 Poster: A snowHead
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This fabulous photo from Pablo on the winterhighland forum - which was shot last weekend - gives a great impression of this wonderful slope. It's the steepest big pitch on Cairngorm which is normally skied (there are steeper pitches still, for those brave enough) and can hold amazing amounts of snow from a westerly storm:
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/file.php?2,file=3171
Pablo's comments, and the Cairngorm thread:
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,80449,page=44
Back in 1975 we did loads of BASI training with Ali Ross on the West Wall. It was May and the snow was deep and heavy. I'd done a season up there, so I was up for it. In 2008 I might take a more conservative attitude!
Anyway, that photo is - for me - just a celebration of great times on that side of the mountain (the quieter side). The other key feature of the Ciste is the big gunbarrel gully. When this is well filled and not too mogulled it is one of the great ski experiences - a long natural halfpipe.
Big snow-laden westerly storms are not the norm on the gorm nowadays. Sadly, many of them carry rain. In fact, it's said that there hasn't been that much snow on the West Wall for seven years.
The West Wall chairlift (which was built in the early 1970s) has been decommissioned now. You can see the pylons of the lower - access - section in the photo. But there are two Poma lifts to get out - I think. Can anyone clarify that?
Anyone on this forum skied the Ciste in the past week?
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brian
brian
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It's true that this is the best January cover since 2001 (an epic season that only ended on Cairngorm in late April because they wanted to get on with the work building the funicular). However, there has been good cover later more recently. Certainly off the top of my head, in Feb/March 05 and March/April 06.
The chair has not been decomissioned, it is still operable, they just haven't put any hangers on it and they choose not to run it for cost saving purposes.
There is one poma (the West Wall poma) to get out, which starts a little above the mid station of the chair and ends at the Ptarmigan restaurant. The "little above" is actually pretty annoying as it means you either have to traverse out of the gulley early or face a fairly steep hike back to the lift. It also means that the lower of the 2 big East Wall gulleys definitely requires a hike.
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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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Even when the West Wall chairlift was running, many people used to end up down the gully, with a walk along the boardwalk to get to the chairlift station.
Is that boardwalk still there, and in good nick, Brian?
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brian
brian
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David Goldsmith, yep. The boardwalk is fine, but a trudge over snow and heather up a steep slope above it is a pain.
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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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That brings back memories.
I first skied that on my very first time on snow (had skied on dry before).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I remember following a Canadian instructor over the convex that's above the skier and photographer in the photo above. He was going at full tilt.
He probably took off, or got very light, as he disappeared from my sight. As I came over the top he was cartwheeling down the West Wall, his body tumbling down the pitch with every possession scattered in a trail. It was a classic wipe-out - he must have fallen about 150m. He was OK.
Ski it with respect!
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David Goldsmith, Exactly the same thing happened to myself in the late 80's(maybe early 90's). The wall had a good blanket of fresh snow which my mate and I intended to ski fast down. He started well but then swerved hard to his left soon after starting down the steep. I thought 'wuss' and went faster, not noticing the hardpacked traverse ramp until far too late - both skis released on impact for a full on 'yard sale' down the wall. Thanks to the deep soft surface no harm was done.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 15-01-08 15:04; edited 1 time in total
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That is a photo that makes one want to visit a place 
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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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Ronald, just don't visit it on a day like Sunday just gone
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I seem to remember (it was about 20 years ago) you can traverse very high from the lift off to the right, retaining altitude, and then do a rather good steep-ish pitch near (I think) that rock on the right of the photo. (?)
I also seem to remember some good, very steep slopes if you climbed a bit further up cairngorm and then traversed off to the right and then down (the slope in line with the Cairngorm summit and to the right of all the pistes when you look up at it.
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brian
brian
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snowball, correct. That's the East Wall, there are 2 big snow holding gullies that descend steep-ishly into the ciste. The other bit you're talking about is called Coronation Wall.
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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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a bit crepe, this is a pic of West Wall last season: http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc159/rugbug_bucket/Cairngorms/westwall.jpg
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I also seem to remember some good, very steep slopes if you climbed a bit further up cairngorm and then traversed off to the right and then down (the slope in line with the Cairngorm summit and to the right of all the pistes when you look up at it.
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sounds like the Cas head wall. Nice, but if you've climbed to the summit, you might as well traverse a bit further to look at the gullies in Coire Sneachda - now these are steep. Anyone skied them this season?
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You know it makes sense.
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Somewhat depressing post in the SCGB forum, which suggests that the Scottish ski resorts are not coping well with the pressure of punters now that lots of snow has arrived. Heres a synopsis:
Glencoe at 10am, Sat 12th Jan. Running out of hire equipment so on to Nevis Range. Some who stayed at Glencoe waited 1 1/2 hours for fist lift.
Nevis range. Queues averaging about 10 minutes [ I must say I have had worse in Eurpoean resorts]. Big queues for hiring equipment - 2.5 hours to get skis - some punters were unsuccessful.
Tickets are £24 a day or £17 for half day. Nevis did work hard and were offering refunds for those who wasted half their day waiting for kit hire and generally the staff were very good.
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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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| Fishwins wrote: |
| sounds like the Cas head wall. Nice, but if you've climbed to the summit, you might as well traverse a bit further to look at the gullies in Coire Sneachda - now these are steep. Anyone skied them this season? |
I'll ask about those if I come again. I don't know what I skied. I was on my own and I didn't have anyone to show me things I didn't simply see and try.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| achilles wrote: |
| Somewhat depressing post in the SCGB forum, which suggests that the Scottish ski resorts are not coping well with the pressure of punters now that lots of snow has arrived. |
That situation was pretty inevitable, in the context of 20+ winters which have been far less reliable than the winters of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s which led to the boom in Scottish skiing.
Those wanting to take advantage of the current conditions would be well advised to take their own full kit, or rent it somewhere else.
A ski rental operation on the scale that used to exist up and down the Spey Valley etc simply can't be expected to appear like a flower in bloom in a desert following a freak rainfall.
Historically, the SCGB perfectly understood Scottish skiing. In the 5+ decades before uplift existed in Scotland, but skis existed, people simply enjoyed the mountains by hiking up them. The yearbooks of the SCGB were full of glowing accounts from 1905 of the joys of the Cairngorms and other hills.
Unfortunately, when mass Alpine tourism commenced in the early 1960s (but the construction of ski lifts boomed on the Scottish mountains), my London-based Club increasingly distanced itself from the concerns and interests of skiers in Scotland.
Even now, the SCGB would be well advised to 'get rooted' in the spirit of Scottish skiing. It can be enjoyed in many ways.
It's too easy for the SCGB to be viewed as remote and aloof from people who actually ski on this mainland itself, rather than abroad. Sure, the weather is crap a lot of the time but, by God, is the spirit there? Scottish skiing is unique ... and fantastic on a good day. The scenery is stupendous.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The message I got from the SCGB post was bring your own kit. I quite agree that the resorts cannot be ixpected to have a hire capacity in the hope that there will conditions as good as they are this season, so far.
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