 Poster: A snowHead
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I am keen on hearing any info on the state of scottish snowsports in the next couple of days. I have been on all the usual sites but I think u cant beat information from an impartial source. Kind of dissappointed it has taken a bit of a turn for the worse since early december.
I myself was at cairngorm on the 6th of december and had some decent skiing. It didnt look too inspiring from the car park though. Went down the traverse and zig-zag runs which got extremely narrow towards the bottom. Had alot of fun in the ptarmigan bowl and the unpisted area of to the side of it. I did bite off more than I could chew though going down the m2. It took me around 20 minutes. It was the first time out on my new skis and I didnt want to cut up the bases. There were rocks everywhere towards the bottom with the m2 only being around 8ft across at the botom with rocks protruding within those 8feet. That said, u really can not beat real snow. with the opening of the xscape in glasgow there may be an increase in pressure on cairngorm etc to invest in more snow cannons. Anyway i have forgotten what my point was 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have you tried winterhighland.com ? Always pretty accurate assessment of conditions, and five day forecasts. Limited sport on offer at the moment - only Ptarmigan tow open at CG, and beginners runs at Glenshee and Lecht. After the Lord Mayors Show you might say since late Nov early Dec action this year. A few patches around, and a big storm would be enough to get things going. It'll come - but no-one knows when! C'est la vie...
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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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not much open, Cairngorm lost the upper bowl overnight due to a heavy thaw
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Hey guys, hope you all have a good 2006.
Was up CairnGorm yesterday. Nice route down Marquis' Well, Ptarmigan traverse, then the Traverse to the 105 hairpin, with only small break outside the Ptarmigan station and at the bottom of Marquis' Well.
http://www.highland-instinct.co.uk/cairngorm/winter200506/jan06/14/index.html
Lots of ice up there. Solid base. If only the huge November dump hadn't vanished in that brief mild spell, because it would then all be consolidated...
See you all up there.
Sample pic, top of the Ptarmigan 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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Ptarmigan looks skiable....with harscheisen 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Stunning pics firsttracks. The ice climbing must be good !
Was over on Macdui New Years Eve and was impressed by the cover between Carn Lochan and Mcdui. Most of that must still be there.
Hope we get something soon !
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Looking at the CML Daylodge camera and this mornings BBC forecast it looks like the Cairngorms precipitation deflectors have been in full operation and there has been little new snow either overnight or so far today. Base looks good though now all we need is something skiable on top of it.
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Thanks guys.
Dave Horsley, in terms of new snow there really hasn't been anything. I mean, the 'snow' (read: boilerplate) on the hill at the moment is only really what fell at the end of November. Snow since then fell and was thawed away. The most probable reason for the thaws was due to the amount of heat (read: anger) radiating from Cameron McNeish's house after witnessing the early snowfalls and having the ice climbers out hacking their way up margional routes.
See you all up there sometime - no doubt be seeing you on the hill sooner or later Dave. My description at Glenmore campsite was pretty shoddy, but you'll recognise my ski gear if you see it - that's me in the first photo on the site.
Cheers
Jamie
PS. If conditions don't improve I think I'll be setting up camp in Marquis' Well!! Now we begin wishing that CML had that summit tow.. Snowsports would have been ongoing since November, and would continue into May or even beyond in a good winter! Anybody else think the placement of their two new Ptarmigan Bowl tows being installed is pretty shocking? I mean, on either side of the Ciste T-Bar means that when they are operating they won't offer any additional accessible areas, and won't make a huge deal of difference! At the very least, they could have doubled up the Ptarmigan T-Bar; there is the space to do it, and definitely the demand.
I would have liked to see one running up from the Ptarmigan Station along the Ptarmigan traverse snowfence to the top of the T-Bar, and then look at an additional drag lift or something up Marquis' Well. Let's face it, the terrain park folk would be happy, almost guaranteed snow into the late season to keep the majority happy, plus of course access to some of the best off-piste areas in Scotland within a ski patrol boundary (Coronation Wall, Head Wall, and outwith the boundary even the gullies and couloirs in Sneachda!)! Well, we can dream
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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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firstracks, I'll be up Sunday, I'm doing an avalanche awareness course at Glenmore. Hacking snowpits in the boilerplate could be fun.
I noticed where they had positioned one of the tows, running up past the top of the Ciste tow, which seemed reasonably sensible as it would give a bit of extra height above the Ciste tow. That was using the old link poma, so I'm not sure how far down the bowl the start of the tow will be. However I can't see why you'd want a third tow in almost the same location, but I hadn't noticed anywork on the foundations for the second of the new tows last time I was up have they been working on it since mid december or was it hidden under the snow we had then? They might not want to double up the ptarmigan tow as these are supposed to be absolute beginner tows and they might want to avoid the steeper section of the ptamigan tow, but I wouldn't want three tows in roughly the same area.
Yes I'd love to see a summit tow up Marquis's well, properly sited you'd need little or no fencing and it wouldn't sky line. It would provide gauranteed late season snow ( a skinned up and over to the plateaux late last year). I'm also unsure why CML don't set up a portable tow above the Ptarmigan tow to service the terrain park.
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Hi Dave.
The CairnGorm pistemap shows where the two new lifts are going in:
http://ski.visitscotland.com/ski_centres/cairngorm/pistemap
Not exactly the best placement, and not the most snow sure areas on the hill. There are certainly more worthwhile places for them. On one hand though, I can vaguely see the point of having one there, and that would be to provide beginners with an additional short run when the bottom of the Fairway is broken.
I remember hearing that they had considered doubling the Ptarmigan T-Bar in the past, as there is certainly the space to do so, and it would help increase uplift capacity to shorten those massive queues that build up there. The potential of development in the Ptarmigan bowl area definitely has not been fully explored - overcrowding wouldn't be a problem either due to the size of the area of the hill in question, and the lifts of course would swallow the numbers so there would in reality be around the same number or even less people on the piste at any one time.
Although having said that, I'd rather see them building lifts to access new areas than see them doubling up other lifts. Yes doubled lifts would swallow the numbers, but other lifts spread the load out more.
That map (link above) also betrays another home truth as regards the lifts, or rather the future of some particular existing lifts on the hill (  ) that I can't talk to you about just yet - my mouth is firmly shut unfortunately!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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firstracks, that has to be the worst piste map I've ever seen! As a drawing it's fine, but even knowing Cairngorm as well as I do it's hard to make out where is where! I notice the absence of the Ciste chairs (presumably what you're referring to), they seemto be getting rid of all the good skiing on the mountain - East and West wall of the Ciste, lower part of the Ciste - Corrie Laoughie Mhor (sp?) - no wonder they're not making any money! AFAIK there's always been some sort of political problem with a tow above the Ptarmigan T bar. Something to do with access to RSPB land .....
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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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CML have already said they are going to decommission the ciste and west wall chairs (which is I think a mistake as once they are gone if they do get any money it may be dificult to get permission to replace them), but what Jamie may be refering to is the missing Aonach poma - maybe that is going elsewhere. Bear in mind though that the lift map is the visit scotland map not CML's map which has the redundant lifts (Ciste and WW chair, aonach poma, faicaill tow) though possibly that is for navigation reasons. Wouldn't want the punters skiing down the Ciste, past the bottom of the ciste tow and onto the top of the west wall and arriving at the WW chair towers looking at the piste map and not seeing them marked.
You can still ski the West wall and Aonach bowl and most of the Ciste gulley using the WW poma (though it could get very busy if we have decent snow) what becomes dificult is the east wall and gulley 2 in particular. They are going to be left to those of us who have tele and/or AT kit and can skin back to the WW poma - not ideal. If there is snow you could ski all the way to the Ciste Car park and get the bus back round to the Cas side, but again not ideal.
easiski, I thought CML had in the past got planning permission for a summit tow up Marquises Well and I think that area is not owned by RSPB (but I may be wrong).
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PS it looks from the webcams that there has been a little snow overnight down to Daylodge level.
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You know it makes sense.
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Interesting that you have land owned by the RSPB up there. Down here in on the Wiltshire Hampshire border they have just bought there first 900 acres of farmland and have stated that they intend to buy more 
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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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fingers crossed for this weekend, Cairngorm says:
Road Status
CLOSED: Drifting snow. Ploughs working.
regards,
Greg
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Poster: A snowHead
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Road Status
CLOSED: Drifting snow. Ploughs working.
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One of the best bits of the hill for collecting large quantities of snow is the link road - another reason for not decommissioning the Ciste Chair as if the Ciste chair is running can use the Ciste car park. Didn't look to be enough snow on the webcam to close the road, but who knows.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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are there any webcams on the west coast? looks like they should be getting more showers today!
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brian
brian
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ta Brian,
So it does look like precipatation is around 
regards,
Greg
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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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brian
brian
Guest
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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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Anybody ski in Scotland last weekend?
In Glen Shiel last weekend to bag a few munros. Lots of skiable gullies and some seriously steep lines off heavily loaded lee slopes - 200m vertical possible. I was content to glissade down gentler slopes - fresh butt tracks everywhere 
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