Ski blog – Great Escapades from Eclipse Ski

Ski mountaineering in Scotland offers some great adventures often overlooked by those sceptical or unaware of the snow that covers the Highlands during the winter months. Admittedly if your looking for two weeks of knee deep powder under blue skies and sunshine then you may not get what you want. But if its high quality skiing, solitude and above all a mountain adventure on your own doorstep then you could do far worse than head North for some skiing.

Another Munro done. Dan Goodwin

The season of 2010 was one of the best with huge amounts of snow falling in the Highlands and with some great weather along with it, many where out enjoying the conditions. ’The worst winter in 30 years’ the BBC news reader stated, ’Hard times in the Highlands’ said the Oban Times but for skiers and winter climbers alike this was the season that people had been dreaming of. It doesn’t need to be the best season of a lifetime though to provide good ski weekends. Having been here for the last decade there hasn’t been a winter where the ski’s have stayed inside, there have been winters that where late coming and some that finished abruptly some wet runs but the winter always throw up a good spell. Some understanding of the weather and keeping an eye on the weathers history over the weeks before will provide you with the info needed to decide whether to get in the car and start the M6 dash.

Ski mountaineering in Scotland offers a huge wealth of ski trips from the rolling Cairngorm range to the sharper and steeper mountains on the west coast in the shape of the Grey Corries and Glen Coe ranges. From there you can head further North into remote glens and the big Munros of the North West.

Scottish ski mountaineering much as in the Alps requires a few winter mountaineering skills as well as the ability to ski. For those aspiring to the classic tours in the Alps Scotland can provide a good training ground helping hone some fundamental mountain skills. You need to be able to navigate confidently in sometimes harsh weather and poor visibility, be proficient in the use of ice axe and crampons and also have some knowledge of avalanches and how they occur.

These skills are very important and do cause serious accidents and many people who don’t have them often require the services of the local mountain rescue team to get them back to safety. The most common reason people get into trouble is due to poor navigation. If your looking to brush up these essential winter skills or to gain them for the first time then I would highly recommend booking a winter skills course usually run over two days or a long weekend in the Highlands. These can also be tailored to suit ski mountaineers.

The odd heather shuffle adds interest low down. Dan Goodwin

For ski mountaineering skiing is also a vital skill, it seems a rather obvious thing to be recommending but its often underestimated. Having a basic grasp of skiing wont always be enough when it comes to mountain terrain. With a variety of ungroomed snow types to tackle from deep soft powder to hard icy wind packed snow , brittle crusts and deep heavy snow. A good level of confidence is required in your turns as often they can be long days and time can be of the essence.

Armed with those skills the Highlands open up offering a lifetimes worth of ski tours. The weather certainly plays a large part in what happens in Scotland with sometimes fickle conditions but almost all the time during February through to April there will be snow, you may have to boot pack it up a little way to get the ski’s on. The amount of readily available information on mountain conditions has also helped aid the decision making on a Friday night. One very important service to check is the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) they run a service from the 15^th of December through to April the 15^th. This is a  Sport Scotland funded programme where two people head out on a daily basis in their allocated area gathering snow data which is compiled into a report and published on the internet and other information areas. This offers some indication on the level of avalanche hazard and some possible aspects that people need to be aware of. Avalanches can and do occur causing accidents and sadly fatality, some snow awareness is essential to staying safe. Blogs, internet chat rooms and up to the minute weather reports all help to give you a good indication of what’s happening on the hill at that moment but remember they are only shaping a picture and the most important  information you need to interpret is what you see around you and under your feet when you get into the mountains.

Which way, lots of lines from the summit of Cairngorm. Dan Goodwin

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Guest post sent from Dan Goodwin – MountainPlan.com.