 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey guys,
I live near london and i heard from couple of my friends that Glenshee in scotland is a decent ski resort, what do you guys think for a weekender?
Cheers
Hamed
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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hamed,
Yes it is, not been for a few years since I lived in Edinburgh..in the 90's however....
There are 5 ski centres in Scotland look here to learn more: http://www.winterhighland.info/
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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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If you like skiing on ice or grass, withstanding 60 mph winds, not being able to see your toes, and queing for 4 hours to take the single lift thats open then its great.... 
seriously though, I spent my early ski years doing one or two weekends up in Scotland per season, and probably can remember 1 occassion when I actually enjoyed it, after a massive dump had a great day over the back at Nevis range. Apart from that, there are no fond memories. IMHO of course, don't want to upset anyone... 
I also worked out that a 3 day trip would cost me in the region of £300 with petrol, hotel, ski hire, pass etc etc, I did Cervinia in Italy last December for 4 days for £400 all inc, DIY of course. And I can tell you I have mucho memories of that trip, not least the pasta.....Its a no brainer unless you live north of carlisle and can do it in a day trip following a serious dump.
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hamed, maybe I should add I now live off the west coast of Scotland so Glenshee is the futhest centre from me....
I have a season ticket at Nevis Range and normaly ski there for 18 days or so per season + 7 or 8 at other Scottish centres (just not Glenshee for a long while) and at least 2 weeks in Europe every season.
On a good day Scotland is as good as anywhere!
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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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One more thing there are lots of snowheads who come here for a quick fix on the weekend keep a look out in the "trips" section if you want a lift... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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neilkav, enjoy Cervinia then mate, all the more for us up here - Scotland had the first and second non-glacier resorts in the whole of Europe opened first this season with pretty damn good conditions at that. Yes your first sentence can and does happen up here but you can also encounter conditions and weather as good as any you'll find. One or two weekends per year though may not have allowed you to see that so appreciate your poor experience.
hamed, come on up - as II said, have a search on winterhighland to check out the potential. The more flexible you can be with when you travel the better - if you can drop everything and go on relatively short notice then you could easily have a cracker
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thanks for the prompt reply guys, i guess i should do a little bit homework on the costing of making it up there and see how it goes..
cheers again 
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neilkav, I skied grass in the alps, I skied ice even worldcup skiers were struggling with in the alps. Its a load of nonsense to pretend scotland is always bad. Just check the Scotland conditions thread march and april last season. I was in the alps, but utterly convinced Scotland was better.
barry, See you up in Scotland some time in the future, just have to find a way to do it from the Netherlands 
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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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understand what ur saying Ronald and Barry, but I would hope my point still stands that you need to have very good conditions to enjoy Scotland properly, as I did on that glorious day, would simply advise that one checks the conditions and the weather before planning a trip, and that it may be best to do a last minute jobbie.
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| neilkav wrote: |
| ... and that it may be best to do a last minute jobbie. |
Possibly unfortunate wording for advice on a trip to Scotland 
But then again, handy advice before any trip onto the pistes...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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neilkav is spot on.
a weeks ski holiday abroad is far cheaper than a week up here.
last time i ski/boarded here was about 3 years ago and it was a rip off.
time you add pertol,ski pass,lunch/dinner you'r nearly hitting £100.
better off going to a snow dome like Xscape and saving your pennies for a euro trip hamed.
when you see what you get in comparisson for your £ you'll be astounded.
happy sliding mate.
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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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kev360,  ... That's partly boll0cks. Agreed, I wouldn't book a week skiing in Scotland but I've had some of my best ever days and weekends skiing here.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 9-12-08 10:53; edited 1 time in total
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Unfortunately London is probably the worst city in europe for skiing...
If you want to ski then its going to be an 800 mile journey to the north or south to find mountains.
So going to the alps is the obvious choice.
Clearly the alpine mountains are bigger and the snow / weather more reliable.
HOWEVER - i feel pretty lucky to live in Scotland.
We have mountains and skiing within 2 hrs drive of the city.
There are periods of good conditions every winter - when *sometimes* conditions can be as good as the alps.
You just need to be prepared to watch the weather and 'make hay when the sun is shinning'.
A keen weekend warrior with a season pass can manage 20 to 30 days at home each season.
So far this winter I have managed 3 days out on the skis - all of them decent quality.
I can think of lots of worse places to live...
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You know it makes sense.
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There is no point in booking a Scottish ski holiday - it is something to do for a long weekend when you hear the snow is good. The areas are very small by Alpine standards and much of the time there is not enough snow to open most of what there is. On top of that wind can severely affect the slopes.
However when the snow is good it can be a great trip - though only mad enthusiasts like me will think it worth going up from London.
The period when there is most snow on the ground is usually March and sometimes early April (last year mid April).
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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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kev360, you really are full of it eh. I think you should ski in Scotland more.
On Saturday went for Glenshee and it beat snowdome skiing hands down, seriously no competition, and instead of £15 for an hour it was £15 for a whole day, warm and sunny.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think it's quite strange comparing Scottish skiing to a Snowdome, there is no comparison. I also wouldn't compare it to a traditional week's holiday in a European ski resort, as there's no comparison there either, but Scottish skiing is a great in between option.
I've also had some great days skiing in Scotland, and as an extra to my 'normal' weeks in Europe, I love it. We will be doing a couple more long weekends this year hopefully. There were a couple of mini meets in Scotland last season, which was fun.
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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hamed, IMHO you'll enjoy Scotland best, including poor conditions, if your skiing/boarding is up to a certain level of competence. In my experience, no offence to anyone here, the people who moan about it are either those who gave it a go once and had bad luck and for some reason want to then damn it and/or people who can't hack whatever the conditions/weather throws their way - they'd probably be better off staying away from real mountains altogether but they'll be able to cope well with a week or so building up the mileage in some mega resort somewhere in Europe and sliding down perfectly groomed motorway pistes (blasted out of the mountain one summer in order to flatter their skills) for a few hours a day before retiring for extended apres somewhere.
However, if you're willing take Scotland as it comes, organise a last minute trip when conditions are good and accept that what you'll experience is likely to be on the wilder side, may test your skills and certainly won't flatter your ability you'll have a good time.
I live in Bristol and last season in between trips to the Alps and North America I squeezed in a weekend in January at Nevis and Cairngorm (the former a lovely still day of riding in beautiful weather, the former a wild and windy day with a lot being thrown at us), a long weekend (4 days) over Easter up at Nevis (3 days) and Glencoe (1 day), the latter having some of the best snow I skied on all season, as well as 3 days over the May day bank holiday weekend up at Cairngorm with the family for the closing weekend. All the trips were very different and there were days of awful weather, like the one at Cairngorm in January and days of blue sky sun and breathtaking views with others that were fine if a little overcast.
As for accommodation on the January trip I stayed at the Loch Insch Watersports Centre near Aviemore, where B&B was something like £25 a night (£16 without breakfast) - totally amazing breakfast there too, much recommended. There are cheaper options in local youth hostels and bunkhouses. At Easter I stayed in a nice little B&B in Fort William which was something like £35 for a single room but there were cheaper options. in May it was the High range in Aviemore for a family room within walking distance of the main part of the village, this was around £70 a night all in for 4 of us in a brand new and very comfortable room but breakfast wasn't included. I wouldn't call any of these prices massively expensive, particularly when compared to what I paid in October for a broom cupboard in Tignes or for a room in Mammoth back in February (when the exchange rate was favourable!) and, as I say above, there are plenty of cheaper options if you really want to scrimp and save.
As for cost of travel, I did the trip up to Aviemore from Bristol on 3/4 of a tank of diesel (IIRC) which back in May was a bit more expensive than it is now but it wasn't a massive amount of money frankly.
Oh, others have rightly said don't book ahead, and I have to echo that, conditions can change so you're best to wait and see what goes down. However, if you do need to plan I'd say March/April is the best time, if you check out the pictures on Winterhighland you'll see that there's invariably snow and quite often in recent years decent amounts of the stuff. In fact it's always been a very similar pattern to be honest, skiing in Scotland is more of a spring sport than it is a winter sport!
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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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Haggis_Trap, FYI 800 miles north of London is roughly the latitude of the Faroe Islands. Glen Coe (for example) is actually only about 350 miles north of London and I guess about a 450 mile drive, dependening what route you take.
That said, I take your point completely about heading to the alps instead.
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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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| RobMcQ wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap Glen Coe (for example) is actually only about 350 miles north of London and I guess about a 450 mile drive |
Fair point...
According to via michelin.
London to Fort William is an 825km drive.
London to Geneva is 925km drive.
I am just pleased that I don't live quite so far from some mountains! 
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 9-12-08 12:31; edited 2 times in total
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roga, I kind of wish we could go up on one of these weekends before Christmas, but predictably, we have other things to do!
No doubt see we'll see you in a couple of months...
D
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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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roga, is absolutely spot on with their summary of Scottish skiing. I am lucky enough to be around 2 hours from most of the Scottish resorts and yes the weather can suck. But if you get your timing right it can be fantastic. One of my most memorable days skiing was on May Day Bank Holiday years ago at Nevis Range.
Give it a gohamed, Glenshee can be amazing when conditions are right. I may be tempted to tell you to go Aviemore or Nevis Range as the infrastructure is better at base level, but check the conditions before you head off and choose which one looks the best
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what this thread needs is some pictures of skiing in Scotland....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| shoogly wrote: |
| what this thread needs is some pictures of skiing in Scotland.... |
Heres one:
27th March 2008
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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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Nevis off-piste (from entrance to "Easy Gully") off my mobile phone last April.
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You know it makes sense.
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Still rather be in a snowdome? 
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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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| arv wrote: |
kev360, you really are full of it eh. I think you should ski in Scotland more.
On Saturday went for Glenshee and it beat snowdome skiing hands down, seriously no competition, and instead of £15 for an hour it was £15 for a whole day, warm and sunny. |
What a laugh.
Getting the odd day here and there is suffice for most of you?
What memories do you have of being in europe and then here?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
No brainer eh.
£15 for a day including pertol etc......?
Overcrowded, overrated and ancient.
If you can't afford to make it abroad this year or next and you live within 2hrs then fair play.
But i recommend you save your $ for the real deal.
Remember this is "My opinion" of our so called ski/board hills.
Would be embarrassing to use the words resort and mountain in this post.
Happy sliding folks.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 9-12-08 18:44; edited 1 time in total
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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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oh yeah. your right mate??????
where you been?
is off piste for you going behind the poles?????
whoa, that sounds cool.
check out this link 2 see what i'm on about.
http://www.medianeige.com/Bazu/index2.php
Happy sliding Snowheads.
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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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kev360, ooooh it's a deep burn! I complimented my 3 months in the Rockies last year very nicely with skiing in Scotland after my return! Please can you change your location to "Europe" or "Cathcart" or something similar, I feel embarrassed. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| arv wrote: |
| kev360, ooooh it's a deep burn! I complimented my 3 months in the Rockies last year very nicely with skiing in Scotland after my return! Please can you change your location to "Europe" or "Cathcart" or something similar, I feel embarrassed. |
no.
take off the blinkers and look @ it for what it's really worth.
you know i'm right.
what's up with "Cathcart"?
snob i guess?
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brian
brian
Guest
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kev360, I'd shut it now if I were you before you make an even bigger arse of yourself. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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no way.
i posted my opinion, others have posted theirs, including you.
whats the problem.
can't accept i'm right Brian?
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| brian wrote: |
| kev360, I'd shut it now if I were you before you make an even bigger arse of yourself. |
sorry forgot to add your quote.
think it's you who's the erchie?
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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, that is probably the most embarassing video ever, i feel really bad for whoever that is. What was he thinking killing all his speed with his first turn? And those poles 10cm too short creating unreal inclination on every turn? What a w*nker.
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Also (padding post count ever closer to 3000) by Nevis and Backtrack does the poster of the video mean somewhere in the Alps? Sure does look like it...
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