 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Anyone heading up to Scotland this weekend to Ski?? I'm planning on heading up From Leeds Thursday/Friday - I'll decide tomorrow.
It looks awesome - I'm a bit of a beginner, but have a week off this week, so thought I'd make the most of it - been to Xscape yesterday and today to polish up my basic skills and then jump in the car...how exciting!!
Hope there are some areas open that I can ski in - at the moment it says the runs aren't suitable for novices...that worries me a bit. Do you know what classifies as 'novice'? I can probably manage a sensible red by linking turns, mainly snowplough shaped but making a few that look more like parallel!!
Any advice, hints, tips appreciated.
Tar
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Maddington, welcome to snowHeads and have fun this weekend! You sound like a true snowHead 
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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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Maddington, my OH skied Glencoe for his ever experience on Snow (had only dont the dry ski slopes) at the beginning of December about 6/7 years ago. It was very icy but a great baptism of fire for him. We are hoping to go back the weekend after next - from Thrs 2nd Dec. Have a fantastic time!
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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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Maddington,
You will have no problems at Cairngorm, given your skiing ability.
There were 3 main runs open at Cairngorm last weekend when we were there - 1 pisted and 2 unpisted.
The pisted run is long and offers a great run to the mid station. It is no more than a blue run, with a (n avoidable) red section in the gunbarrel at the end. You can avoid the gunbarrel section by skiing the zig zags instead, which is a blue run.
There are some good photos and reviews at the following link:-
http://www.winterhighland.info/publicreports/
The 2 unpisted runs were in great condition as well and had been, in effect, "pisted" by skiers. Both are red runs and would be skiable by a decent intermediate. 25 years ago I managed to get down one of them (the White Lady), following a navigational error on my 3rd ever day on skis. Fond memories!
Have a look at Laterooms.com for some last minute accommodation, where there are usually bargains to be had.
Best to keep an eye on the mountain weather forecast though and book your digs at the last minute. Storms are not uncommon and they lost 3 days skiing last week due to hurricanes!
Winterhighland has a good mountain forecast but the best and most detailed forecast is avaialble at:-
http://www.mwis.org.uk/eh.php
Good luck and remember to let us know how you get on!
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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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Awesome!! I've been checking out Winterhighland and managed to get some great info from there.
Bergmeister, that news is great that it ought to be managable.
Thanks for the welcome Cathy...I've in the background snooping for a week or so!!
Shimmy - Thank you, I'll def get some pics up.
Whoop whoop!!!
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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 boarded at Glenshee in March this year and then Aviemore and Glencoe at Easter. Amazing! Loved it up there. Can't wait to go back - possibly before Christmas if I can but definitely Jan/Feb/Mar and April!
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Can't really add anything to the great advice above but welcome to Snowheads and have a great time 
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I am flying to scotland on 27,28th as well. Have been doing ice skating & basic wake boarding but never skied on a slope. What would you experts suggest? what place is good for a beginner, can choose either of cairngorm, lecth or glenshee...
Any advice highly appriciated
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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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londonrulz, Lecht for beginners IMHO.....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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here's a brief run down of the forecast conditions from the Mountain Weather Info Service...
Saturday, 27th November, 2010
North or northeasterly, in the range 20 to 25mph; small risk of sudden strengthening to 40mph gust 70mph most likely Sutherland late in day.
Fairly small - but small risk of suddenly very difficult conditions in afternoon in Sutherland, giving severe wind chill.
Clusters of snow showers Snow and hail showers. Threat of these becoming heavy and frequent giving whiteout in almost constant snow for perhaps 2 to 4 hours, most likely north from Cairngorms and Monadhliath. Risk lightning.
Extensive north from Cairngorms Cloud free areas (mainly west and south of Cairngorms) will be interspersed by areas of cloud, base typically 800m, but 400m in snow - possibly extensively later in the day north from Cairngorms.
40%
Areas of bright sun and superb visibility - mainly south of Cairngorms.
But in snow, visibility very poor or perhaps near zero, particularly north
from Cairngorms.
-6C @ 900m.
Sunday looks more of the same with potentially higher gusts of wind.
So, decisions to be made. Potentially beautiful snow conditions... if you can see where you're going!
Only one way to find out i guess
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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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Thanks for replying..think will have to postpone to 27-28 dec due to some reasons. so quite sure i will find enough snow at that time!!! I am also thinking to go to one of indoor slopes(hemel or xscape milton keynes) to take 1-2 lessons in a week or two. so that i can spend time on real slopes enjoying rather then training.
Any suggestion which one is better of the two.
Cheers!!!
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londonrulz, Hemel for sure!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Hmmmn, seems like some rather strange advice in this thread, lucky you didn't go up, especially as the ski area was stormbound yesterday.
What makes people think that the areas that were open were suitable for a self confessed novice when they are marked as red, especially given the low vis conditions reported on Saturday, that are all too common in Scotland? Even the centre was warning beginners away.
Most 'intermediates' seem to have difficulty in managing the first 5 metres of the uplift on the M1, let alone getting down it after its had a bash from the arctic gales and turns from ice to drifts within seconds. I don't often ski down the Lady since the funi went up, but remember it as being a fun mogul field, certainly not the place to be doing snowplough turns.
The OP will enjoy it a lot more once the rest of the centre is open.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If full cover and pisted, Scotland's biggest ski resort would be best i.e Glenshee with 21 lifts. However not easy to get to without a car.
Official ski site for skiing in Scotland at http://ski.visitscotland.com/
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