 Poster: A snowHead
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Cairngorm report - 18.3.25:
- Wall to wall sun. Not a cloud in the sky.
- Decent snow cover in the Ptarmigan Bowl, though some slick/scoured patches approaching the Ptarmigan Tow.
- Thin and cosmetic cover below Ptarmigan Bowl, so didn't ski elsewhere.
- Ptarmigan and Ciste Tows running, though only 2 or 3 runs groomed.
- Boiler plate snow first thing and very cold, but softened up nicely as the sun got on it. Some nice ski conditions by early pm.
- Very quiet overall, though good to see a few groups of kids having lessons.
- Loads of cake-hunting sightseers riding the funicular to the Ptarmigan Restaurant. And why not, on such a beautiful day?
- £36 but far better than a snowdome session - and much better views 
- Great to be back on the now-fixed funicular, only(!) 6 or 7 years after our last trip on it (though we've ski toured at Cairngorm a fair bit since).
- Glad we made the 300 mile trip north Mrs MA and I are easily pleased when it comes to skiing  - but are combing that with some hiking and mountain biking in the current lovely weather.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nice to see - thanks for posting.
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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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Great report. Looks much better than the weather I can expect in the French alps next week 
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| Quote: |
Looks much better than the weather I can expect in the French alps next week
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Oo er...We're off there too - for 3 nights a week today!  Hope it goes OK @Peter S!
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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'm off up Cairngorm tomorrow for a ski and will tour over the back and ski the E/SE faces a bit as well. Weather looks primo and means I have another excuse to not paint the fence, it's too cold anyway 
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Another fantastic day in the Cairngorms today - good views of the ski area and surrounding mountains from our scenic mountain bike ride
We're hoping there's a bit more snow to come, so we can come back & go ski touring.
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Duplicate post...Oops! 
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 19-03-25 23:41; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
| I'm off up Cairngorm tomorrow for a ski and will tour over the back and ski the E/SE faces a bit as well. Weather looks primo and means I have another excuse to not paint the fence, it's too cold anyway |
Sounds great @orange. Thick frost and down to about -6C the last 2 nights. If it's the same again tonight, it'll all hopefully soften up a bit by you get some downhill action in! Have fun!
Meant to say, after previous stays in our van in the Cas and Ciste car parks for Cairngorm spring ski touring, we were disappointed to see signs saying 'No overnight parking' have gone up since our last visit  Oh! That and the start of works to erect barriers and ANPR cameras at the Cas car park  Oh well, Glencoe it is in future for overnight stays then!
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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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They will reopen the Aire at the old Cas carpark no ? You'll have to pay though. The barriers have been there for ages and been threatening to turn the ANPR on and charge everyone. Weather station at home read -10.2 this morning so yes quite nippy and not at all conducive to painting outdoor fences, oh no, not at all. And no snow so no work so time for some recreation !
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| orange wrote: |
| They will reopen the Aire at the old Cas carpark no ? You'll have to pay though. The barriers have been there for ages and been threatening to turn the ANPR on and charge everyone. |
I thought they'd set up an overnight campervan place at the old Ciste carpark?
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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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This has nothing to do with Nevis Range the resort, skiing or their gondola. It's about the Nevis Range Company becoming partners in the Dunoon Project, https://www.dunoonproject.org/
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@galpinos, ah gotcha, thanks!
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You know it makes sense.
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Did the Nevis range open at all for skiing this winter?
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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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| Quote: |
| Did the Nevis range open at all for skiing this winter? |
No. First time since the ski area opened. Surely the beginning of the end... 
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Poster: A snowHead
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Did the Nevis range open at all for skiing this winter? |
No. First time since the ski area opened. Surely the beginning of the end... |
Nevis has achieved the ski season it set out to, brass necking out the winter without opening. Let's be clear, it is not that Nevis Range couldn't have opened, it is that they made a choice to not open. On more than one occasion this winter, Aonach Mor probably had more snow than the other four put together. Certainly as was the case last winter, when Glencoe was open, Nevis had more snow and was shut.
I fear Dunoon is being taken for a ride, and not anytime soon on a gondola or lift served mountain biking. The Nevis Range Development Company couldn't run a bath, the current top management has overseen running the ski area into the ground with catastrophically bad decision after bad decision, by late last summer the lift served mountain biking wasn't much better with them not even allowing bikes on the gondola during the week despite it running anyway and its about 18months since anyone last got to ride their last big thing - Blue Doon. Maybe they should have called it Blue Moon!
On a more positive note - it does look as if at least some people have grasped that such mountain bike facilities built at scale need to be closer to major centres of population to achieve viability. A significant mountain bike park has considerably more chance of economic success located in the Clyde area than at Nevis Range. This is why many of the diversification ideas pushed on the Scottish ski areas since the 90s have been disastrous, dry slopes, gravity carts, mountain bike trail centres, go carting, high ropes courses, zip lines etc are all better located nearer big population centres, on lower and less sensitive terrain, where the weather is better and far less likely to curtail said activities.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Did the Nevis range open at all for skiing this winter? |
No. First time since the ski area opened. Surely the beginning of the end... |
They never had any intention of opening. Patrol did assess the slopes on several occasions and state they were able to open but for whatever reason management declined to do so. Take from that what you will.
My advice - take your custom and money elsewhere to the centres that show some commitment to trying to keep snowsports going in Scotland.
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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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| orange wrote: |
| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Did the Nevis range open at all for skiing this winter? |
No. First time since the ski area opened. Surely the beginning of the end... |
They never had any intention of opening. Patrol did assess the slopes on several occasions and state they were able to open but for whatever reason management declined to do so. Take from that what you will.
My advice - take your custom and money elsewhere to the centres that show some commitment to trying to keep snowsports going in Scotland. |
Agreed.
And that means we are really down to Glencoe, Glenshee, and The Lecht - obviously all weather dependent.
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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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| Quote: |
| I'm off up Cairngorm tomorrow for a ski and will tour over the back and ski the E/SE faces a bit as well |
How did it go @orange?
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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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Dunoon would be cool spot for a bike gondola.
Definite fjord vibes as you get the ferry across firth of clyde
However I suspect this is pitch for funding rather then development plan.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I'm off up Cairngorm tomorrow for a ski and will tour over the back and ski the E/SE faces a bit as well |
How did it go @orange? |
Yeah was OK, this was Thursday so just as the weather turned a bit warmer. Obvs didn’t use the railway and then skin off the top as that’s not permitted  Did a run down into Coire Raibert, twice actually, lovely spring corn, had lunch in a t shirt in the sun. Did another couple of shorter pitches then did some lift assisted ski. Probably all gone now given warmth and precipitation.
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Sounds good @orange. I do like Cairngorm for ski touring. Some nice terrain from the summit and over the back.
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Nevis Range looking a bit white
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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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(Joe Glennie, Facebook, Snow patches in Scotland wrote)
The last snow in Scotland melted today, 6th August 2025, at 14:30.
I arrived at the Sphinx snow patch location at about 11:20 today to find no snow. After the obligatory “no snow selfie” I moved onto the Pinnacles patch location, knowing from previous posts on here that there was a good chance that the Pinnacles may have survived the Sphinxes demise.
I discovered three tiny patches of snow. Two were very shallow and one had some depth to it. Although I had every intention of taking some quick photos and continuing with a walk I felt I couldn’t leave. As far as I am aware nobody has ever witnessed the last patch of snow in Scotland melt.
Just before 13:00 the larger of the two shallow patches melted and very shortly after this I was joined by father and son duo Colin and Campbell. We then spent the next hour and a half sitting, chatting, taking in the views, and of course, watching a tiny patch of snow melt. At 14:30 (not 14:29 or 14:31) the last crystals melted. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
It was a pleasure to share such a special moment with my two companions. Just getting to this place is an impressive feat for someone of Campbell’s age, but to be there to watch the last snow melt will hopefully be a treasured memory for many years to come.
That’s a magnificent occasion to witness with compadres. The final cube of snow melting into the land not a whiskey.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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|
|
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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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FAQ
