 Poster: A snowHead
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@moffatross, @Winterhighland, thanks for those great photos. 
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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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What's the skiing like in scotland mid-late april - likely to be enough to have some good skiing ?
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| Quote: |
| What's the skiing like in Scotland mid-late april - likely to be enough to have some good skiing ? |
Historically, there is usually some decent skiing to be had in mid-April in Scotland - but that's not always the case. Cairngorm tends to have the longest season, with Glencoe up there as well, with skiing sometimes into May. However, it's not unknown for the lifts to stop spinning in mid-April.
All being well - and barring torrential/pressure hose rain and high frezing levels - we could well be looking okay for mid-April cover at this stage.
A further point is that 'good skiing' is fairly subjective - one man's good skiing can be another man's poor cover or ice...And cover could well be limited to higher runs, albeit it with pretty decent snow depths if conditions are anything like normal for mid April.
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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: |
| yep, I hope the weather models that I'm looking at (for next weekend) are wrong |
Snow-forecast.com is at least now showing higher freezing levels - albeit it with snow/poor visibility. Winds may be looking ok (at least on Saturday) too. So Thunderbirds may well yet be GO! 
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@mountainaddict, thanks, I'm thinking of going up staying with relatives (north glasgow), I'll just have to monitor conditions closer to the time, basically would be looking for something better than a snowdome
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@Little Martin, Glencoe often shuts due to lack of skiers, not lack of snow!!
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Little Martin We ski tour into late June most years - well after the lifts close. At that time both Cairngorm and Glencoe usually have much more extensive skiing available than a snowdome (3-400 metres vertical at C'gorm  ) so you should be okay in April.
As you say though, the trick is to monitor the weather and - no matter how desperate you are to ski - not go if the forecast is poor.
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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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There has been more fresh snow overnight in Glencoe, possibly 4-6 inches suggested on the winterhighland website.
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Was at Glencoe yesterday. Pretty busy and plenty of snow. Every run i think was open. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| Glencoe: Every run i think was open |
Except low level ones back to the car park?
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Glencoe: Every run i think was open |
Except low level ones back to the car park? |
Just to the top of the access chair.
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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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Was up Glencoe on Sunday and had one of the best mornings skiing ever. There were fresh tracks to be had in many places, both obvious and tucked away. And very few folk up in the early part of the morning. Flypaper opened up but was a bit choppy towards the bottom. Legs done by lunchtime with no queues... It's been loading up again over the last 24hrs it seems but who knows where it has ended up in the wind. Fair weather looking set for the weekend.
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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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In the car now en route to a two day west coast blast - Glencoe and Nevis beckon. Can't wait - it's looking epic - trip report to follow...
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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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Bit murky at Glencoe yesterday but still plenty snow. I managed to fall most of the way down the bottom section of the spring run 
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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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Coe on Saturday:
Loads of snow, very very deep. But wet and a bit uninspiring. Flypaper was completely banked out. Almost fresh tracks on the top section to skier's left of the normal entry.
Nevis on Sunday:
Much much less snow than the Coe on the front mountain. Icy first thing then nice through the afternoon. Soft off piste. The back corries were amazing though. And Braveheart actually ran. First time in about 14 years I've caught it.
Did Easy gully for the first time in my life and it didn't dissappoint. I felt a bit stupid asking Ski Patrol to point me in the direction of it, but he did. Stopped about 5m short and did up my bindings etc then shuffled over and dropped straight in. Wasn't convinced my skis would stay on, but they did and I stayed upright. Did a couple of lovely turns on the gully sides and flew down. The corrie below was almost untracked and quite good skiing in the softening slow. Would have been ideal an hour earlier, but ho hum. The corrie is absolutely loaded right down to the foot of Braveheart. To be honest I think they built the ski area in the wrong place. 
That corrie really is mind blowing. Absolutely amazing. If you ski the front of Nevis Range then it's ok, but nothing special. But the back corries when they run are just mind blowing. Alas I couldn't persuade the wife to board it in the afternoon, hope I don't have to wait another 14 years to try again.
Does anyone have a link to those stunning pics of |Easy Gully that were posted a few years/months back? Can't find them
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We're heading up to Fort William on Monday and if the weather gods are with us hope to ski Glencoe (or Nevis if it's possible to ski back to the gondola station) for a couple of days. If anyone is about it would be cool to say hi. I'll be riding on Karma's, in an orange jacket, Heli-pack and green\white hat 
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We're up here for a few days and hope to do the Nevis back corries, but didn't ski today: Fresh snow above 600m, but unfortunately limited action on Nevis today due to high winds, and forecast doesn't look much better for the next few days 
Glencoe was fun yesterday however....
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I`m heading up Glencoe or Nevis tomorrow. If the weather behaves
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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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Nevis started windy,then eased by lunchtime when they opened the summit tow, so spent the afternoon lapping the back Corrie's which were sublime with 20 cm of fresh snow.
I can now die a happy man....
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Absolutely fabulous at Glencoe today. Fresh tracks all morning and superb runs off flypaper right down to their top of the access chair. Best skiing I've had all season. Back to winter yesterday and today!
If you haven't had enough skiing yet this season Gert up to Glencoe. I heard they intend to run until the first May bank holiday. Huge amounts of snow above 2500'. Exhausted now. Work tomorrow. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Nevis was alright today but my skiing was the worst in years! And i managed to rip my jacket on the last run of the day.
Another day or two at Glencoe hopefully and that`ll be the season done.
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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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Mini tour on Cairngorm, up Fiacaill ridge and hoping to ski Point 5 gulley, but wind had reached gale force up top and difficult to skin without being blown over so skiid the headwall and back for coffee & cake.
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Glencoe reporting 705cms depth in the mainbasin yesterday.
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You know it makes sense.
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So... Based on the above what're the odds of me being able to ski at Glencoe (or anywhere else) on the 9th or 10th of May?
It's my birthday weekend so considering going over to get some skiing in, normally I would just play it by ear but I'm trying to get some people up from down south. Obviously it's not going to be possible to say what the weather is going to be like so I'll have to have a backup plan, but do we think there's going to be plenty of snow left?
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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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@bobmcstuff, I would guess that you're pretty much guaranteed snow in the Main Basin down to the bottom of the Canyon. Glencoe sometime closes due to lack of skiers, not snow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@bobmcstuff, we drove past yesterday and its arguably holding more snow than I've see before. Hissing it down with rain today so we hope to get there tomorrow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| bobmcstuff wrote: |
So... Based on the above what're the odds of me being able to ski at Glencoe (or anywhere else) on the 9th or 10th of May?
It's my birthday weekend so considering going over to get some skiing in, normally I would just play it by ear but I'm trying to get some people up from down south. Obviously it's not going to be possible to say what the weather is going to be like so I'll have to have a backup plan, but do we think there's going to be plenty of snow left? |
Glencoe is closing on 4th May.
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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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Have you got touring kit bobmcstuff? That may be your only chance of skiing in mid-May. There WILL be enough snow for a meaningful ski at that time as lack of skier numbers will unfortunately probably mean that the lifts will be closed. In mid and late June last year we skied pretty wide cover in the Main Basin at Glencoe and in the Ciste Gulley at Cairngorm.
In which case, your choices would be using the gondola at Nevis or chairlift at Glencoe for access to the snow - unfortunately Cairngorm doesn't allow use of the funicular for access to remaining snow once the ski area is closed. So you would have to hike all the way up to the snow there - although there's the possibility that there could be snow remaining in the Cas Gulley (ie at a lower level than walking all the way up).
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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 do not own touring kit but would consider renting it, I know Braemar Mountain Sports rent it out quite reasonably and also give guidance on routes. I don't have much experience with touring and off piste so I would have to be confident that wherever I was going was fairly safe.
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A nice day up and Glencoe. The rain had taken some of the snow and we lapped the Spring Run and Flypaper which were the highlights. Very nice.
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A remarkable range of temperatures across the UK yesterday. In the south east it has been unusually warm.
At 12:45 yesterday it was -0.8c on Meall y bhuird 3600' (summit of the ski runs Glencoe). Meanwhile at 12:00 central London was apparently reporting 22c
That's a 23c difference across an Atlantic island !
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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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@Peter S, were you there yesterday?
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| Quote: |
| I don't have much experience with touring and off piste so I would have to be confident that wherever I was going was fairly safe |
Same as us bobmcstuff - we've never ski toured in the Alps in the depths of winter/spring without a guide. However, we have ventured into the Highlands in April/May/June for the last 4 years since buying touring kit - mainly to ski the remaining (generally well consolidated) snow on the ski resort ski runs, although we have ventured over the back at Cairngorm to ski some fairly mellow terrain there. The biggest concern has always seemed to be the threat of the 'piste' collapsing into the river below - particularly in the Ciste Gully at Cairngorm. The sound of water rushing below your feet can be a bit disconcerting! However, it's usually easy to spot where not to go - eg see my photo of 30 March of the Ciste Gully above.
For beginners purposes, I'd suggest that the Ptarmigan Bowl at Cairngorm (and also possibly the Ciste), Main Basin at Glencoe and Goose Gully at Nevis would be decent/mellow/safe enough for you. You'd have to walk all the way up at Cairngorm but can use the Glencoe Access Chair for £10 return. I assume you could also use the Nevis Gondola too (?).
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Thu 16-04-15 12:58; edited 1 time in total
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FAQ
?? Fri at Glencoe and Sat at Nevis....C'est la vie in the lap of the mountain gods! Still had a good time and made the best of the excellent snow cover - although Glencoe got a bit sticky in places. Particularly enjoyed Nevis - no queues whatsoever on a Bank Hol weekend. Great 
