 Poster: A snowHead
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I have been to scotland a good few times for skiing and have had some excellent bluebird days and many more not so good whiteouts as well as skiing on pistes no wider than a running track!
This get me thinking.... if nature had blessed scotland with higher mountains, what height would they need to be? I think nevis range is the highest at about 1400 m. If they were higher would high winds still rule out skiing moreofthen than not?
just curious....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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daveqpr, they used to be higher, much higher. I seem to recollect higher than the alps ever were...you're just a few years too late, that's all. A few million years.
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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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Its all the poxy gulf streams fault. Palm trees in Plockton Pah!!!! who needs them.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Gilberts Fridge, Yup - drop that damn current down a few hundred miles and the climbing and skiing shoud be superb in the UK.
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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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Scotland's also rising as the South of England slowly drops into the sea. With a few millions years the Lecht will be the world's premier resort.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Now casting my mind back to my degree I seem to recall reading in geomorphology that if Ben Nevis was 1600-1700m then there would be permanent ice and snow and at 2000m small glaciers on the high northern slopes. I assume this to be the case with other mountains in Scotland. This would, of course, be lower than in the Alps due to the latitude differences. Sadly, stopping short of putting 1000m of scaffolding onto Ben Nevis we're stuck with what we have...
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Could we jack it up a bit instead, if we all donate our car jacks. Or if we persuaded more illegal imigrants to flood into southern England could we speed up the tilt.
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If every Scot living in London jumps in the air at the same time... 
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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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How about if they dig up loads of smaller mountains in Scotland and pile the mud on top of Cairngorm and Nevis Range?
If they can build a 2k-foot skyscraper, then they can build a 2k-foot hill 
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Isn't the Gulf Stream supposed to switch off with global warming? Always thought that a little ironic that global warming could make Scotland colder 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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There are acutally 2 permanent ice patches in scotland one on the north face of Ben Nevis and the other in the cairngorms IIRC ??
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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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ickabodblue, I've heard that too. Not sure how true it is but a cooling of the Gulfstream would suit me. Don't really like hot weather anyway and if it resulted in Scotland turning into a proper ski resort I'd be over the moon.
Perhaps I should ditch the energy saving light bulbs and burn the tires on my car.
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ickabodblue, I believe so. I remember watching one of the best episodes of Horizon that was on that very subject many years ago. It was great as it was just before we studied global warming at school, luckily the chemistry teacher obviously knew of this too, because he said 'well done' rather than 'you clot' when I suggested that global warming could, in the mid-to-long term make parts of the UK far colder.
Personally I like this idea, possibly even skiing in the Cotswolds - that would be the greatest learning terrain in the world, surely? Our climate's naff as it is - in the winter it is too cold to be 'nice', but not cold enough to be 'useful' (i.e. provide consistent, expansive skiing), and in the summer it is mild, with the occassional warm day. Not at all like SE France, the lucky frogs have got the Alps and the riviera! 
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You know it makes sense.
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snowball, I seem to remember reading a couple of years ago about a mountain, in E Canada I think, that did actually have a bit extra built onto it (in order, if I recall correctly, that their vertical drop would be enough to hold FIS events). 
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brian
brian
Guest
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Poster: A snowHead
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ickabodblue and skisimon, I've seen/heard of that too. I think it is because GW is (alledgedly) melting the ice caps, which are melting into the sea (believe it or not), and they are making colder water flow down from the pole, counter-acting with the gulf stream. From what I remember anyway. Would be happy to be put right if that's completely inaccurate though!
Either way, if Scotland gets snowier, that suits me fine. In general I would much prefer a climate of hot summers and properly cold winters.
D
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Deliaskis, As long as it doesn't get much wetter I'll be happy 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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Deliaskis, pretty much. The melting ice-caps are comparatively fresh water, which has a lower density that the salt water in the gulf-stream. When it flows into the Atlantic it thus forces the gulf stream deeper, considerably lessening its effect, until it falls to a depth at which the cold virtually cuts it off entirely. That's how I remember it (combined with reminders from my oceanography studies).
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Scotland was covered almost entirely in glaciers until about 12k years ago.
Since then, they have been melting rapidly.
The last glaciers finally disappeared between 1650 - 1700.
The last major snowfields melted between 1985 and 1995.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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The Nevis range rises 1344m above the town of Fort William on Loch Linnhe, that's more than the Hahnenkamm and Kitzbuheler Horn rise above Kitzbuhel. So if Fort William were situated in a Highland valley at 762m like Kitzbuhel, we would have a serious ski hill on our hands (and still probably not have enough snow to hold an FIS Downhill race)
I also noticed that Vancouver is on the same latitude as Jersey but still manages to have a fairly reliable 365m of vertical on Grouse Mountain (1231m). That pesky Gulf Stream spoils all our fun!
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It has been relatively cold of late given the direction of wind. Snowing again in NI today on a SW wind  . Is the N Atlantic colder than usual?
Also we have had below freezing most nights of late. This usually only happens round here when there is high pressure, but it is getting pretty cold with SW or W winds?
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brian
brian
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johnboy, the jetstream is staying further south than usual so we (Scots and Norn Irelanders) are mainly staying on the cold side of it.
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brian
brian
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brian
brian
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Helen LS, a dirty job but somebody had to do it. 
Have you got all Adam Watson's snowpatch data ? It would be cool to get that on the web somewhere.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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brian, I definitely did have hmmmm maybe I should go and blow the dust off some files
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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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im stuck in london this weekend and will webcam watch with envy!
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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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There was a report from Glenshee on the Main BBC news just now with a reporter there live and footage of sport on the mountain today - Glenshee looks gorgeous and they seem to have floodlit skiing this evening!
Look out for it on the Beeb website later this evening, look for the report near the end of the main news.
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FAQ
so have pretty much read every article on snow in scotland that was published pre 1995 and still have copies of most of them somewhere I also had all the details from the books the met used to produce about the daily snowfall etc it was all fascinating stuff and of course involved lots of research by going skiing in scotland 