What a winter! I’m writing this in late March and we finally have some more snow forecast after what has been a serious thaw! Thankfully there was enough snow earlier in the year and most of Scotland’s gullies north of Perth are still stuffed. The ski hills will be doing their best to keep the runs pisted and I predict we might even get some skiing through late spring. It’s not been particularly cold and the lower ground has not been hit with much ice or snow at all, however unlike last year we have seen a lot of rain accounting for all the snow still on the higher ground. The rivers have hardly had a chance to settle since most of them opened for fishing in February, which has been fantastic for middle to upper beats - with the salmon running hard. Dare I say most rivers with a spring run should now have fish throughout their system, and with some settled weather forecast I hope that catches will start to improve (especially on the Spey where I am heading next week!).
Anyway, back to the hill. With the Boxing Day shoot cancelled I managed my first day skiing earlier than usual in the Cairngorms. There had been so much snow that the tunnel needed digging out and because the 'lifties' didn’t work Christmas Day (can’t say I blame them!) it was a welcomed late start. The snow was good but the visibility poor. Unfortunately we didn’t get to the top of the hill as the reduced ski area meant no further lifts were open. The white lady was in great nick and it was cracking to get on a set of skis again. It was also a great chance to catch up with the mates I went up the road with and the ones I met on the hill. Turkey sarnies in Lester’s van followed by a box of Thornton’s after a day on the snow certainly did make things feel Christmassy! There was a fairly serious amount of snow then and with heavy snow throughout January it only got better! A three week diving holiday in Thailand meant I wasn’t back on the powder till February and we couldn’t have timed it worse… With a fairly good forecast I took the day off work and headed to Glenshee with Helen for a Valentine’s Day ski lesson – little did we know it was the first day of half term! After an hour’s queue we finally got going to find that the lift over the back of Glas Mhol was buried in snow. The staff said they have never seen so much of the stuff. Great for the rest of the season but not so good for our day, which was made worse by the four hour drive home! At least we hadn’t gone the next day were there was a five mile queue from the full Glenshee car park!
With all the snow I took the plunge and booked a ski touring course – something I had always wanted to do. I managed another trip to Cairngorms beforehand to be met with really high winds and again a limited lift service. The powder in places though was superb and there was no sign of it going anywhere quickly… How wrong could I have been! With a warm front pushing in across Europe the snow soon began to suffer and I was doubtful if we would get any ski touring at all! Next up was a long weekend in Morzine, France. Just driving up the hill it was clear they had also had some big dumps and the first day we were treated to fantastic snow with the Chamossiere being best of the pick. The weather got better and better and the snow worse and worse, by day three it was t-shirts and pints of Mutzig in the sun on the mountain tops! A fantastic couple of days none the less, with plenty of decent skiing. We didn’t even venture to Switzerland on the Portes du Soleil as there was enough skiing around Morzine and Les Gets to keep us happy. I was thankful we hadn’t booked the full week as the snow was vanishing very quickly.
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| Haydn skinning up before the final climb of the day |
Back home the thaw hadn’t quite reached full speed and the ski touring course the following week got the go ahead. Haydn and I were booked on the Intro to Ski Touring course through Glenmore Lodge. The Cairngorms has had a windy winter and this weekend was no exception - unfortunately it kept us off the tops for the weekend. After being issued kit and after a quick explanation we were soon clambering over the heather, eager to find the lowest point in the snow line. The kit itself is pretty specialist, with light weight skis (similar to carvers) and a more flexible ski boot, the idea is that your ski boots are a lot more comfortable to walk and climb in when there is no snow or its too steep to ski up. On the snow itself the boot clips into a special binding that allows the heel to be free off the ski with the toe always clipped in for skiing up hill, or, if going downhill both the toe and heel to be secured to the ski acting like a normal ski. In order to ski uphill you have to attach a skin to the base of the ski, which acts like a fur catching when pressure is put back down the hill and gliding when the motion is forward. The sensation itself was very unnatural to start with but everyone soon got the hang of it and with some tips from the guides we were soon half way up Luerchers Gully. What a quick way to travel! It certainly wasn’t easy but it was a hell of a lot quicker than walking the equivalent distance. We reached the plateau at the top of the gully and the wind was just too strong so we took the skins off, clipped our heels in and shot off down the gully. What a reward!
With some more touring in the afternoon before some avalanche work with transceivers and probes we were back to camp for 4pm shattered – it might be quicker than walking but it really is a lot more tiring! We had some interesting lectures that evening from Nigel Williams, the head of training at Glenmore Lodge. First avalanche safety, which Scotland is, amazingly at the forefront when it comes to education material. A well-earned three course meal was followed with a slightly less interesting lecture on winter navigation. A couple of drams later and we were getting ready for another day of touring. The wind had eased on our second day and we headed round the other side of Cairngorm to look at some avalanche debris. After learning kick turns we worked on some steeper ground and got to use the ski crampon (harscheisen) to help us get to the top of a small top which we didn’t hang around on – the wind was so strong it was pushing us backwards on the skins! We ducked out the wind, took the skins and crampons off and skied down the best run of the weekend, a steep long ridge with soft, melting spring snow. Woohoo! A final ascent up Ciste Gully on the ski hill really finished us off that day, it was a proper thigh burner. I don’t think I have ever had so much respect for the rubbish old T-Bars lifts at Cairngorm mountain! The final run home was icy but it was still great to ski down something you have skied up.
It was a fantastic course and one I would recommend to anyone who can ski. Being able to tour opens up an
endless list of skiing in Scotland and is a great chance to bag the hills that frankly don't cut the grade in the summer. Our instructor Gillian Culshaw knew her stuff and I would highly recommend her as a guide. The kit isn’t cheap, but then – it never is! I’ve got all of it on my wanted list: skis, boots, bindings, poles, skins, ski crampons, shovel, probe and transceiver!
Despite some more snow the weather has turned a bit warmer and I doubt I will get out again this season. I can’t complain too much as the fishing season is well and truly up and running. More exciting news on that front to follow soon. All I can say for now is “до свидания”
Labels: Cairngorms, fieldsports blog, Glenshee, Mark Roxburgh, Mountaineering Scotland, Salmon fishing Scotland, Scottish fishing blog, Scottish skiing, sea river hill, ski touring Scotland
