 Poster: A snowHead
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A covering of new snow freshened things up a bit today on the 'Gorm after the weekend thaw and subsequent refreeze. Firmer base up top, softer snow lower down the middle slopes. Should be good spring snow mid-mountain after an overnight frost and slightly milder temps on Wed. Some reasonable but not very extensive riding on offer, generally decent enough in the Top, with top to middle riding via the Traverse (which is loaded) or the M1 RaceTrack, then down the Gunbarrel to the middle. Coire Cas is narrow, but has easy to ski on soft snow, not really spring like with the covering of fresh today, but probably will be more spring snow like tomorrow. Hanging in there and despite the big set back at the weekend, slightly ahead of the tail end of Feb. White Lady skiable, but the last route on got officially closed today, due to an infuriating break in the middle of the run which could have been sorted out with the Piste Bashers yonks ago if there was the will. 
^View down a loaded Traverse into Coire Cas. If they measured snow depths this would be a good spot, at least 6feet of snow here!
^View from about the same spot looking down the other route from here to the Cas Gunbarrel - the M1 RaceTrack.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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So when is all this snow arriving?
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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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johnboy, sunday afternoon / night according to our local forecast and "Bob" is not often wrong !
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Smokin Joe,
Better take the goggles for Sunday. Monday is shaping up to be a good day.
Our local weather girl is called Angie. Very pleasing on the eye as well.
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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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"From Friday night through to Tuesday 20th we are getting a foot of snow each night. When the blizzards finish we should have - off the charts conditions. We shall open when as and as quickly as we can. I will be filling my boots personally. Watch our Access2200 Snowcam for fun. Prizes for guessing how deep the drifts are on the MB. Start at 20ft. Game on Jocky."
http://glencoemountain.com/store/news.php?listid=1
Glencoe seem to think there may be a little snow on sunday 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just Back from Nevis.
Snowed down to the carpark
1ft fresh at Snowgoose
Huge drifts everywhere
Visability Crap
They don't know what a piste basher is.
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i was at the coe today... there was abit of snow at the top run (soz i dont know the names) and the bottom. the one inbetween which uses the chairlift , was not in use due to not enough snow . i was dissapointed cos liked that one . But still had a good wee session today 
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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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II,
Looks like I was there too early. That looks fab, it was nothing like that yesterday 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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II, Great pix.
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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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And the touring over the back was pretty decent at the weekend aswell 
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You know it makes sense.
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Went to Nevis on Monday summit and top half of goose were ok but nothing anywhere else unfortunately. Took a few hours for the cloud to clear on the summit runs but was ok. Trouble was we were poorly prepared and by the time we had made it back down to the resteraunt for a drink we really couldn't be bothered to trek back to the chair to go back up. Shame they couldn't cart folks in the buggy, that would have made a big difference.
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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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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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easiski,
It was my favourite day of the season so far.
Only 300m of vertical but after lunch the goose was nice and soft.
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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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I was out at Cairngorm on Saturday - took a mate for his first ever tour. We had to start from the carpark. I normally cheat and start from the Ptarmigan as I have a season ticket, but no point buying a day ticket for my mate just for one train ride. Started off up the Daylodge and then up the M2 - picked up enough snow to skin from the top of the steep section of the M2. Then headed up Marquis's well, much improved with the midweek snow fall. Headed for Ben Macdui via Coire Raibert nad Coire Domhain. Made the summit just after lunch with my mate already feeling very knackered. The ski off Ben Macdui into the top of Garbhe Uisge Beag was absolutely brilliant . Really nice spring snow neither too soft nor too hard. I then skated all the way back to Coire Domhain so the skins stayed in the bag. Finished off by skiing the Cas headwall and down a completly deserted Cas run - because we'd been a bit slow and it was pushing 5pm by the time we were off the hill.
Great day - hope my mate enjoyed his first tour - he was a bit knackered by the end!
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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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Dave Horsley, I hope you don't mind me butting in but can I ask what standard of skier do you have to be to undertake something like that and how do you get started? Also presumably you need to be pretty fit. I will be grateful for any comments you can make.
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brian
brian
Guest
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ianmacd, the cairngorm plateau's pretty flat (as you'd expect for a plateau) but .... your navigation skills need to be pretty good because if the weather closes in it's pretty featureless and there are quite a few lurking cliffs !
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ianmacd,
There is nothing really hard technically with the skiing - the steepest pitch was the Cas headwall back into the ski area, but you don't have to ski it, you could carry on up to the summit and go down Marquis' Well and then down blues and greens in the ski area. The pitch off Ben Macdui into the top of Garbhe Uisge Beag is no more than a blue the rest is fairly greenish in slope, but you'll be going up it in one direction. The only other variable is the snow. When I did it on Saturday it was brilliant spring snow, fast and soft, but not too slushy. However it could be anything from slush to sheet ice with any mixture inbetween with lots of pwder if your lucky .
As Brian says the tricky bit can be the navigation. If I'm doing long tours on the plateau I choose days when the weather is good and the forecast is good, but still carry map, compass and GPS just in case it closes in unexpectedly. If the weather is poor I'll stay closer to the ski area, perhaps just head into Ciste Mhaeraid or into Coire Raibert or Coire Dhomain where the navigation is easier.
Fitness wise, I don't think you need to be superfit. If your not used to the classic stride technique then it could be worth working up too longer tours as the technique uses muscles that may not get much use normally. If I do a lot of classic after a long break i tend to have sore muscles in the groin area next day. If the snow is good the ability to skate effectively is usefull as you can cover a lot of flat and gently rising ground without getting the skins out.
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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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ianmacd, don't wait till next year, go now. the conditions are here !
Last Easter i toured across the Plateau with the intention of skiing the March burn. Unfortunately visibility was rather worse than being on the inside of a ping pong ball.
I was pleased to find the entrance , having presumeably crossed the fozen lochan near by ! I started to drop in but my nerve escaped me,...the convex slope, frozen snow and the nagging doubt that it might not be the March Burn forced a retreat.
Good weather its fabulous on the Plateau, bad weather can be very challenging indeed.
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Peter S, I'm off to Obergurgl on Saturday and am recovering (I hope) from a torn gastrocnemius in January. Still a bit sore and my fitness is dreadful. I think I'll have tpleave it for a bit. Still one day...
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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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I'm waiting for helen's July photo's 
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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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They say if that patch of snow ever melts "the Grants will lose their land" 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Will there be any August Ski-ing?
Does the patch ever melt? If not, does that make it a glacier?
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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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Possibly
Yes, it did last year and probably will this year, but you might want to look at this thread on winterhighland where the snow patches are being monitored via photos from people out in the hills. Still some big patches left, but not suer they'll all make it through to the winter.
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,76649
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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: |
Does the patch ever melt? If not, does that make it a glacier?
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Johnboy, according to Martin Morans book, 'Scotland's Winter mountains', there is some evidence that the last remnant of the last scottish glacier finally melted as recently as the early 19th Century.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Peter S wrote: |
| Johnboy, according to Martin Morans book, 'Scotland's Winter mountains', there is some evidence that the last remnant of the last scottish glacier finally melted as recently as the early 19th Century. |
Good grief I never knew that!
Anyone know where you can get reasonably cheap copies of that book? I looked on Amazon but they seem to be going for around £30... eBay perhaps?
Anyway, I remember in the 80s people used to talk about permanent snow fields/patches somewhere in the Cairngorms, I got the impression there were some at the time that were a permanent feature. Anyone know if that was accurate or an exaggeration? I guess these days there's no chance of them surviving every single year although some years it'd perhaps be likely.
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Up until circa 1999 it was recorded that the patch on Braerich only completly dissapeared on 3 separate years within the last century.
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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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FAQ
as all my gear's packed for going to Morzine on Wednesday.
My other concern is that I am being like the guy in Motny Python that wants to be a lion tamer 
