Haha Windy - that looks more like a sinkhole! My ploy worked though

Yesterdays storm redistributed the snow, some areas gained some lost. The main gains were the upper bowls, the ciste gully and the west wall. The main looser was the ridge poma track. It had been getting very sketchy anyway but it finally bit the dust. In saying that you can still ski to the car park using the Fiacaill ridge run and the last part of the tow path.

The forecast to-day was highish winds and over cast. By 10:00 the sun was out and the wind dropped giving a brilliant day. The runs around the ptarmigan remain in top condition, dry and cold snow. Further down they are firm (not icy) in the early morning then turn into great spring snow. The bottom of the cas does become a bit heavy but still very skiable.

As I said the Fiacaill poma track is now broken so it is the train of shame to get you up to the top. The good news is with the hill being so quiet there is little hanging around. It is load and go and if you want you can ski down at the end of the day.

The ciste gully and west wall opened about 11:00 and was fantastic, good fast spring snow with some fresh at the edges. The traverse back to the poma has gained a significant amount of snow and it is no longer rock hopping.

The west wall was fun, the only draw back is the load station to the poma. The last few turns are on heather and a bit of gravel but still very worth while to keep such a good set of runs open.

The Lady is wide and good, even up to the last run it was fast and very controllable.

Picture going up on face book.
[www.facebook.com]

Graeme

What a day and very few people around.


Fresh dry snow on the upper bowls giving good skiing either side of the fence.


A full width white lady. A few snow ploughers venturing here today, very controllable snow so I am sure they will be going home with stories of how they skied a red run.


One of the main gains was the west wall traverse to get you from the ciste gully back to the WWP. It is now deep, no need to heather hop.


West Wall Poma tow track is in good condition. The slight problem is the bottom of Ryvoan being thin.










Edited 2 times. Last edit at 18.12hrs Sat 2 Apr 16 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: White Lady.JPG (297kB)   Top Bowls.JPG (231kB)   Ptarmigan Run.JPG (240kB)   WW tow path.JPG (269kB)   WW traverse.JPG (289kB)  

Great reports Windy M - hoping to pop up (300 miles each way but we're well used to the commute...) on Friday night for a day's skiing on Saturday.

Fingers crossed - the forecast is looking ok at this stage.

It is currently snowing (just) at the SSC Hut on CairnGorm, if this keeps up there should be some freshies in the Top Basin and maybe at least the upper portion of the mid-mountain in the morning.

Unfortunately for me, it's not snow below and having got up almost dry, that weather window has decisively shut!

Windy, another big thanks for all your posts and to let you know you are responsible for a knackered but very happy southerner.
Couldn't resist one last jaunt and headed up friday night from Portsmouth, skied saturday and all sunday and back at work monday morning, very tired but worth every minute.
Allways love this place at the end of the season ... no ice and so much fun finding my way around all the lesser known bits especially the home run which is great fun right to the last few metres. Wouldn't have even considered venturing over the WW uptrack if you hadn't mentioned it the other day either!
Was planning to head home sunday lunch but then the clouds lifted revealing the result of the mornign snow so spent the afternoon playing in all the freshy's along the sides of the runs that noone else seemed to notice!

Spotted you at the top of the Coire na Ciste T heading for the Gully and was going to say thanks personally but you were just to quick for me

I live in the wrong place!

Keep up the good work sir!



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 22.10hrs Mon 4 Apr 16 by Wipit.

Yes, and another "thank you" , Windy. I love your posts and pics, please don't stop!
425 mile commute for us ( each way) but using your reports as a basis for deciding to go, we haven't had a bad experience yet!

Thanks for the positive comments folks, I am glad you are finding the posts useful. I hope that the majority of the pictures now being on face book are not too much of an issue but I am finding it easier to post them there and I am reaching a number of people that no longer post to winterhighland. The people that have friended me are in the majority skiers so my time line is just full of ski related pictures and discussions and lots of pictures of people skiing that would not be of interests to some winterhiglanders.

Sorry I missed you Wipit, it would have been nice to have a chat and a ski together. And just to remind anyone who is interested, you are very welcome to come and join our ski group, no invitation needed. We try different things depending on who is there. I was skiing with an 81 year old the other day down the west wall at speed, he could shift! and the next was with a 9 year old who is into off piste. We all had fun.

No pictures from today and yesterday due to the weather, dreich to say the least and I stayed at home.

Looking at the mountain the snow that was falling in the last 24 hours seems to have melted around mid station. Hopefully will get a few hours tomorrow and I will put some pictures up.

Graeme

The weather did not close in as quickly as forecast giving a fairly good day until late afternoon. Colder as of late with heavy snow showers in the afternoon.

The snow level is slowly rising up the mountain with the Fiacaill run needing a walk of about 20meters to get back to the car park. The load station of the WWP needs a short walk but the runs down are good and worth flipping of your skis for a short few steps to get on to the gantry. The west wall traverse from the ciste gully has a bit of heather hopping to get back but the gully its self is excellent.

The upper runs are gaining snow and the brown patches are turning white again. The White Lady is excellent, wide and well pisted as is the cas and gun barrel.

With the temperature levels as they are there was sleet at the cas and M1 and heavy snow about 1/2 way up the M1. Tomorrow the forecast is for the freezing level to drop.

The park has been remodelled and many more features.

Still very good skiing to be had, wide at the top and good to the lower cas and possible to get to the car park with some creative path finding.

Pictures of face book later
[www.facebook.com]

Graeme

White Lady wide and good


Upper runs are gaining snow, note the east ptarmigan filling in again.


Ciste Gully is very good, fresh snow 3/4 of the way down


Thin cover on way back to WWP but on heather which is fine to ski over. A little heather hop is worth it to keep the WWP open to access the ww and the gully expanses.


Gun barrel is still in good condition but not much snow beyond. upper cas is wide on both side of the fence.




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 19.29hrs Wed 6 Apr 16 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: Gun Barrel.JPG (289kB)   White Lady.JPG (262kB)   Ciste Fairway.JPG (217kB)   Ciste Gully.JPG (229kB)   thin cover.JPG (292kB)  

A heads up that the White Lady will be closed on Friday for preparations for FIS races on Saturday and Sunday, which means it wont be available until some point in the afternoon if at all during lift opening hours at the weekend.

So the only lift served terrain above blue will be the Ciste Gully and West Wall from the WWP in Coire na Ciste, but a short walk is required to regain the Poma and the traverse of the West Wall requires a high exit from the Gully.

So more on offer for more experienced skiers and boarders at Nevis and Glencoe this weekend, but for easier terrain CairnGorm is the clear winner with the Top Basin in great shape and a good run to the middle via the Traverse and Coire Cas.

The season continues in full swing, fresh snow from 1/2 way up the lady has revitalised the off piste. The east ptarmigan has caught a lot of snow which has packed down nicely and with the snow showers passing through fresh tracks could be had over and over again. We even headed further afield, not quite as far as Loagh Mor but the coire before allowing us to get back to either gully No1 and down to the WWP or sharp left back to the Ciste t-bar.

As you would expect at this time of year the lower slopes are struggling. The WWP is hanging in there, just, but it is a muddy quagmire. I am glad they are keeping it going but for how long I do not know. The ciste gully is very good but the ski out to the lift is not easy and muddy. We found keeping high and crossing the WWP tow track and into the Aonoch Bowl is the easiest and less muddy way down.

The upper bowls are gaining fresh snow wide and easy. The cas is good but the gun barrel is turning a bit brown. The snow showers were falling as rain at the mid station and the gun barrel but snow just above. You can still get back to the car park if you don't mind a short walk in the mud.

And a bonus, the top of the coronation wall has filled in and offerers an alternative to the traverse. Great snow!

Many pictures going up on face book later.
[www.facebook.com]

Graeme

I am sure you are sick of all the midweek perfect pictures so here is a mix from today. The really good ones will be on face book.

To skiers right of the ptarmigan Looking into Ciste Mhearad before heading out to the off piste areas.


Fresh tracks in April, nice


On the east ptarmigan looking over the top runs and the reshaped park.


Fresh snow in the ciste bowl.


The Aonach Bowl, this gives the least muddy way back to the west wall poma.











Edited 1 times. Last edit at 19.30hrs Fri 8 Apr 16 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: Off Piste.JPG (191kB)   Aonach Bowl.JPG (256kB)   Ciste Bowl.JPG (225kB)   East Ptarmigan.JPG (215kB)   Ciste Mhearad.JPG (202kB)  

Wow! allways find myself looking ski right at the top of the ptarmigan but sensible head kicks in everytime. would need a big run at it too as a pole-less boarder I guess

The Cairngorm website is still reporting this:

"Snow Level:
There is snow from the car park level upwards. "

Is that really true? It doesn't look that way from the webcams.

I am thinking of going touring at gorm on Saturday. Was wondering what the condition of the ciste is as a way up to the top? I assume there is still plenty of snow above the lower car park to skin up from there?

ta.

m

The snow level has been steadily rising up the mountain and the skiable snow in the ciste is above the old chairlift mid station. I have not been home for a few days so cant show you a picture. The conditions are good from the old board walk and great half way up. The fresh snow that has been falling improving the off piste is from just below the tunnel mouth. This is what made the skiing on the east ptramigan so good. at the weekend. The sumit and plateau were excellent at the weekend.

Graeme

Just had a thought. If you park in the cas lower car park and walk over the bridge to the Fiacaill ride you would have less walking.Head up the ridge route and access the tops from there. If you arrive before 10:30 you will still be in the first few cars as there are few folks about.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 16.54hrs Wed 13 Apr 16 by WindyMiller.

Hi all,
so it's probably been about 10 years since I last posted on winterhighland. Possibly longer, but I'm back...

After a move to Denmark, stupid amounts of work and two kids I'm now keen to introduce the wee ones to the awesomeness of Scottish skiing, having enjoyed a pretty top week in Geilo last year...


I have a sneaky long weekend off next week and we were thinking of going camping in Sweden but it looks a bit cold so then I though I could fly over to visit some old friends in Edinburgh and catch the slopes afterwards. I've seen the long term forecast from the ECMWF and looks like Scotland is right on the edge of two competing air masses so it looks like the snow you're currently enjoying will hang around for a week or so.

My questions are therefore:
1) Will Cairngorm be open next week (Friday - Sunday), weather permitting? I may have missed it but there don't seem to be obvious opening times, perhaps due to the weather?


2) I saw that the ski-school only operates in the holidays but is there a creche nearby for the small one (aged 3). My 5 year old is pretty good on skis, the 3 year old will try them out properly for the first time this year but as I'm by myself I'll probably need a bit of daycare for at least the littlest one (in Scandinavia I'd just leave her to sleep in the car at the bottom of the hill, but I understand this is frowned on in the UK...)

4) How strictly is the no-touring thing from the top station enforced these days? Is it still a thing? I wouldn't say no to a quick tour over the plateau if the conditions are right, would be great to show the kids where I used to work...

Any help much appreciated!

Cheers
TC