 Poster: A snowHead
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1988 was the turning point for UK winters. Before that we had the big winters of the 1970s and early to mid 1980s. After that conditions were much more sparse with just the occasional really good winter. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As expected, and a punch in the puss for anyone that bought a season ticket, the Funicular is ‘still knackered’ and will be reassessed in January. This will never reopen and they should be taken to court for selling tickets under false pretences of it being marketed as returning. Shambles but having looked at it 2 weeks ago absolutely no surprise at all as it’s a mess and should be removed.
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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, I’m amazed how long they’ve got away with this for. Nobody without a vested interest thinks throwing money at the funicular is a good idea!!
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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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Government tends not to be too keen to hold itself to account ref: ferries, bottle deposit scheme, overseas embassies etc etc
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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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Way to go politicising a thread that doesn't really require it.
Have a slow handclap..........
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
| As expected, and a punch in the puss for anyone that bought a season ticket, the Funicular is ‘still knackered’ and will be reassessed in January |
Awful news, but hardly a surprise... 
They just need to update the website 
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Topping +10c at Cairngorm base station today.
Crazy temps.
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GreenDay-It’s all government departments that have created this situation. They’re not going to publically call out their own failures. That’s fact, nothing else.
+15 at home today, shorts and t shirt in sun out of wind ! Cooling again from 27th
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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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@orange, I know...........but there is a dedicated thread about the Cairngorm railway (which you are already active on).
We don't really need the same points made on this thread as well.
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| orange wrote: |
| Government tends not to be too keen to hold itself to account ref: ferries, bottle deposit scheme, overseas embassies etc etc |
So : since the funicular was built in 2001 there has been no bigger critic than myself. Wrong lift in wrong place.... To detriment of the other ski areas in Scotland. An expensive white elephant (that destroyed the white lady).
However: pointing the finger at Holyrood is lazy and simplistic. HIE retains a board that is by design completely independent of government in Holyrood. There were serious government proposals to abolish HIE a few years ago : however opposition parties united to prevent it happening. "Unnecessary Edinburgh centralisation" was the primary argument against bringing HIE fully under Holyrood control.
I would love HIE to be removed from mountain. However that would require all parties working together.... Seems to me they are presently kicking can down road to avoid repaying original EU funding which stipulated train had to remain for 25 year time period.
MSPs vote to 'reverse' Highlands and Islands Enterprise plans
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-38652032
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Anyway to get it back on topic ( sorry ! ). Weather cooling rapidly from Sat again with a pasting of snow in some areas on 30/31st, I’ve 60cm forecast at 270mASL in Speyside so will see what happens, needs to get cool and stay cool.
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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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Thought this was interesting, 84cm of snow forecast for Ben wyvis, not sure if mistake.
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@Ram80, not a mistake exactly, but the data is taken from the GFS operational run. The most recent of these is a very snowy outlier.
So - it'll be downgraded again in future forecasts.
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You know it makes sense.
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So, what's the actual likelihood of anything being skiable at Cairngorm or the Lecht, next week, even given the most optimistic weather outlook?
I know the area well (grew up near Inverness & visit regularly) but haven't done any Scottish skiing in about 7 years so I am a bit out of date on the situation at Cairngorm.
I understand the funicular is broken. I think it was last time I was there too, but I seem to remember you could still get up on a series of tows/chairs from the car park.
I am making the trip north anyway. I'm not looking for any spectacular skiiing. A few hours on some reasonably ok snow would be fine. Just wondering, would I be a fool to lug my ski boots most of the length of the UK in the hope that there might just be something on offer, some time during next week?
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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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| linwit wrote: |
So, what's the actual likelihood of anything being skiable at Cairngorm or the Lecht, next week, even given the most optimistic weather outlook?
I know the area well (grew up near Inverness & visit regularly) but haven't done any Scottish skiing in about 7 years so I am a bit out of date on the situation at Cairngorm.
I understand the funicular is broken. I think it was last time I was there too, but I seem to remember you could still get up on a series of tows/chairs from the car park.
I am making the trip north anyway. I'm not looking for any spectacular skiiing. A few hours on some reasonably ok snow would be fine. Just wondering, would I be a fool to lug my ski boots most of the length of the UK in the hope that there might just be something on offer, some time during next week? |
Biggest issue will be getting tickets imo, it sells out very fast if there's snow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hard to tell today to be honest. There’s no base to speak of as of today, I was up Ben Macdui and there’s bit not nothing of note. Yes we may get 30-100cm snow but until it lands absolutely no idea. Of the 2 areas the Lecht will be quicker to open but obvs anything will be stacked busy. Touring could be an option if it all lands 31/1st
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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: |
| what's the actual likelihood of anything being skiable at Cairngorm or the Lecht, next week, even given the most optimistic weather outlook? |
If you're going all that way @linwit, you shouldn't rule out Glenshee too.
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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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I'd be very surprised if anything meaningful opens until the second half of next week, and even then I wouldn't be too optimistic as there's currently hardly any base.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks for the replies. Hadn't really occurred to me that if snow does appear, passes selling out could be an issue.
So does Cairngorm rely on snow cover getting down to the car park before there is any access, or is it that you can get up to the upper slopes without that?
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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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@linwit, the options to get you up the mountain from the car park, without the Funicular, are a T-Bar (with a downhill section) or a button tow along a ridge. Both require snow. Or you can walk, only takes half an hour, hope your boots have walk mode…The various operators over the last few decades have taken out all the chairlifts.
Forecast is not good for any further lift served snowsports for the foreseeable unfortunately.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
| Forecast is not good for any further lift served snowsports for the foreseeable unfortunatelyl |
Yes, could be looking bad, according to Winterhighland website (26th Dec)
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No skimo racing today at the lecht, but a nice bit of heather bashing was done and Di survived our interrogation in the cafe. Fingers crossed the promised snow arrived before it’s time to go back home
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Snowing and -2 in Edinburgh right now, although its all falling on wet ground.
Glencoe has a little snow on the ground on the cams, hopefully this current fall is more snow than rain.
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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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It snowed a bit in the central highlands last night and forecast says more today. Possibly not really enough to change things much at Cairngorm though. The next few days seem to be forecast as fairly cold with not too much wind.
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The change to a colder airflow will help cool down the ground as it’s way too warm at the moment to sustain snowfall in small measures. Looks like we have a solid 7-10 cold window, some precipitation now landing and sticking but it’s been incredibly wet so will take some time to freeze and keep the snow on the ground.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If Cairngorm has sold out all the day passes can season ticket holders still just turn up and ski?
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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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It looks a bit like Monday is the first day with a good prospect of substantial snowfall, at the moment.
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@Valkyrie, Yes although its only the lower part of the magic carpet open at the moment
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| It looks a bit like Monday is the first day with a good prospect of substantial snowfall, at the moment. |
Already looking nice and white at low levels of the ski areas 
Fingers crossed that there'll be some lifts (and train wheels...??) spinning before too much longer - The Lecht doesn't look too far away, though Glenshee looks a bit thin.
The order of the following pics is Glencoe, Cairngorm, Glenshee, Nevis Range and The Lecht.
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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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Sadly for me, just in time for me having to head back south!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just in time for heading back to work on Monday 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Most of this next snow event will be way too far S to make a material impact on the slopes I'm afraid
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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: |
| Most of this next snow event will be way too far S to make a material impact on the slopes I'm afraid |
Yeah, sadly that's what I thought
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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: |
| Most of this next snow event will be way too far S to make a material impact on the slopes I'm afraid |
But at least it's staying cold - we can at least live in hope!
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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 really didn't want to believe the doom mongers on this thread with regards the Nevis Range and their indifference to skiing.
But after their facebook post last week that promoted all of their activities bar skiing, I'm now a doom monger.
Did have a dig at them on the post but no reply.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
| I really didn't want to believe the doom mongers on this thread with regards the Nevis Range and their indifference to skiing. But after their facebook post last week that promoted all of their activities bar skiing, I'm now a doom monger |
Glass half empty?? In the case of Nevis, it's been knocked off the table and smashed into a million pieces...
Hope I'm wrong, but I'm expecting no skiing there at all this season, irrespective of conditions. And I have to say, I hadn't realised that the whole place is shut entirely until February  So not even any coffee and cake sightseers for the current nice snowy views
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@mountainaddict, Yep, Nevis and Cairngorm are giving the impression that lift served snowsports are very much part of their past.
We still have Coe/Shee/Lecht, thankfully. Just need a bit more snow.
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| GreenDay wrote: |
| @mountainaddict, Yep, Nevis and Cairngorm are giving the impression that lift served snowsports are very much part of their past. |
Very sad that the management at both of those seem to have lost interest in lift served snowsports. I wonder what the common factorHIE involvement could be?
| GreenDay wrote: |
We still have Coe/Shee/Lecht, thankfully. Just need a bit more snow. |
Indeed.
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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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@Alastair Pink, Spot on. Incompetent.
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| Quote: |
| I'm from Glasgow originally but only took up skiing late in life after I had left. I hope this is not a naive question but is it possible to skin up to the reliable snow? |
It usually is at Cairngorm. Maybe Glencoe too - although I haven’t done that myself.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Fri 10-01-25 9:11; edited 1 time in total
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