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John Doherty


Posts: 33
Joined: Nov 2002
Last Visited: 05:07
2nd Sep 2007
Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 21.56hrs on Tue 18 Feb 03
Does anyone know of other places around the world where they have plenty of up-lift facilities, but have the same unreliable (sometimes) snow cover as Scotland?
Graham


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 01.03hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
Try anywhere in New Zealand, various parts of New England (periodically), Australia, Bulgaria to think of a few, oh and mustn't forget Lebanon (although a mate of mine skied there a couple of years ago, and thought it absolutely rocked & great wine!)

Graham
Doug


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Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 08.17hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
Climate not as extreme but snow cover just as unreliable in the Vosges, NE France.
PeterS


Posts: 980
Joined: Feb 2003
Last Visited: 12:21
13th Mar 2021
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 09.28hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
Try northern England ! Less reliable snow and only fractionally less harsh weather !

The difference I guess is that the tows in the Peninnes and on Raise in the Lake Diustrict are run by clubs. Basically small groups of enthusiasts who are dead keen on skiing and love being in the hills in the winter and the summer. Since the clubs tend to run on a shoe string and don't have employees they're not expected to provide a professional service. However since many of their members are retired and now very experienced at running their tows they are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can be very professional ie. piste grooming, decent huts with heating, answer phones, web sites etc.

This may be why the smaller centres such as the Lecht and Glencoe feel friendlier than the Gorm, because they are more like club fields. I have to say though that I am always impressed by Glenshee who have a huge system to maintain and must be strapped for cash. Yet they seem to understand skiers and open as many lifts as possible whenever possible. They deserve half a chance with the weather.
SimonF1


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 11.19hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
Bit harsh to say that New Zealand has a ski situation same as Scotland. It is the height of their summer at the moment and the freezing level is about 1500m.







I would compare their seasons to those of the Alps, namely pretty reliable, but years are better than others. It is pretty much unheard of to not be able to ski during the winter, something which is not unheard of (infact quite common) in Scotland. I would compare the reliabilty of Scottish skiing to that of Lebanon or Israel, maybe Australia or the former Yugoslavia, but they probably have more reliable skiing than Scotland. Rather ambitious to say we have the same reliability as New England.
Graham


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 12.36hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
Never skied in NZ but a mate I have from there says that the snow is infinately better, but they have the same problems with wind closing uplift. Definately a place I would like to try out (wind or no wind)
Andy


Posts: 1406
Joined: Jan 2003
Last Visited: 08:47
2nd May 2019
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 15.52hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
I know it's bad here but i've never heard of there not being any skiing at some time during the winter.
Anyone interested in the snow fall patterns of scotland should have a look at the scottish executive document " climate change and changing snowfall patterns in scotland" (just do a web search)
Some frustrated skier


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Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 16.13hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
I have skied in oz and their snow is far better than scotlands. The area i skied at is the biggest and has better management than cairngorm
Doug Bryce


Posts: 1373
Joined: Jan 2003
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 17.13hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
The main resorts at the bottom of the south island in NZ, round about queenstown & wanaka, are defiantly more reliable than those in Scotland.
However - further north in NZ conditions become less reliable - and VERY comparable to Scotland.

Apparently the north island of NZ and Australia can both offer good conditions - or nothing at all. From what I have heard that either they get 1 or 2 huge (1m+) dumps in a winter, or no snow at all.

Finally - its not uncommon to get snow on the top of Cairngorm / Ben Nevis in June. I have seen it myself on more than one occasion.
John Doherty


Posts: 33
Joined: Nov 2002
Last Visited: 05:07
2nd Sep 2007
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 18.34hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
At least we've got something to talk about with the ever changing weather. Although it would be nice to have a couple of seasons with perfect alpine conditions from october to june. At the least weather we get makes it interesting. Also it seems that scotland has commercial resorts with the least snow. Although i'm not sure if this would be the case or not
David Goldsmith


Posts: 1283
Joined: Feb 2003
Last Visited: 08:28
6th Nov 2018
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 20.44hrs on Wed 19 Feb 03
I've been lucky enough to ski at over 80 places from the Arctic Circle (Riksgransen, Lapland, N. Sweden) to Thredbo in Australia. Nowhere else competes with Scotland for weather. Altitude for altitude, Scotland features the most impressive storms I've ever seen.
I skied Glencoe one March and the t-bar was buried almost to the top of its pylons, with the cable a foot off the snow. This is also unique in my experience.

OK, stashes of powder may be a little rare, but what the hell.....!
donald rumbold


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 11.47hrs on Sat 22 Feb 03


Nz ski-ing is nothing like Scotland.they get snow, most Kiwis have never skied on ice, plus I have never not skied in 20 years while being in nz, so seasons must be better. but I still miss a good Cairngorm blow.
James Maunder


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 17.18hrs on Mon 24 Feb 03
Have just spent some time in Australia and New Zealand and, while I have no direct experience of skiing there, have had plenty of conversations about it!

While skiing in New Zealand seems to be more like that in the European alps - high mountains and lots of snow, Australia does seem at least superficially similar to Scotland in that the mountains are fairly low given their latitude and the vertical extent at the resorts is therefore fairly limited. Friends I spoke to agreed with the points made above that skiing in Australia is very variable - if the snow arrives it's great but on regular occasions it simply doesn't arrive.

One thing that Scottish resorts don't have to deal with are bushfires which apparently have recently destroyed some of the Australian skiing infrastructure!
Some frustrated skier


Guest
Re: Anywhere else with similar conditions?
Date Posted: 18.05hrs on Mon 24 Feb 03
Go to Perisherblue.com.au and check to see what the ozzies had in winter 02 and it is far better than our 2002
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