 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey ski fans!
I know it's not that glamorous but are any other snowheads thinking of heading to any of the Scottish ski stations this weekend?
There seems to be a bit of snow expected! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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theres no snow! check out the webcams on cairngormmountain.com scotland hasnt had a dump of snow yet and when it has snowed its got mild afterwards a s usual! 
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Snow showers are forecasted on winterhighland.com
Don't know if it's worth the gamble of driving up there just to see grass and ice!
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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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Yeah, though that set-up has potential, it's forecast to be too scattered for loads of snow. No idea why - some research needed.
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what happened to the amazing winter that many people were expecting, i was all excited!
guess its still early days tho, hoping itll be good for 4th march, going up there to do a spot of winter walking, and ideally a bit of skiing too 
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looks like my skis will be staying in the car for another weekend 
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Blue Mark, if you go with the expectation of walking, at worst you'll have a superb weekend walking the Scottish Highlands in wintry/clear conditions. If the MO get it wrong, you'll be pleasantly surprised..
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take ur skis with u when walking as many of the hills have large areas of snow that stay and are only accessable by walking. that is the future of scotish skiing at the mo!
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ahey! backcountry skiing in scotland... like it!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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looking at the webcams now it looked a pretty good bet for this weekend (well today anyway?)....Blue Mark, how was it?
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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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What are we talking about here?
Nevis Range, Glenshee, Lecht and Glencoe are all closed. The only skiing resort with runs open is Caringorm. They have one funicular and 4 lifts open at the moment but I think much more snow is needed for a Snowheads meeting.
This Web page describes Caringorm current condition as
Run from the top to the middle now possible. Care still required, particulrly at the bottom of the Zig Zags. Home road is rocky but possible to pick your way down to the Base Station. Overall, the situation is much improved on recent weeks. First train up at 9.00am Last train up at 3.15pm
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saikee, i was looking at the cairngorm webcams, and went upon that last comment
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Overall, the situation is much improved on recent weeks
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Figured it was casue for some optimism, and certianly better than midweek.
admittedly i based my rather rash comment on that alone, i profusely apologise
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You know it makes sense.
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I gauge Scottish resorts by the number of lifts opened. I consider the condition is suitable for skiing if about 75% of the lifts are operating.
One has to be desperate to ski a run that is "possible" from the top to middle but requires care!
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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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saikee, difficult to define now what 75% on Cairngorm would constitute - my understanding is that a number of lifts have been mothballed. But you're right - in essence - Cairngorm is well worth a ski if the Traverse, Coire Cas, M1, Coire na Ciste etc. are open. Pretty limited otherwise, especially if only the Ptarmigan and Ciste tows are the primary tows operating - they are only green runs.
There's been discussion on Winterhighland.com that the funicular track has reduced drifting of snow into Cairngorm's most famous run - the White Lady. Certainly this tow seems to have shut in most weeks since the funicular opened a few years back.
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Poster: A snowHead
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8 inches of FRESH SNOW today at Cairngorms - where were you guys????
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Could be more if it is measured next to the fence between the pistes.
If no more lift is open then the snow must have fallen on the wrong place. I expect the guys who earn a living from the resort to update the web page every day or the operating funicular and the 4 lifts represent the consequence of the 8 inches of the new snow.
The web cam (click other countries and then Scotland) does look promising though.
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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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8 inches of FRESH SNOW today at Cairngorms
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.....and that was at middle station. Just Rudolph and me making tracks. It was a struggle in the Ptarmigan bowl as the snow was deeper and the slope shallower, but Rudolph had no problems and was making fine tracks.
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Kit Wong,
So you work there as the resort was closed on Monday due to snow drift on the roads. Typical isn't it? When there is now the roads can't cope. By the time the roads are cleared the snow also starts to disappear on the piste.
Anyway this weekend looks promising as Lecht and Nevis Range all have runs open. Caringorm should be fully opened by the look of it although 8 inches if on zero base isn't much for a piste.
Your Rudoph picture looks great. Didn't run into any of them when I visited last season (only once).
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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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Could well be more there this weekend, too.
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Yes, all snow is very welcome, but I remember winter after winter when that mid station (of the then chairlift) was dug out with a JCB. Where have all those classic Cairngorm snowstorms gone?
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Top to bottom in a hurricane yesterday.
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I've been watching the conditions over this week and with the base being skied on then fingers crossed a top up next week would really tempt me to make the trip up north for a few days. Then I was greeted with the news its half term next week! :/
Will it be really busy at Aviemore during half term?
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rockyrobin, Im going up on the 4th-5th March...ive got my fingers crossed too! 
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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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PS i havent seen cairngorm that open for a long while, how many times last season were that many 'zones' open??
also, would it be fair to say that even with perfect conditions many lifts would not open, as many of them seem to serve similar territory, or am i mistaken?
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You know it makes sense.
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I havn't ski'ed the at Cairngorm since the early to mid 80's where I learnt to ski.
The memories of huge moguls down the white lady always stuck in my mind.
I do remember the whole mountain being open every time I went though, but too long ago to remember dates i'm afraid.
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| also, would it be fair to say that even with perfect conditions many lifts would not open, as many of them seem to serve similar territory, or am i mistaken? |
I would have thought that they would try to get everything running if the runs were skiable if for no other reaosn but to keep the ques down and impart a memory of this to encourage people to return.
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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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I was seriously tempted to head up this weekend (and surrender my Everton tickets) but I was put up off by the forecasted strong winds. However, an SMS from Glencoe just now informs me that all the runs are open... Ah bug!
Hope anyone who goes has a great time, but doesn't wear the base away!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Heavens,
Scotland is gettig clobbered right now.
Access roads to Caringorm, The Lecht and Genshee all blocked. Prospects should be quite good for half term when things clear out.
Cairngorm web cam : http://www.cairngormmountain.com/webcams.htm
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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tomski01 - You really need to have words with your m8's about the camping mullarky 
Can you not tempt them with the thought of a warm bed, ensuite, etc?
Have any of you guys done an early morning dash (3am from Yorkshire), days skiing then drive back home same day?
I might be able to fit one of these in this week to grab some of this snow while it lasts.
Is this a good idea or do you guys/ladies reckon would be pushing it a bit too much?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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[quote=
Have any of you guys done an early morning dash (3am from Yorkshire), days skiing then drive back home same day?
[/quote]
Hey I like your enthusiasm! I don't know the roads that well to be honest, but people tell me the road up to Aviemore is easier going than the road to Fort William. I'm thinking of doing something similar next weekend or weekend after, so let us know how it pans out
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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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PeterS, typical Scotland: when there's snow to ski, you can't get to it coz the roads are blocked.
And then they wonder why the Scottish ski industry is in the doldrums. 
When I was out in La Plagne the other week, I asked our guide if the road up to the resort ever got blocked - it did snow a lot that week - "Never" was his reply. Scotland needs to get its act together.
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rockyrobin, we did something similar once on a climbing trip, but left more like 9pm, arrived about 5am at Glenshee, set up camp by the snow covered car park....it was snowing like buggery and when we woke up the tent was covered in snow...it was a short walk to the ski station....after deciding that climbing would be a pain (wading in through knee deep snow), we decided to ski instead, we were the first on the slopes (simply cos the ploughs hadnt got there yet!) and even the Glas Maol runs were open!
that said, we did stay for a long weekend, so we had no plans to drive back that night!
Roads were piece of wee wee from Leeds, A1 - A9, tonned it the whole way...pre-speed trap days (not a car on the road) 
Man i would love to get up there for a day this week, but dont really fancy the drive on me tod....ill pray that march works out!!
PS Camping is great...but yes sometimes a little cold!
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tomski01, Check your PM mail box.
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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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| Jonpim wrote: |
PeterS, typical Scotland: when there's snow to ski, you can't get to it coz the roads are blocked.
And then they wonder why the Scottish ski industry is in the doldrums.
When I was out in La Plagne the other week, I asked our guide if the road up to the resort ever got blocked - it did snow a lot that week - "Never" was his reply. Scotland needs to get its act together. |
Maybe you can read "road blocked" as shorthand for "Can't run lifts so we'd rather be able to get on with our work on the mountain and clear snow from the carparks without having a handful of nutters sitting in the daylodge nursing a cup of tea and a mars bar all day to work round then rescue when theyve got stuck."
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brian
brian
Guest
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Jonpim, the La Plagne access road will very rarely see the sort of conditions the Cairngorm one does. It's not the volume of the snow, it's the strength of the wind. The road is a natural trap for snow to drift into. I've driven up through a corridor of drifts of 8 to 10 ft on the road while most of the hillside is wind scoured and still heathery. You also have to bear in mind that in whiteout conditions with drifting snow being blown horizontally over it, it can be very difficult to see the line of the road even if your car can physically drive on it ok.
That's Scotland for you, marginal but magnificent
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