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WindyMiller


Posts: 654
Joined: Sep 2010
Last Visited: 17:31
1st Sep 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 17.00hrs on Sun 1 Jun 14
Went for a wander with our skis on our backs today. Weather was warm with broken cloud so it was t-shirts and light trousers. Headed up the cas path to the top station and in for a coffee to say hi to the folks before going out to the ptarmigan terrain park. Still quite a bit of snow here. It would be ideal for teaching beginners with the warm weather and soft snow. I am sure a mobile rope tow and some good advertising would bring a few families up for try-a-ski. Cakes , scones, soup and slide.

After playing on the park we headed down to the ciste gully. The main ciste bowl path has now separated from the entrance to the gully but not too arduous a walk in ski boots. The snow is similar to that at the end of June last year, I would say we are about 4 weeks melt ahead of then but it is still a very enjoyable day out.

Met Helen on our way back down the day lodge tow / windy ridge path about to tick off June. Hopefully your knee held up Helen! In total I counted 7 skiers / boarders on the hill today.

Helen on her way up


The ciste gully


Some pics here
[www.winterhighland.info]





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 17.02hrs Sun 1 Jun 14 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: Helen June.jpg (265kB)   Ciste June.jpg (332kB)  
h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
Last Visited: 18:38
2nd Sep 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 18.38hrs on Sun 1 Jun 14
The knee held up Graeme and I enjoyed my run down the gully smiling smiley

Met I think Mountain addict and partner who had walked up from the Ciste and were skinning. They had also had a great day at Glencoe yesterday and were raving about the amount of snow still there.

Helen

snowpatch94


Posts: 87
Joined: Jul 2006
Last Visited: 20:30
7th Aug 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 08.48hrs on Mon 2 Jun 14
Great pictures Hilly and Windy miller.
I also took a trip up to the Cairngorms on Friday, glorious day. I hiked up with my new smaller board from the Car Park to the top station .
I agree that the Gorms still has reasonable snowpsorts to offer any skier and boarder who is prepared to give it a go.
I had heard that the Ciste Gulley was still holding a good amount of snow, but I wanted to see what Chiste Mherraid had to offer

First glimpse of Chiste Mherraid patch
[www.dropbox.com]
The patch or snow area, was quite large and extensive
[www.dropbox.com]
[www.dropbox.com]

The giant wall of snow
[www.dropbox.com]
[www.dropbox.com]

My board next to it, to give a sense of scale
[www.dropbox.com]

A wee jump was built at the top of the patch

[www.dropbox.com]

On my way back , I was really surprised to see the Marquis Well half pipe pretty much intact
[www.dropbox.com]


h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
Last Visited: 18:38
2nd Sep 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 17.02hrs on Mon 2 Jun 14
Sounds that you were as amazed at the size of the wall of snow in Ciste Mhearad as I was snowpatch94! Even though I have dozens of photos of the area taken over the years it's still hard to relate the snow each year to the ground.

Firefly I wonder if anyone has invented a snow echo sounder that would produce images of the ground surface with the snow above. That would be a great addition to your Phantom winking smiley

Helen

firefly


Posts: 2149
Joined: May 2006
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 19.05hrs on Mon 2 Jun 14
Indeed, Helen! Great pictures again...

Mountainaddict


Posts: 271
Joined: Nov 2006
Last Visited: 19:38
6th Jan 2021
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 11.30hrs on Thu 5 Jun 14
Hello Helen - it was indeed me (and Mrs MA) that you bumped into at the top of the Ciste on Sunday! Nice speaking to you and glad that your knee held up.

I posted a report and pics of Glencoe and Cairngorm over on Snowheads (see under trip reports) and will try and get round to also posting some on here.

Could well fancy another trip up this weekend - summer's long enough as they say!

h11lly


Posts: 2150
Joined: Dec 2002
Last Visited: 18:38
2nd Sep 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 13.40hrs on Thu 5 Jun 14
Great report on snowheads Mountain addict and Mrs MA ( didn't want to put my foot in it by referring to you as Mrs as I wasn't sure if you were, hence I used the more neutral description of partner ! )
Can see why you were raving about Glencoe. Long drive for you but if you can guarantee weather like that again it would be worth it .
Good to meet up again smiling smiley

Helen

WindyMiller


Posts: 654
Joined: Sep 2010
Last Visited: 17:31
1st Sep 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 16.39hrs on Mon 9 Jun 14
Lovely morning in the Strath so headed up on to the mountain for a slide. A warm summers day with broken cloud giving strong sunshine.

The front of the mountain no longer has any good skiable snow so it is up to the head wall or the terrain park to get the first snow. Shona and I headed over to the park for a play about before going in for some lunch and cakes. The snow in the park is a bit sticky but you can still get some air of the jump.

The ciste bowl patch is getting small and thin, watch out for the burn underneath!

The ciste entrance is much lower down the gully than a couple of weeks ago but once in it is good fast snow and still deep and wide. It stops much higher up than this time last year, quite a bit away from the board walk but this means it is an easy walk over the west wall and day lodge. The west wall patch is not really worth the ski now and we walked over the remaining snow.

Interesting to see the board walk is being removed this summer. There are big bags of the cut up wood ready to be taken away.

Heading into the Ciste


Some pics here.
[www.winterhighland.info]





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 16.43hrs Mon 9 Jun 14 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: Ciste Entrance.jpg (203kB)  
Gorminator


Posts: 667
Joined: Jan 2011
Last Visited: 15:45
11th Aug 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 18.35hrs on Mon 9 Jun 14
Still waiting on your photo Graeme !!!!

Mountainaddict


Posts: 271
Joined: Nov 2006
Last Visited: 19:38
6th Jan 2021
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 22.32hrs on Mon 9 Jun 14
We enjoyed last weekend so much that we went back up to Cairngorm last Friday night and hiked/skied/skinned on Saturday grinning smiley . The wind was a bit wild - especially on (surprise surprise) the Windy Ridge ascent (it was a lot stronger than the forecast) - but the Ciste Gully was a bit more sheltered.

The unbroken vertical available had reduced by about 40m from the previous weekend, to around 170m or so - so still a very worthwhile run that we lapped three times. We also skied a 200m patch just below the Ptarmigan Tow and a steep 100m patch on the West Wall. Another good day (total 730m vertical skied & 900m+ ascended on foot/skins) - despite the necessary evil that is the slog back over to the Daylodge through the deep heather....

WindyMiller


Posts: 654
Joined: Sep 2010
Last Visited: 17:31
1st Sep 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 07.07hrs on Tue 10 Jun 14
Gorminator Wrote:
Still waiting on your photo Graeme !!!!


Apologies George, could you PM me your email address please?

Graeme

WindyMiller


Posts: 654
Joined: Sep 2010
Last Visited: 17:31
1st Sep 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 16.10hrs on Tue 17 Jun 14
With the temperature hitting 25oC what should you do? Go skiing!

It was a hot walk up the cas path and we very grateful for the gentle breeze blowing.
The patches have all but gone from the front of the mountain. The only notable snow was the remnants of the M1 black run pile. Had some lunch, cakes and a catch up on the level 4 thinning gossip. It seems every take over follows the same body count, CEO, 2nd in command and in comes their own general manager.

We headed over to look at the ptarmigan park, didn't ski here but there is still a sizable patch. Two weeks ago there was a sizable patch in the ciste bowl worth a ski on but this has now gone, you have to head in to the gully proper to get the skiable snow. Once in the snow is good fast spring snow which is still wide and very worth the walk in.

The snow stops quite a way above the board walk but still a good length for some fun, we have to stop saying the board walk now as it has gone! met another winter highlander skinning up and tellemarking down.

Nice day out.


Some pics here
[www.winterhighland.info]

Graeme




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 16.13hrs Tue 17 Jun 14 by WindyMiller.

Attachments: ciste ski.jpg (287kB)  
Gorminator


Posts: 667
Joined: Jan 2011
Last Visited: 15:45
11th Aug 2019
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 19.13hrs on Tue 17 Jun 14
Nice-one Graeme !!

Olderalan


Posts: 1510
Joined: Feb 2006
Last Visited: 15:23
7th Apr 2019
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 20.52hrs on Tue 17 Jun 14
Good report Graeme...must have been a real struggle on the way up owing to the heat today!

With respect to the boardwalk....it was certainly in need of demolition. What we all want to know now is....what is happening about a replacement? Or is a path to be constructed. Perhaps Colin will put something up on their facebook now, after he reads this....

Kind regards

Olderalan

snow


Posts: 69
Joined: Apr 2006
Last Visited: 15:24
4th Mar 2016
Re: CairnGorm Snow 2014
Date Posted: 12.13hrs on Fri 20 Jun 14
Does anyone know how much snow if any there is in the Ptarmigan bowl? thanks

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