather and they haven't had such a window of opportunity.
3. The tows on the lower mountain have also needed to be dug out on almost daily basis.
4. Main Basin t-bar sits in a natural gully that has now been filled flat with 10m+ of snow.
5. The snow needs to be moved down the mountain somewhere....
Check this picture - and look at the *huge* volume of snow that has been moved to just above the canyon
https://www.facebook.com/GlencoeMountain/photos/a.112454045449052.13670.111429118884878/798939946800455/?type=1&theater
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Are there any decent bump runs in Scotland currently??
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
| but how would they get the piste basher under the tow when there is too much snow? I think they need to dig it out by hand first then perhaps if it ever stops snowing and blowing for long enough they might get the piste basher there. |
Agreed, once they've got the piste basher under the pylongs, which they've managed loads of times, they then need to keep going and continue moving snow until there is no ditch left. I appreciate this is a huge job, but the alternative is not running the lift and losing custom as a consequence. And the lifties losing heart as they continue with their Sisyphian Task of digging out the ditch only to watch it fill back in again the very next evening.
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| you seem to have no concept how much snow actually needs to be moved and also what a big task that is. |
I do. It's a huge task. Monumental. But that's what piste bashers are capable of and designed for.
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| 1. The tow cant be simply dug out with a groomer (as you would seriously risk damaging the cable / plyons and also the groomer) |
As noted above, they've had the tow dug out numerous times. The problem was that they then stopped with the job only 1/4 done.
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| 2. Digging the top out will take several days of good weather and they haven't had such a window of opportunity. |
Are piste bashers like BR trains, that only work when the weather's lovely?
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| 3. The tows on the lower mountain have also needed to be dug out on almost daily basis. |
Agreed. They have huge amounts of work to do and not enough man power.
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| 4. Main Basin t-bar sits in a natural gully that has now been filled flat with 10m+ of snow. |
Indeed hence this discussion
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| 5. The snow needs to be moved down the mountain somewhere.... |
Or across.
Don't get me wrong, I really feel for GlenCoe. It;s a nightmare situation the're in. Spending huge amounts of money trying to get the place usable and then losing out as the weather closes in again. They do seem to have done a bit better then last week or so, which is promising.
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^ the lower section of main basin t-bar sits in a natural gully (selected for its natural snow holding capability!)
its not as easy to move vast volumes of snow sideways as you suggest.
your random ranting implying that they don't know what they are doing is a classic case of "taxi driver" syndrome 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I don't know whether TheGeneralist is correct in his criticisms of how Glencoe are dealing with the huge amount of snow or not, but I do like his use of the phrase "Sisyphian Task"! 
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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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TheGeneralist, the issue is they aren't getting the chance to lower the sides, but if both sides of the line get sufficiently cleared then they can use rotary cutter in the trench, but they need to get enough clearance under the towers first (a third of the T-bars have been taken off to require less clearance). Given the drifting over the past week while the effort might seem pointless, the towers and haul rope in Ski Tow Gully would have been out of sight without it!
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| Quote: |
| your random ranting implying that they don't know what they are doing is a classic case of "taxi driver" syndrome |
It's not randon ranting. It's putting forward a point of view for discussion. Which is what the forum is for.
And I didn't say it was easy. Nobody saaiid it was eaeasy. But it still might be worth considering, as the current option aint working.
What's your proposed solution? Spend day after day digging out the trench and then watch it get filled in again the following day?
Have you not noticed how similar the profile of this trench is to the standard Scottish ski run with snow fences. Since all the blummin snow fences are now 3m under, the only sheltered part of the mountain is this trench, and that's where the snow's headed.
I suppose the problem will go away once it melts.. 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Are piste bashers like BR trains, that only work when the weather's lovely? |
If the snow is drifting then with the piste bashers effectively working at (or below) ground level the drifting is frequently creating zero visibility - they have to be able to see to work in such close proximity to the towers and haul rope, one mistake and it's potentially game over for the season with the lift.
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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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Is it a completely unfair assessment to summarise along these lines:
- Scotland longs for snow that is as good as any proper ski area;
- To celebrate the emergence of this proud, near independent, nation, the weather Gods sprinkle even better snow than proper ski areas are getting;
- Scotland is reminded of how like the rest of Britain it is by not being able to cope with this gift from the Gods?
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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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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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emwmarine, They have record levels of snow, you know like they do in Italy where loads of resorts didn't open their lifts until they had dealt with the high snow falls recently. Scotland also has gale force winds >100mph, this has affected uplift as well, you know the same as it does in every resort in the world.
kitenski, no idea as I've not been in the UK since Christmas but in 09/10 where there was also huge amounts of snow the White Lady was left to develop bumps.
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White Lady was not bumpy on the one run I got on it yesterday before they closed the tow again, it was in cracking condition though. The wind was such that even though the tow had just been opened, the uplift track was already filling up with snow and was full of 1-2ft ridges of snow drift - snowboarders dropping like flies 
There were plenty of people walking up from the Coire Cas T bar.
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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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I skinned right across the roof of the Glencoe ski patrol hut yesterday and but for the marker pole, wouldn't have even realised it was there. It's now buried beneath a level snowfield that's just a continuum of the main basin. Staff access to the front door is down a 6 foot drop through a snowhole.
Patrol hut yesterday versus early winter ...
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Lets hope it lasts till Easter 
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| kitenski wrote: |
| Are there any decent bump runs in Scotland currently?? |
I didn't see any at all last week - it's just too windy.
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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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I hope it's all ok, my sone is at Abernethy ski centre this week, no idea if they are skiing at The Lecht or Caingorm though. I susspect Caingorm by the lack of snow at Lecht.
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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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I know Dulsie Bridge very well. Must have been amazing to see the water up to bridge level. At Randolph`s Leap, down the river a bit, there`s a marker stone just below the road that shows where the water came up to in a flood back in the 1800`s.
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According to the BBC last night there is a significant risk of snowmelt in the next couple of days. I had planned a trip the Glenshee on Saturday but the forecast is for strong winds and, depending on which forecast you look at, either heavy rain or sleet/snow. Either way it isn't a forecast of a good experience, so I may wait and see what happens next week with the forecast high pressure coming in. Hopefully that won't mean that the snow gets very wet this weekend and then freezes to an ice pack.
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You know it makes sense.
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moffatross, the snow patrol hut photo is crazy!
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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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Deedee, yeah that's the one I was thinking about. The gorge below Randolphs must have NUTS!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Glencoe reported an average of 602cms across its upper slopes on 10th march. There have been losses and gains since then but probably that is still accurate although parts of the spring run are exceeding 10 m. The Only other resort with a greater average depth on its upper runs is a small resort in northern Italy. Impressive. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So much snow in spring run at the moment.
Couldn't get close to the flypaper but reports were that a big chunk of it had slid over the past couple of days.
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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.
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I was at Cairngorm yesterday. Was so windy I saw a boarder get blown over the fence at the flat bit of the traverse. Great snow, weather just a bit mental
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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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Heard from friends that it was much better today Deedee, although it wasn't promising to start with.
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