 Poster: A snowHead
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Three of us booked into the Youth Hostel at Pitlochry for a long weekend of snow-based fun - or so we hoped. Trouble is, with Scotland, you can't always bank on the weather.
On Friday morning we set off for the Drumochter Pass looking, possibly, to tick off a Corbett for JT. But the cloud was low and the snow so thin that route finding would be tedious. The cover looked better to the East so we headed on past Dalwhinnie to a layby near Cuaich and set off on foot for perhaps 2km up a track to the small HEP station on the Allt Cuaich. There we were finally able to don our skis and set off up another track.
This led us to the Coire Cam and in the general direction of Carn na Caim. At least this gave us some shelter from the considerable wind. The going was steady if not spectacular.
The cloudbase was at around 600m so, instead of forcing on towards the summit, we bore back left to try and make the obvious ridge to ski down. At about 750m the wind was so strong over the ridge that we gave up even that and decided to head straight down. So strong, in fact, that, as I was putting my skins away, it managed to blow out the bag from under my rucksack and I had to go chasing after it for at least 150m down the hill!
Once we'd dropped out of the clag the skiing was pleasant enough.
We even tried out JT's new bothy bag when we got back to the track - much to the amusement, no doubt, of the quad biker who blasted past. All in all, not a brilliant day but at least we got out there. No log of our track I'm afraid as my GPS turned itself on in my bag on the way up. A great record of our circuitous route up the country but it meant the battery was flat when I needed it.
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The forecast for Saturday was slightly better - well, less wind anyway - so we headed up to Cairngorm. We started from the lower car park and contoured East towards Lochan na Beinne where we saw a herd of Reindeer. There was the odd interesting stream to cross.
Then we bore right and then left to gain the ridge at the un-named spot height of 737m. Here we bore right again and, after a slight detour round some 'terrain' we continued up the ridge. The cloud was still low so that navigation skills (and anxiety levels) were severely tested. At least there was very little wind to chill us.
Mrs A led us on a bearing until the next spot height at 1028m (okay we checked against the GPS) and then on another towards the Ptarmigan restaurant which she hit right on the button.
It was the weirdest thing being able to hear people and lifts nearby but be unable to see anything but grey all around. Time for a quick hot chocolate each and then pick our way down the pistes trying to avoid bumping into piste-bashers, other skiers and sundry other semi-invisible obstacles. It all proved quite stressful and we were happy when we recognised the bridge next to the car park.
Time for a quick coffee and cake in the cafe above Cairngorm Mountain Sports and then back to the hostel for a meal and time to reflect on a good day out:
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Sunday's weather was just as gloomy so instead of getting all the ski gear wet we opted for a walk up Schiehallion before the long drive home. The car park at the beginning of the path was covered in ice so we opted to find somewhere safer along the road. At the entrance to the car park is a sign commemorating the activities of 1774 when Nevil Maskelyne (baddy of the John Harrison story) measured gravity here.
It was quite warm but the cloud was even lower and thicker and, for a while, it snowed so there was little to photograph but the summit pose. The wind was quite strong on the top so that, with my damp clothes, I was pretty cold and didn't want to linger. Perhaps, on these occasions, I need to ditch my Goretex in favour of Paramo. On the way down - into the wind - rime was forming on my eye lashes!
4 hours, straight up and down:
Then 8.5 hours to get home again...
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 9-02-10 11:13; edited 6 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Much enjoyed your pictures - thanks!
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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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Sounds like a decent trip... ahhhh... I miss that Scottish weather 
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