 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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I've not been keeping up with the reports:
Yesterday Alan said
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The road from Rhynie to the Clash was clear as far as the forest, although it is marked as closed on signs going out of Rhynie. Aberdeenshire council have obviously done a great job clearing the snow, they seem to have employed a snow blower to bash through the worst. Care is still required because of narrowed sight lines and generally narrowed road, plus there are icy strips along the sides of the road in places. Traction was no problem with 90% tarmac along the route.
The car park is still the reduced area with snow/slush up the far end that would cause problems with cars not equipped with snow tyres. The temperature at the carpark was 2-3°C.
Snow depth around the forest 60-70cm, not too much evidence of drifting. The haute route, short cut and highland fling have been semi-pisted by driving a snowmobile over them (thanks Rick and Peter). No cut tracks visible.
The snow is fairly coarse, soft and quite wet, nevertheless good skiing is to be had. Plenty of traction with fish scale skis but glide wasn’t quite as good as expected (maybe a coarser base structure would help). The forest would probably be impassable without skis because of the depth of snow and tendency of the snow to give way underfoot.
Rain and snow observed today, clearing in the later afternoon |
Conditions much the same today though it has crisped up after overnight frost and Rick has been out pisting with roller and track cutter.
I was out today and I said on winterhighland.
I started out doing the Haute Route on track skis. Wasn't getting a lot of kick and the downhills were fast icy and dificult due to the frozen ruts. Had to sit down a couple of times to kill speed and I face planted at the bottom of one hill as the skidoo had put a negative camber on the corner which threw me to the outside of the corner - no chance of stepping round the corner - straight into softer snow. Went back to the car and got my tele skis and headed back to the haute route as I'd noticed a number of the steeper open glades off to the side were plastered in snow. Skiied some steeper of piste and skinned back up a couple of times. Then a great downhill ski back to the car for another ski change. Back to skinnies but this time skate skis and a nice bit of skating up and down 'classic start' which had been beautifull pisted by Rick on the skidoo with roller and track cutter.
Measured the snow depth in a number of places and it was a minimum of 50cms (2ft) deep even where pressed down by the skidoo. Where pisted the snow is hard packed with a nice surface and if rolled its possible to skate on aswell as to classic. Beware where it hasn't been pisted your pole will dissappear at to at least 50cms - could easily snap a carbon pole if your not carefull.
I have posted a report and pictures here: http://www.winterhighland.info/touring/index.php?21,2010-01-17
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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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There has been some snow loss since my last report. We are down to around 12-14 inches of snow on the trails  . The snow started out quite icy but softened during the day. Once Rick had been round with the skidoo pulling the roller and track cutter the trails were really good with two cut tracks for classic. The snow was nice sugary spring snow and good skiing. The Haute Route via Highland Fling was pisted as was the triangle around the Biathlon Range. Down hills such as leids leap were very easy with the cut tracks to help.
Weather was driech - cloud level was below the higher trails, car park was +1C and falling when I left and it was snowing steadily.
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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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Another couple of inches of fresh wet snow on the trails by Sunday, snow was soft wet and slow. The tracks pisted in on Saturday were just visible, and were pressed down by skiers during the day. Only a little new pisting was done on Sunday.
If there is a refreeze the trails will be dificult until it softens as they were getting very cut up in places.
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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've not been up myself. I skied The Bin on Saturday on 4" fresh powder and the local rail line today, but Colin was up today and reports:
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A brief visit to the Clash today -- did not linger too long because of drifting on the roads. 2 other vehicles (4WDs) in car park. Report based on Main trail/Short Cut/Leids Leap.
Clash -- Sunday 31 Jan 2010, 1200hrs:
Temp minus 1; snow showers and long sunny intervals; fresh NW wind; drifting in exposed areas.
Off-piste snow depth 60cm, including 15cm fresh powder. The powder is variably distributed on top of the packed trails. Wonderful smooth skiing!
Haute Route heavily drifted (one drift on Leids leap is 1 metre deep).
Car park useable, minor drifting. A941 ploughed but several areas of drifting. A97 and Craighall road also subject to drifting.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Was out in the Clash today.
Snow was soft and sugary and the skiing was nice but slow. Rick (I guess) had been out and pisted a single track all the way around the Haute Route via Highland Fling yesterday.
The HNSC trail crew were out today and have cleared the tree down on Normans Way so the Piste Crew should be able to get the piste machine past. They also cleared a few more trees that were narrowing the tracks in other areas.
A fair bit of snow depth has been lost. Just 0.5m on the lower trails, 0.7m on the Haute route . Deer track looked very thin, though it may just have been a layer of dirty ice I was getting down to after only 5-10cms, and the trail at the very entrance is also thin at only ~0.2m.
Watch out on Leids leap - the ski jump has been dug out and pisted, but there is still a fair old roller to drop over. Also the ramps down into the Biathlon Range are a little steeper than you might expect as they are 'interestingly' corniced as we found out.
Car park has been reasonably cleared, but park carefully to try and get as many cars in as possible. If you've got a proper 4x4 you can probably get into (and back out of) the overflow carpark as the snow cover is much reduced and a route has been dug through the snow bank.
Weather:- temp +2C at the car park, Light rain showers, drizzle and mist all day.
Piccies:
http://www.winterhighland.info/touring/index.php?21,2010-02-06
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Still plenty of snow in the forest and on the open moor. On Saturday HNSC toured over The Buck. Trails in the forest have around 50cm of packed snow. Today the roller and track cutter were run around the Haute Route via Short Cut and Leids Leap. Unfortunatley the snow had softened too much by then
to piste further. Could do with a frost to firm up the snow and it was raining heavily when I left, but temps were only +3.5C at carpark level.
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I wrote this on another sight (www.winterhighland.info)
This report was received from Colin yesterday (sat 20th March):
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True to form, the Clash is still well worth visiting. Almost all the trails are complete, with 15-50cm spring snow despite an occasional thin patch here and there. Haute Route and Timberline have huge amounts of snow. Biathlon Range and Classic Start have ample snow for training. There's a 150m walk-in from the main entrance. Lower part of Range Way is bare, and there's a short break on main trail at foot of the long uphill before Short Cut. Off-piste 50-55cm, patchy in open areas. Wax not advised -- you'll gather a small forest of pine needles and twigs!
I was up today. No real change. There are a few broken or thin areas, but generally the cover is still deep. Started hard and icy, softened during the day, Skiing was brilliant,I saw 1 vole cavorting on the tracks, two squad skiers skating at speed and one other person.
I skied up shortcut, back via Higland Fling and up shortcut again then down Leids Leap along Heder Way down Shortcut back up Classic start and up Deer Track up Leids Leap and then down shortcut and back to the entrance. Great skiing.
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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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I was out in the Clash again today. There is still good deep snow on the upper trails. Started out hard and icy (especially in the shade) but quickly softened.
First 150m or so are very broken, but decent snow starts from just after the hut. Good snow from there up Classic start, The trail to shortcut is broken in a couple of places. Shortcut complete. Haute Route to top of Leids leap is complete with deep snow, though there is a bit of a stream at the bottom of the hill. Leids Leap is broken breifly in a couple of places at the top of the hill in the usual place. Hedder Way is complete bar the first 2m uphill of Leids leap. Skied back up Shortcut and headed right on Haute Route. Still deep snow. Then headed up onto timberline which is 20-40m wide and 2-3m deep. Back to the track down SnowGoose. Returned via Highland Fling which is broken in a couple of places.
Still well worth skiing as the broken sections are short and most of the trails still have deep snow.
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Were up to day 106 and counting of skiable snow. Report from Colin for Good Friday:
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Bluebird weather at the Clash today. Lower trails have 30-70cm of very variable spring snow, described by one skier as "meringue" (firm patches, then you break through into the soft part). Off-piste in the forest there is about 90cm. Haute Route consists largely of unfathomed drifts, including one spectacular 4-metre high wall across Leids Leap. Best trails for firm snow were the main trail at the Hut, and that part of the Haute Route from the top of Short Cut northward to the top of the hill. Timberline is 2-3 metres deep and was firm and velvet smooth this morning. The open hill has similar stretches but also large expanses of sastrugi.
Car park was ploughed by around midday, with ample space in front and back zones. The B-road from Lumsden was closed as of this morning. The A941 from Rhynie is open to the Clash car park. It has been ploughed but is single-track in places, with high snowbanks. Meltwater from these will cause sheet ice if there's a frost. Anecdotal evidence confirms that the A941 was still blocked on the Cabrach side around lunchtime today.
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Some photos should appear on the HNSC website later ( http://www.nordicgeek.co.uk/wordpress/ ).
I'm planning to ski the Clash toady and Cairngorm tomorrow.
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