 Poster: A snowHead
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This might sound silly at first, but humour me please. Skiing in Scotland this season, I've noticed quite a wide range of difficulty in runs designated Red (given similar snow conditons). For example, the furthest east run at Glenshee felt about blue, whilst the Spring Run at Glencoe was intimidatingly steep even with good soft snow. The Goose at Nevis felt somewhere in the middle. Can I ask the forum opinion on what would be squarely in the middle of 'Scottish Red run' difficulty?
The reason I ask is, I've become comfortable on every blue run I've tried, in a range of snow conditions, and I've decided to step up and do the same on reds. Using a concept borrowed from climbing, I like to be 'consolidated' at a level of difficulty before stepping up so that I don't get ahead of myself and can deal with all different styles and conditions of piste at a certain grade. I could end up in a sketchy situation if I ski solely on soft touch reds then try a top end black, thinking I'm ready for it. I'm all up for pushing myself to improve, but see completely bricking it and/or getting injured as counterproductive. So, what runs would you say are about average, and what might be a good test at the top end before moving up to black? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think you have worked it out quite well yourself, the goose is a good Scottish red (the top section anyway) and a good one to practice. Others would be the White lady at Cairngorm and the red off Glas maol at Glenshee. I don't think the Spring Run is that much of a step up (it is a great ski run though). I was skiing Warrens at Nevis at the weekend, very enjoyable and may be a good one for your first black run (pretty sure it used to be graded red) and is probably comparable to the Spring Run in difficulty. Leave the Flypaper at Glencoe until you are comfortable on steep terrain, although short it is comparable in gradient to some of the steeper blacks in the alps.
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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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@Taurig,
You've alluded to the problem in giving an accurate reply in your post.
Namely snow conditions. In all honesty the toughest black run can ski easier in good snow than the easiest blue in bad.
The steepest section of the spring run is in all honesty as steep as many blacks, but if you ski ablack run when it's icy you could end up cursing the comparison.
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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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Spring Run at Glencoe is a normal Scottish red when they leave it alone and you 've got some moguls to play in. However, I was up there a few weeks ago and they groomed it to take away a steep drop of corniced snow (very dangerous in the flat light). Once groomed, it was an off camber piste with another drop caused by the pistey beasty and was definitely a black. Glas Maol is pretty straight forward most of the time. White Lady is a standard red, although it can get a bit scraped and hardpacked at times, so you want some good edges.
As T Bar points out, they don't and can't groom to the same standards in Austria or France, so the conditions underfoot vary from day to day - main basin in glencoe in heavy snow can be as hard as any red anywhere and it's classified as a blue. The Goose is the same.
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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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| sledger wrote: |
| Leave the Flypaper at Glencoe until you are comfortable on steep terrain, although short it is comparable in gradient to some of the steeper blacks in the alps. |
I believe the Flypaper is significantly steeper than an(y) Alpine black.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@moffatross, Never skied Flypaper, but there are definitely a fair few alpine runs that are around the 40 degree mark - which I understand is what Flypaper is.
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Ive never skied anything on piste in the Alps anywhere near as steep as the Flypaper. even the HariKari at Mayrhofen is winched. I don't think that would be possible for the Flypaper.
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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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Thanks for the replies, it's good to know that I was along the right lines. I thought Spring Run was great and I lapped it a few times, I think what might have made it a little intimidating at first was the slope feels convex and you don't know 'til near the end how steep it gets. Felt much steeper than Glenshee runs either way.
Just need to get the miles in and build confidence now; on my steepness limit I'm doing short skidded turns and more traversing than I'd like to avoid building up more speed than I can handle. Sadly it looks like time is running out for the Scottish season. 
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@Haggis_Trap, is the Fly actually marked? I see no poles... 
A terrific pitch.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Everything in Scotland is a black run....
I need to stop going north when it's whiteout and icey... 
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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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@under a new name, there's a black pole at the top of the official fly paper start and a red pole near it at the top of the spring run. You often have to cut round a boulder field to get onto the flypaper so actually usually start on the SR. Both poles are quite rusty. There are quite a few new signs around the rest of the area and lots of poles dividing Happy Valley from Cam Gleann (ski area boundary, significant slope on the other side).
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| Peter S wrote: |
| Ive never skied anything on piste in the Alps anywhere near as steep as the Flypaper. |
Yep, that's my experience too.
| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
| Never skied Flypaper |
Bucket list it. It's kind of out on its own amongst runs marked on piste maps. What other runs have you skied in Scotland ?
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You know it makes sense.
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Yep, Flypaper is pretty unique in my experience. Only marked runs I've seen which come close were ungroomed double-diamond terrain across the Atlantic.
I had a near-death experience with the rocks directly below the skier in @Haggis_Trap's photo a few years ago... Lost an edge right at the top in firm-but-on-the-turn spring snow, went into an accelerating head-first slide on my back down the slope. Was trying to flip right over to get an edge in (a great emergency snowboard technique in this situation!) and finally managed it, flipped back onto my feet and rode away. Mate then pointed out that I'd flipped right over the rocks just before my head hit them!
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