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SnowmanDave


Posts: 186
Joined: Dec 2013
Last Visited: 12:36
3rd Mar 2021
Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 11.04hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Why do Glenshee have a problem with Ski touring folk??

Yesterday morning I wanted to do Glas Maol & the plateau so I parked at the laybys just (100m) North (Braemar end) of the main buildings (did not want to get tangled up in the main car park) & skinned up the left side (off-piste) of the lower runs/lifts etc. Got up to the café & the only "out the way" up out of the ways that I could see was up the far left hand side of a run by the fence as the off-piste looked a bit scoured.

Oh was I WRONG!! Me & my mate got shouted at by a lifty at a lift to our far right (Caenlochan poma I think) "get off the piste & over the other side of the fence". Ok fine, so no break in the fence, so have to skin down 50m of run, about to go the other side of the fence & another older lifty? (not ski patrol, but had Glenshee branded jkt on) starts having a go at us! He kept bawling "you should not be on the ski area & didn't we see the signs" etc! I pointed out to him the direction we came & stated that we did NOT see any signs relating to ski-touring etc. He when got wound up by this & was shouting & pointing to some signs over 50m away on the other side of the runs (south side of the café area & tows).

The only facts I could subsequently find on their website relating to Ski Touring were the following:-
"If you are using the pistes outwith opening times could you avoid newly groomed pistes."
"In opening hours stick outside fences".

I have had no problems at other resorts when skinning up a run so long as you stick to the edge. If they have a signed route for ski-tourers then obviously they only have signs from one start point & that is NOT stated on their web site & you have no way of seeing it from the direction I came from. I chose the most "out the way route" when trying to navigate the areas which are a mess of fences, pylons, tows, etc, flipping nightmare!

Spoke to a few other ski tourers that we met on the plateau & they had heard that Glenshee have recently started getting a bit stupid about ski tourers.

That was my first winter visit to Glenshee as Cairn Gorm is the closest to me, (wanted to try a different area), & everyone complains about C.G. (even me), but that attitude from Glenshee is as bad!

To any Glenshee employees, if you really don't like ski-tourers so much then please make the approved defined routes/access points for us clearly marked at the other layby's & on your website!!!

Seriously, you not wanting us to even ski down your groomed pistes when you are closed is OTT!! (One person I spoke to his mate was shouted at for doing this). Do you shoot any wildlife that dares to make tracks on your freshly groomed pistes also??

I thought that the hills were NOT your private property.

So what is the cleanest, "not on piste" routes up on both sides of the road, as looking at the Cairnwell side it looks a mess! How to get up to the top of the Coire Butchart?

Rant over!!



---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---
Doug_Bryce


Posts: 1373
Joined: Jan 2003
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 11.11hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
SnowmanDave Wrote:
Me & my mate got shouted at by a lifty at a lift to our far right (Caenlochan poma I think) "get off the piste & over the other side of the fence"


Ski toured (...and used the lifts) lots at Glenshee over the years.
Personally never had a problem - good ski centre and people.

Generally if skinning up hill through a ski area on a busy weekend I would avoid the middle of a piste. That way it is more fun, and safer, for everyone...

[www.haggistrap.co.uk]
SnowmanDave


Posts: 186
Joined: Dec 2013
Last Visited: 12:36
3rd Mar 2021
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 11.16hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Doug_Bryce Wrote:

Generally if skinning up hill through a ski area on a busy weekend I would avoid the middle of a piste. That way it is more fun, and safer, for everyone...



As I stated in my OP:- "the only "out the way" up out of the ways that I could see was up the far left hand side of a run by the fence as the off-piste looked a bit scoured".

We were up against the fence, but on the "on piste side", as I ALWAYS do at any resort.

---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---
Doug_Bryce


Posts: 1373
Joined: Jan 2003
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 11.35hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
^ so you were skinning up a marked piste during a busy weekend ?

whilst we have a "right to roam" in Scotland it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that the ski area ask you to ascend elsewhere.
Dunc


Posts: 330
Joined: Nov 2004
Last Visited: 09:47
18th Mar 2021
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 11.58hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Na. Go up the piste if you want, stay to the side, and respect others, and by all means ski down the piste, whatever time of the day. I'm not a ski tourer, and I love Glenshee and the way it is managed. However, a few ski tourers, acting responsibly, should not casue them an issue. And you have a right to be on that snow. But exercise common sense.
Doug_Bryce


Posts: 1373
Joined: Jan 2003
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 12.08hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Dunc Wrote:
Na. Go up the piste if you want, stay to the side, and respect others, and by all means ski down the piste, whatever time of the day. I'm not a ski tourer, and I love Glenshee and the way it is managed. However, a few ski tourers, acting responsibly, should not casue them an issue. And you have a right to be on that snow. But exercise common sense.


^ hmmmm - I would suggest that skinning up a piste on a weekend is NOT acting responsibly ? Caeonlochan is a red grade run - so to ascend on skins you would clearly need to zig-zag on the steeper pitches.

of course the odd ski tourer's doing this isn't a big deal. but if everyone did the same thing then it would become an issue. it is clearly more fun, and safer, for everyone to pick alternate routes outsides the fences nearby.

[www.haggistrap.co.uk]



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 12.17hrs Mon 29 Feb 16 by Doug_Bryce.
SnowmanDave


Posts: 186
Joined: Dec 2013
Last Visited: 12:36
3rd Mar 2021
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 12.33hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Doug_Bryce Wrote:
^ so you were skinning up a marked piste during a busy weekend ?

whilst we have a "right to roam" in Scotland it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that the ski area ask you to ascend elsewhere.


Up the edge next to a fence like I have done at many other resorts without problems. Go look at the groups of walkers, ski-tourers etc at the other resorts, at the edges, no problems!

Like I said considering the maze of fences, tows etc in the area of the café etc I chose what looked like the least used(no people on it), most out the way route to skin up considering the view I had from our start point.

So what is the official start point then for Glenshee & which route do you take as it is not mentioned on their website, not even the signs we were pointed to 50m on the other side from where we were, are mentioned as a route for ski-tourers, & what is the official route then up Coire Butchart then, as it looks a maze of fences, piste, tows etc?

& what about descending then late in evening?

---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---
teleshred


Posts: 55
Joined: Dec 2011
Last Visited: 13:22
10th Mar 2020
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 12.42hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
I have also heard reports from other tourers that they have been shouted at by Glenshee ski patrol for skinning up, also in the middle valley. Generally I find Glenshee staff to be a really good bunch and very friendly so find this particular dislike of theirs rather odd.

I agree that tourers should be sensible and not go up the middle of a busy piste as that endangers all on the hill. However, the other points about not skiing down groomed pistes etc is ridiculous. As the saying goes, you pay for a LIFT pass not a RUN pass - the GS patrollers would do well to remember this.

Speaking from considerable first hand experience, I think some of the ski patrollers up there frankly like the sound of their own voices a little bit too much (not naming any names!).

If acting reasonably and responsibly, I'd say ignore them, crack on and enjoy the great touring that there is over there - just remember your earplugs next time! winking smiley
telemarker


Posts: 2934
Joined: Oct 2003
Last Visited: 14:59
12th Apr 2021
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 12.46hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Never had any issues in past, nor yesterday skinning over to loch vrotachan
andytb


Posts: 358
Joined: Nov 2008
Last Visited: 10:36
4th May 2018
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 13.00hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
The point about not skiing a run groomed after closing is actually fair, if the snow is soft and then scuffed up by skis it will set up hard overnight and be bone rattling.

If the cords are left be then it will be a quality surface come resort opening time.
veletron


Posts: 447
Joined: Feb 2006
Last Visited: 14:46
1st Apr 2021
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 14.46hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Hi

I have kept this to myself until now, for fear of starting a shouty thread on WH! Back in Jan, me and a mate were skinning back up the outside of the fence of the Coire Fionn poma run - the poma was not running, and the area was closed. Got to the top to be greeted by a guy on a snow-mobile (with a woman and child also on it). I've seen the same pair at Glenshee many many times - I believe him to be one of the owners. Anyway, he started bawling at us. "Suppose you are taking up a space in MY car park, support you are going to ski down MY piste, use MY toilets all for free" etc etc. Thought he was joking initially, but he was deadly serious.

We calmed him down, we might have been touring but my other half had bought a pass, and we were both intending on skiing in-bounds with a pass on the Sunday. Besides this, the place was mobbed - I commented that there were enough folks queueing for lifts already without us too! I pointed out that the shee is my preferred area, and that I have put several grand through the ticket office window over the years and encouraged many friends to try skiing in Scotland. He did eventually calm down and have a civil conversation with us, but I found his attitude to be very negative towards us tourers.

We did of course ski bits of piste down to the car park, there's not huge options to avoid this really. I understand that Glenshee owns the lifts, but not the land, and under the Scottish outdoor access code we are free to tour where we wish.

Anyway, the point of this post is to state that you ain't alone in encountering anti-touring staff at Glenshee.

Nigel
Andy


Posts: 1406
Joined: Jan 2003
Last Visited: 08:47
2nd May 2019
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 15.14hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
After over 10-15 years of touring round Glenshee, this year was the first time I ran into trouble. In my experience it's only 1 or 2 guys that have a problem - the white/grey hair older crabbit guy that usually works in the Glas maol area and the guy on the skidoo that goes around fixing breakdowns.
I was skining up in thick mist along the side of the Glas maol poma (which wasn't open). The guys in the piste machine waved at me as I went past, but then this old dude stared shouting at me as I got further up the hill. I shouted at him to get a grip and laughed at him. He then came up on his skidoo but didn't say anything else until his mate came along, when they both had a dig at me. Again , i just told them to calm doon!.
Thing is I had a lift pass but I was going for an extra mini tour.
I met another tourer who had the same problem.
I've skied Glenshee for almost 30 years, buy an advantage card every year and have spent loads in lift passes.

I've heard quite a few reports of this on the backcountry group - no one was on the piste either. It does put a downer on a day out!.
japman


Posts: 13
Joined: Feb 2013
Last Visited: 17:45
9th Apr 2018
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 15.17hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Never enter into conversation with anybody that shouts at you. Simply smile, wish them good day and go on your way. There is not a damn thing they can do about it.
davy_boy2004


Posts: 65
Joined: Jan 2011
Last Visited: 22:14
28th Jun 2018
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 15.44hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Have toured round there myself for years and never had any issues but these reports are becoming a lot more common this year it seems.
Might be worth touching base with the mcofs to record some of these incidents as they will know the laws better than some of us.
As for shouting at the public this could backfire one day as i for one wont stand for any aggro while out and about and im sure many others feel the same whether it be walking, skiing or biking.
growwild


Posts: 3550
Joined: Oct 2005
Re: Why do Glenshee have a problem with ski touring folk?
Date Posted: 15.49hrs on Mon 29 Feb 16
Times have changed, I have tae agree wi Japman... Different story if they keep following you and greeting though smiling smiley
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