 Poster: A snowHead
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| Slight shame they haven’t got the new Rannoch Chair operational yet. I don’t think the chairs are on the cable yet. Anyone know the issue ? |
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| It’s due to be certified later in January |
Does anyone know if there's any update on the new chair  It will transform access across The Plateau. Here's hoping that it will be operational this season.
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
| @mountainaddict, main basin looks about ready to go! A thaw/freeze would be spot on for some consolidation!! |
Main Basin has reportedly caught a lot more snow than Happy Valley, all eyes on the summit weather station tonight. If the the temperature does come down later this evening we should have the start of a real base for the first time is season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| All eyes on the summit weather station tonight. If the the temperature does come down later this evening we should have the start of a real base for the first time is season. |
Well, overnight thaw it was... 
The Nevis cam showing the lower slopes looks distinctly like one step forward, two steps back this morning - but, looking at Glencoe, could it actually be two steps forward, one step back overall
Heavy snow forecast off and on until Sunday, with freezing levels between 300-1000m. The waiting game continues...
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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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Thinking of heading up to Scotland this weekend. Chances of Glencoe having some lifts running?
Will be bringing my touring setup as well
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@Mouse555, slim at the moment but also hopeful! Latest update
Overnight thaw has left us with no complete runs for snowsports. There is snow in the forecast so watch this space. Plenty of snow on the sledging slope and Access Chair now open for sledging and sightseeing. Strong westerly wind so wrap up warm if visiting.
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Glencoe will have Access and a couple of surface lifts on the plateau running probably tomorrow afternoon, windy in the AM and stormbound just now. But snowing a lot.
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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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Plateau Poma and Coire Pollach Tow to run Friday serving the triangle of linger green runs on the plateau. Will be the longest runs / mix of terrain currently open - tickets to be bought online !
Nevis had machines working on the Fairway under the quad and links to the Goose T-bar this afternoon. Probably needs a bit more to connect but maybe from Tower 4 on the Goose if the wind behaves at the weekend !
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Nevis open!
Gondola is due to run at 9am.
There is an increase in winds later in the day so a morning visit may be advisable.
Please be advised that due to windy conditions, trees may be down on the lower trails - care required when biking.
Conditions and Lift Status
Alpha tow will be open today, the traverse will take you out to the Quad rd, with a short walk to top station. Its looking to be 2 cats wide. Rabbit will also be open. Yockies is broken so will not be open. It's early season conditions and tickets will be limited to Season Ticket holders and 100 non season ticket holders. Winds are due to pick up in the afternoon so make it an early visit if possible!
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Cliffhanger opened this afternoon at Glencoe, probably not going to run Saturday due to the forecast wind. Should be quite a bit of fresh snow tonight, but on the Plateau it will get rained on tomorrow morning so likely to be slow and sticky. Wall and Canyon seeing turns today. Everything points to Sunday as the day to go West, light winds, some light snow showers around and a top up of fresh on Saturday night too. Lots of snow pushed onto parts of the Main Basin T-bar track today, it is very unlikely to run on Saturday, but they are hopeful of getting uplift open to the top for the first time this season on Sunday. 
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You know it makes sense.
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In the east Glenshee needs another decent fall before they can open any more lifts.
The good news is they are making the best use of their snow factory. Its been open every day for learners, improvers and school groups and should hopefully mean they can cover some of their costs.
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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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Ski toured at Cairngorm today with Mrs MA. Skis on from bottom, so that was a result.
Cover on the mountain looked very decent - but that was deceptive as a lot more snow is needed to open any tows above the Snow Factory snow on the beginners area. The Gunbarrel and Cas were very thin, narrow and rocky and the White Lady looked even worse.
The wind was worse than forecast, rising to absolutely ferocious at Ptarmigan Restaurant level. As a result, snow cover in the Ptarmigan Bowl is not very extensive. There was decent cover against the fences but a lot of the bowl has been stripped of snow in the wind.
We got to within 150m of the summit, via the top of the Ptarmigan Tow, before the snow ran out amidst a boulder field, so turned back at that point.
Snow on the descent (via The Traverse, Cas and Zig Zags) had been chopped up in places by a piste basher.That made for some choppy/tricky turns here and there but still some lovely snow in places.
Sod's Law of ski touring applied today - sunny ascent, with the weather closing in a bit for the descent but, as ever, still nice to be out in the mountains.
In view of the the wild wind that's forecast tomorrow, looks like we'll be hiking somewhere low-level. Will reassess after that, with a view to another day or two of ski touring
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Poster: A snowHead
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@mountainaddict, good effort. Seems likely now that the higher mountains of the Highlands are in for a protracted pasting, hopefully setting us all up for some good ski days in better weather.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Glenshee a world class resort. On the first timers venture up the ears may pop and the sprouting ski lifts spring and sway from various highland peaks.
Shiny, happy people everywhere today. A few centremeters of good quality heavy snowflakes this afternoon and setting up to be a good week of slope style action. Although there’s only a few slopes filled in there’s plenty of go getters riding the snow pockets wherever they find them. Seems a good slope off the top Perth side of the carpark where the skilled were doing black flips off a short chunky run out.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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A snowy, rainy, pea souper of a day for ski touring at Glencoe today.
Wet snow, which is becoming patchy, below the top of the Cliffhanger Chair. Fairly extensive cover on The Wall and up in the Main Basin. It snowed all day on the upper mountain. The Wall in particular was good fun and had been skied into a pisted run. The upper mountain was a bit sticky where it hadn't been skied and was challenging in the dense fog.
Only a bit more snow needed to cover the rocks at the tops of the tow tracks of the Wall T bar and the top of the Main Basin T bar (see pic below). The Haggis Trap is still about 15 feet deep, so a lot more snow is needed there.
Very busy on the open runs - big queues for the Plateau Poma and Cliffhanger Chair, which we avoided as we were skinning up. The queue for the Plateau Cafe was outside in the rain.
A bit of a day for diehards because of the weather - but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I’d say perhaps by next week we will have some more lifts turning. There’s very little base so they need a lot of snow to get going - some more than others
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| Peter S wrote: |
http://www.winterhighland.info/cams/glencoe/
Main basin open today  |
From what I can see there, Etive Glades side looks like it has some decent cover, so the Haggis Trap should be avoidable.
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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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Another fun day of Glencoe ski touring today with fresh snow conditions. Bright/sunny spells and some snowfall too.
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| Etive Glades side looks like it has some decent cover, so the Haggis Trap should be avoidable |
Correct - although it was being skied and didn’t look too bad at all.
The Spring Run looked very inviting - but we gave it a miss as the Ski Patrol advised that it was only worth doing if you didn't value your ski bases too highly...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
It was also good to see that the new cafe/base lodge building is almost finished. The Coe website says that they hope to get the keys at the end of this month. Being metal-clad, it does look rather utilitarian, compared to its wooden predecessor, but I'm sure it will do the job well enough.
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The new building looks pretty good from your photo. And if it's opening soon, I'll be looking forward to some apres therein during March and April before retiring to the van.
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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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| The new building looks pretty good from your photo. And if it's opening soon, I'll be looking forward to some apres therein during March and April before retiring to the van |
We were too moffatross...
The TV in the portacabin cafe shows a message saying 'Free camping during the snowsports season' BUT they have signs up in the carpark saying (words to the effect of) 'No overnight van parking except in our designated bays' 
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| The new building looks pretty good from your photo. And if it's opening soon, I'll be looking forward to some apres therein during March and April before retiring to the van |
We were too moffatross...
The TV in the portacabin cafe shows a message saying 'Free camping during the snowsports season' BUT they have signs up in the carpark saying (words to the effect of) 'No overnight van parking except in our designated bays' |
I sort of get that as it always looked to me that the parking spaces were marked out for 1970's sized cars, so anything like a pickup or van takes up two spaces (or more as they're wider than the parking bays too). Andy would probably only let it bother him on the few days a season that the place gets mobbed at weekends. I can't see them bothering us midweek or any time towards the end of the season when the snow is often at its best.
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You know it makes sense.
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When is the end of the season? We’re thinking of taking a trip up at the end of March.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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The police just knocked on my door and I got a flashback of when I was interviewed a couple of years back due to the Monopoly group I was in disbanding and then accusations thrown wildly. It was touch and go as one of the group had passed away so could not bear witness. Anyway they saw sense and I learnt a valuable lesson about nieve trust and monopoly in that the only one I could trust in that game was the boot or small dog I rode with. Excuse me, I digress..They were informing me that the snow gates at Braemar and Spittal of Glenshee have closed so if I wanted out I was to call them..A beautiful blanket of snow both layed and arriving illuminated in a bright moon sure is a purdey sight in the wee hours. Hopefully a few more runs at Glenshee will be opening tomorrow to get stuck into. It’s not the 25cm forecasted presently but 6-7 and still going for it. Yippeeee, cow bells time.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@moffatross, thanks that gives me hope. I know it’s an unknown quantity but just trying to gauge it really. I’d be very happy with the conditions in your photos. @oneglove, have a great time
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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and when the lifts shut you can still tour, last year I toured twice in May inc fresh snow in Aviemore early May and I think @mountainaddict, got a tour in on 1st June from memory!!
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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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That's right Kitenski
As moffatross has alluded to, in a (ahem) normal year - Glencoe, Nevis Range and Cairngorm can be relied on for pretty decent snow cover and lifts to be open well into April. Glenshee may well be decent higher up as well, but we've never tried it at that time of year.
Once the lifts close, May generally has great cover for ski touring. June can have enough snow for 200-300m of vertical for the diehards who are prepared to walk to the snowline - typically 20-30 mins from Glencoe Access Chair; 35-45 mins from Nevis Gondola; and 25-45 mins from the Cas Car Park at Cairngorm. After the epic winter of 2009/10, we ski toured at Cairngorm on 30th June. We skied all the way from the Ptarmigan to just about boardwalk level in the Ciste Gully.
These pics are all taken after 27th of April between 2018 and 2021. The final two pics are at Cairngorm on 1st June 2021 - summer skiing at its finest 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Webcams look great at both Glenshee and Glencoe, both opening but the weather is not looking amazing over next few days.
Coe isnt selling tickets for tomorrow (and next week is also blocked out online for both resorts til it becomes clearer).
Had a laugh when I called Coe to check if it was sold out or blocked due to the conditions - girl on the end of the phone said "aye, weather next week looking pretty gash".........I just about spat out my tea
Possibility of Monday being better so fingers crossed etc.
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I had a quick tour on Thursday up Glen Feshie which was good. Weather properly closed in after that and webcam at house (GoS) was deep yesterday. This week looking like more loading up of snow, i'm booking a couple of days of week after next based on long range, woo hoo !
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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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Surely best day of the season so far for Glencoe!
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FAQ
