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?
MONDAY 28 DECEMBER 2020
Day 6 for the 2020/21 Winter Season in the Brecon Beacons National Park
Calm & clear in the pre-Dawn light but then the mist appeared and settled in for the day
Bumped in to Nerys’ nephews Will and Greg on the way up and then skied with Chris and gave a lesson on how to manage the Beacons snow and terrain to Jess
Great effort from Jess on her first day skiing in the Beacons, and only her second day on skis
The turns were great though, all the way back to the bridge
I'm delighted to be able to report that I interviewed @Mike Pow in Episode 65 of The Ski Podcast, when he revealed all his 'skiing in Wales' secrets...
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
We've had a cold couple of weeks in Wales with the mountains consistently sub-zero. Fantastic conditions in the Western Beacons in particular - allowing for some lines that are not usually possible! The snow is also building up nicely in the more 'snow sure' Central Beacons for when temperatures creep up a little bit next week..
My partner Jess has been up (after one lesson in Tamworth), she's had a lesson in the Central Beacons from @MikePow and is now starting to link parallel turns, controlling speed in more marginal snowcover using the terrain and just gaining loads of confidence!
Despite all the restrictions etc, interest in the Welsh Backcountry scene has been huge.. like 1980's rope tow level huge
I set off from the Llyn y Fan Fach car park in Llanddeusant around 6am to catch sunrise coming up over Fan Foel and then make ‘golden hour’ turns on the snow covered slope
I was in position, waiting for Chris (@chrismorrismighty) to launch the drone, when the skies darkened; we lost the light; and big, dry flakes started tumbling out of the sky
After consulting the radar map we could see the next front was rolling in quicker, earlier, and with more force than forecast
So it was combat skiing in low light back to the car to avoid getting stuck in the Llanddeusant valley
There was close to 5cm on the car and road when I set off for home with many not heeding my warning to turn around
The uphill sections had traction, but on the downhill I was freewheeling in neutral, handbrake on, steering with and against the slide to avoid the ditch and hedgerows
Any touch of the brake would send the car skidding
Those who left after me were stuck and/or had slid off the road, and it was a long wait for the local farmers to pull them out
Although the Western Brecon Beacons is on the doorstep of ‘civilisation’, when the weather turns it becomes wilderness very, very quickly
Stunning, really stunning, pictures on your Instagram
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rungsp wrote:
Stunning, really stunning, pictures on your Instagram
Thanks very much
Awesome conditions
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Marvellous Mike Pow - thanks for posting
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?
@Mike Pow, Fantastic. I remember walking the area not long ago and thinking it had potential. As you say, I imagine the lanes must get tricky once the snow comes down.
@Mike Pow, Fantastic. I remember walking the area not long ago and thinking it had potential. As you say, I imagine the lanes must get tricky once the snow comes down.
Cheers
Short but very, very sweet. The lake backdrop is hard to beat.
Day 9 for the 2020/21 Winter Season in the Brecon Beacons National Park
Chris (@chrismorrismighty) & I met up with photographer and YouTube vlogger Gareth Danks (@gareth_danks) for what we were all hoping would be another spectacular sunrise, and great sunlit turns off Fan Foel
It started off well but as soon as we got to lake level the visibility became like being on the inside of a golf ball!
We waited out the storm at ‘Bar Brycheiniog’ (images 2, 3 & 4) but with no end in sight to the biting winds (-10 C at best) we skied back to the car following the path
@Mike Pow, What a truly epic day that must have been. Thanks for posting.
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.
@Mike Pow, Thanks for sharing - best day ever in Wales?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Amazing photos. looks like you had a blast!!
Make the most of it while you can you lucky *****
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
cad99uk wrote:
@Mike Pow, What a truly epic day that must have been. Thanks for posting.
Fantastic. Thanks for commenting.
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.
russ_e wrote:
@Mike Pow, Thanks for sharing - best day ever in Wales?
My pleasure. Thanks for the comment.
Up there in the Top 3 for sure.
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
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
brianatab wrote:
Amazing photos. looks like you had a blast!!
Make the most of it while you can you lucky *****
Cheers. Yes fantastic time.
Trying my best.
I'm now up to 11 days (one more report to come), Chris is on 22!
My season best - back in 09/10 - is 31.
Snow forecast tonight, and later in the month.
Chris should smash my best, fingers crossed.
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 Thu 4-02-21 11:06; edited 1 time in total
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
SATURDAY 09 JANUARY 2021
Day 11 for the 2020/21 Winter Season in the Brecon Beacons National Park
A late afternoon solo jaunt to ski Picws Du overlooking Llyn y Fan Fach in the western Brecon Beacons
60 minutes from car park to peak; a few photos in beautiful pink light; then the mist descended and it was combat turns back to the lake
Despite the limited visibility there is always something very special being able to ski beside a lake or the ocean
Day 12 for the 2020/21 Winter Season in the Brecon Beacons National Park
A late afternoon solo jaunt to see how much snow had fallen during the latest storm around Llyn y Fan Fach
Surprisingly enough to make turns all the way back to the ridge which overlooks the car park
The steeper faces weren’t loaded enough to ski so it was ‘meadow skipping’ as the sun went down, but the late afternoon light against the rocks and snow covered slopes was majestic
Day 13 for the 2020/21 Winter Season in the Brecon Beacons National Park
Another late afternoon solo jaunt to Llyn y Fan Fach
Fantastic visibility afforded views of the Welsh coast, the sea golden in the afternoon sun; the green managed landscapes of agricultural Carmarthenshire; the snow covered slopes; the lake; waterfalls; and the action of the wind blowing the snow creating frozen shapes and scenes within scenes
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
very similar to a day I had at start of season, except you can see more!