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Cairngorm off-piste 19 May 2013
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Last Sunday 19th May, Andrew (Jungle on Winterhighlands website) and I skied some off piste at Cairngorm. I had skied mostly the White Lady and Headwall on the Friday on my own, and Saturday was raining and thick fog so we didn't ski (went to Fort George and Culloden battlefield).

The Funicular was starting to open later (first run 10.20). We did a run on the White Lady and then climbed up Cairngorm's Marquis Well on the left which was snowy up to just short of the ridge. We saw several Ptarmigan. Then over the top it was a matter of walking rocks and heather and skiing a few snow patches till we got to more sustained snow on the plateau. After a long traverse (and more Ptarmigan) and lots of consulting of the map, we finally reached some couloirs and spectacular views down to Loch A'an.

We skied the steep, narrow (and then very narrow) Diagonal Gully down to Loch A'an (320m vertical). (See Jungle's pics plus one off my phone) It looked complete from the top but there were a couple of holes where the stream had eaten the snow from underneath and the last 30 or 40m vertical was a scramble down over heather, leaving the boulder-strewn gully. Good fun. Then there was a walk along the Loch to Coire Raibeirt and a steep climb back up with skis on backpack in the strong sun, followed by a skin back up to the Head Wall. By then I was rather burned, having forgotten my sun-cream. Jungle had planned a more interesting return via Aladins or 5 Point but I had a flight to catch and time was running out.






(This one off my phone after the steepest section at the top while I waited for Jungle to put away his camera and join me)



Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 4-06-13 11:00; edited 20 times in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

snowball, great pics
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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?

Magic stuff, snowball and well done for making the effort. Cool The gully appears really, very narrow and consequently looks somewhat trickier when you skied it compared to other pics I've seen when it's been better loaded.
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Just thought people who never went beyond the pistes around there might be interested to see where it was. I also ringed Aladins Couloir.
Coire Raibeirt west bank (which faces East) would have been skiable right down to the Loch.



Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 1-06-13 12:17; edited 2 times in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

snowball, that looks great. thanks for posting
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Nice report David, looking warm there! no pix of Andrew?
See you next year
Jerry
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Hi Jerry, no pix of Andrew but see the Ben Nevis thread which has a few of him.
I must say Diagonal Gully and especially Aladins couloir were both a bit more exciting than anything in Europe last season (though not as spectacular as the big Dolomites Canyon)
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!

Hi David, thanks for posting. Having clicked on your link I'm now a fan of your art as well as your skiing. Evan
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wink evski
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