 Poster: A snowHead
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| bambionskiis wrote: |
| When is the best month usually to ski in Scotland? If we don’t get to Canada again at Christmas I’m happy to tootle up North. Is it worth the trek? |
Not at Xmas, that's for sure. Often the season is just about starting now. March / April often the best.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great thanks for that kitenski
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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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@bambionskiis, although this season, snow cover is currently deteriorating (having been excellent for most of the season so far), and the medium term outlook is poor for snowfall prospects.
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Ah right that’s a shame then. Just your luck year-on-year I guess. With the resorts being shut I’ve not been able to keep up with snow depths etc so I wasn’t sure
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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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@bambionskiis, your also best deciding the night before based how much wind/rain/snow is forecast even if there is enough snow on the ground
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| kitenski wrote: |
| @bambionskiis, your also best deciding the night before based how much wind/rain/snow is forecast even if there is enough snow on the ground |
Righty ho. I’m the sort of person who is quite happy pootling about so would find other stuff to do if the conditions weren’t great so this doesn’t bother me. It looks such a beautiful part of the world I’d just be happy with the scenery. Thank you 
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Sounds good to me brian.
Variable sounds like you’re being generous 
And don’t us skiers laugh in the face of wind and cold?!! We’ve done a few trips to Norway and Finland (-21 yoiks) and yes it’s not ideal but hey, it is what it is.
Cheers
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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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| bambionskiis wrote: |
And don’t us skiers laugh in the face of wind and cold?!! We’ve done a few trips to Norway and Finland (-21 yoiks) and yes it’s not ideal but hey, it is what it is.
Cheers |
Yes, but minus 3 on a Scottish Hill in horizontal gale blown sleet kicks the back bottom of -20 in the alps or elsewhere. 
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| Quote: |
| Not at Xmas, that's for sure. |
Not sure at all. Historically, Cairngorm has often had skiing in December - with skiing fron November not uncommon.
Can't remember if the lifts were open (seems like a past life now...  ) but there was enough snow for us to ski tour there between Christmas and New Year in the last two Decembers before lockdown.
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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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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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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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| Quote: |
You would come all the way up from Leeds for that amount of snow in 1994 pic?
I'll need a lot more snow just for the whole experience |
That's the thing about Scotland. Snow cover is just not like The Alps. It's the gullies that hold the snow - the whole mountain does not need to be all white for runs to be complete and skiable. Kitenski's pic actually shows the iconic White Lady run with virtually full snow cover.
Based on that photo, other gullies on the mountain - such as Coire Cas and Coire Na Ciste would have had full cover and the Ptarmigan area at the top of the mountain would also be complete. So very decent cover (and skiing) overall. All resulting in at least 400m of vertical from the top to mid-mountain area.
Mrs MA and I have regularly made the 600 mile round trip to ski similar - or less - cover at Cairngorm. We once drove up in August to ski a great 200m snow patch that we'd seen photos of online - it took about 90 mins to hike up to it but we had a great time summer skiing 
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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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| Quote: |
You would come all the way up from Leeds for that amount of snow in 1994 pic?
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Imagine having to drive 200 miles in the other direction for no snow at all
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Blimey that was in May?!! Probably not possible these days because of global warming. Great pics.
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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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Sounds as though the 5th April might be the earliest the centres could re open?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ram80 wrote: |
You would come all the way up from Leeds for that amount of snow in 1994 pic?
I'll need a lot more snow just for the whole experience. |
yup was a great weekend, lower slopes I'd not really ski even if open. Also had a day at Nevis.
I think you are missing how Scottish skiing works, big deep gullies and fences hold snow, so anything cosmetic often disappears.
A lot more snow and Scotland don't often come together, some of my best days have been on the upper mountain at Glencoe with no snow at all until you get to the plateau.
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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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looks like plenty of tracks on the mountain!
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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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As I understand it, an announcement about re-opening (or not re-opening) is going to be made by Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday.
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You know it makes sense.
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@JohnHSmith, or at least an indicative date. Might be tied to the level system again? We are starting to run out of season for at least some of the ski areas though...
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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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This is the official announcement. We shall have to wait and see IF anything is permitted and if so, what.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| denfinella wrote: |
| @JohnHSmith, or at least an indicative date. Might be tied to the level system again? We are starting to run out of season for at least some of the ski areas though... |
This is where the regulations have become a bit of a muddle - because legally we still are in the levels system, it's just level 4 has become 'enhanced' level 4 through various statutory instruments. It would actually have been better I think if we'd gone to a new 4+ or 5, so had Level 4 - Lockdown, and Level 5 - Stay at Home. That way individual local authorities could return to level 4 as it was pre 8th January, but currently because of the enhanced level 4, the gap to level 3 is quite a bit bigger than it was so the threshold for getting out of the current enhanced level 4 is tighter.
At the start of the season (and the season did start even if that seems a long time ago) uplift was permitted upto and INCLUDING Level 4 - so for local(ish) skiers getting rid of the explicit shutdown of snowsports centres added to level 4 in early January would be a start. The way this unfolded is rather galling not just because of the good snow and weather lost to lift served snowsports, but because 3 of the areas put in very substantial time and money preparing for the scenario of operating under Level 3 and Level 4 restrictions. Certainly it was working well in a controlled and safe manor at Glenshee and Glencoe and there are numerous comments around from people who were impressed with how access was being managed.
From what is being said on the grapevine and the state of the current snow cover, taking into account the continuing omnishambles that is Cairngorm and the fact we are moving on in meteorological spring, it looks likely that if we are going to see lift served riding to any significant extent again this season then it will be Glencoe and the Lecht likely to lead the charge. It is worth pointing out that while the Lecht maybe the smallest and lowest area, it is most likely to gain significant snowfalls on Northerlies as we go deeper into spring and has in the past come back from nothing to open even in early May!
If we do get the greenlight soon, then even if restricted to Highland, along with Argyll & Bute residents as before then Glencoe tickets are likely to be like gold dust given the pent up demand and aside from walks, golf and tennis there not being much else to do!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Quality update. Thank you.
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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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Glencoe at 8.30 this morning.
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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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Cooling down again end of next week which would be helpful.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The sheer frustration continues....
AAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!
I'm beginning to give up hope... 
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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 have left the Glencoe slopes at 4.30 and driven straight to London. Also a bit more recently (2013, shortly after photo up the page) left the CairnGorm slopes at 4.30 and just caught my flight back to London (changing in the loo at the airport). You don't have to be young, I am nearly 73. Driving is different, I'd risk falling asleep at the wheel now.
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@Bergmeister,
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| Some weekend that! |
Check out this... https://peoplepill.com/people/mick-fowler/
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| he was regarded as the driving force behind a group of London climbers who would regularly drive to the north of Scotland, a round trip of 1,300 miles, for winter weekends. His record was 11 consecutive weekends. |
... he often beat the local climbers to make the first winter ascent of some routes after an overnight drive!! 
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FAQ
That was the last day the ski lifts ran, that season. Forgot to pack the suncream with obvious results. Since gone over to pin bindings.
