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mipsteiner


Guest
Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
For a company that everyone loves to hate, How come CML are the only ones to bother with a working webcam?
Its pretty frustrating not being able to see the current conditions.
Does anybody know if there are any plans to put some up at The Lecht and Glenshee?
Or, If there already are some and I just haven't been able to find them just point me to them and ignore this mini rant...
Andy


Posts: 1406
Joined: Jan 2003
Last Visited: 08:47
2nd May 2019
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
Nevis used to have one too. Not sure if it's working though.
I think they'd be a good idea for all areas.

Andy
Doug_Bryce


Posts: 1373
Joined: Jan 2003
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
Theres quite a few Scottish mountain web cams about,

The Kingshouse Hotel has one that points at Buchaille Etive Mor.
Nevis Range have one that points up the goose during winter time.
Theres also a Fort William/Ben Nevis cam that shows alternating images of Ben Nevis & Aonach Mor from the distance.
Talisman Activities also post winter climbing reports with pictures every 2 or 3 days during winter time.

Do a web search and you should be able to find them all. Maybe Alan could put a link in from winterhighland? Unfortuantly though the Lecht & Glenshee dont have one (yet).

A single picture says so much more than a written ski report. The classic teletext phrases, which I have become a master of interpretting, seem to be

- runs filling in nicely
- all runs complete with some thin and narrow areas
- "skiable" to the daylodge/carpark/top station
- alpine conditions

Maybe the ski areas dont want you to see the conditions when they are bad though ??? - I remember the gorm cam went offline in the middle of last winter for several weeks.
John349uk


Posts: 33
Joined: Nov 2002
Last Visited: 05:07
2nd Sep 2007
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
"Thin, narrow and broken at the bottom" a good way to sum up scottish ski-ing
mipsteiner


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
Thanks Doug. I was aware of those webcams you mention, and the Talisman reports.
Its cameras that point at the pistes that are important.
I can't believe the Lecht haven't set something up yet.
They surely can't be expensive to run. Or am I wrong about that?
andrewb268


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
'Insignificant snow for skiing' was a favourite for last season
Jamie


Posts: 987
Joined: Jan 2002
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
You can buy cheap webcams for about £10. All that's then required is a computer with internet access, when the computer is shut down the camera will show the last image taken until it takes a new one. If the computer is left on all the time then you'll have a webcam showing images 24-7.

[%sig%]
andydckent


Posts: 242
Joined: Feb 2003
Last Visited: 15:28
12th Aug 2019
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
I think we should start a campaign to get all the areas to set up webcams this season, it would also be good if all the areas could put up more than one cam to give a better picture of conditions on individual pistes, ie at Cairngorm another cam in the Ciste and at Glenshee one on Cairnwell side, Meall Odhar and one on Glas Maol etc. I honestly dont think this would cost much!
Andy

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alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
The cameras themselves cost around £800 (more like a £1000) if you put good quality auto-iris lens on them. CairnGorm uses Axis cameras, mid-range ones I think, they were probably about 5-600 each. These are network cameras, that have built in computer/server to upload the images, they do not need a pc. Cheap web cams for PC's wouldnt work, they brightness of the snow, and contrast would be to much for them.

The costs though are keeping them updated. Unless you have a network you would need a seperate ISP account for each camera, so the camera could dial up and upload an image, if you don't use unmetered access this would get costly!

CairnGorm have an advantage here in that the funicular infrastructure includes a fiber optic network running up the mountain, so the images are feed through a LAN to the Daylodge, where they are uploaded on a broadband connection.

The other cost that is significant, is that the more you update the web cams, the more people look at them. The bandwidth used can be considerable and this can become costly. Today not just the snowsports fans will be checking CairnGorm's cams, but lots of weather enthusiasts from throughout the country will be hammering CML's bandwidth!

The point about CairnGorm saying it's "skiable to Daylodge" as being on of the infamous ceefax phrases, it's not deception, it's information, being able to ski to the daylodge for access even if marginal makes a big difference on CairnGorm. If the runs were in reasonable condition it would say they were complete, and what condition they were in.

I think you might find that the reason CairnGorm has working web cams, and are the only resort with ones now, is that CairnGorm tends to be most honest in terms of snow reporting.

[%sig%]
Jamie


Posts: 987
Joined: Jan 2002
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
I agree, I would love to see all the centres with webcams. It would greatly aid me in my decision of where to travel for the snow.

[%sig%]

Post Edited (11:46 hrs on Tue 21 Oct 03)
Brucey


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
I've always fancied sneaking outsdie the Kingy and turning that webcam round so that it's pointing a few degrees to the east :-)
alan


Posts: 10768
Joined: Nov 1994
Last Visited: 17:02
27th Mar 2024
What's this?What's this?What's this?
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
Another side to this is that a webcam is good for seeing what the weather is doing, what the general trend in conditions is, and for showing one area, but they are quite limited!

Better is pictures taken from around the mountain with a digital camera, they obviously can't be updated as often but give a better idea of whats going on. There should me much more frequent updates of photos this winter, more like 2001 and 2002 than last year. Also will be introducing a public reports system that will allow you to upload your own digital photos. Plus if you have a camera mobile, you can always store our email address in your phone and email us pics from the slopes to pix@winterhighland.com .

[%sig%]
mipsteiner


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
Lol. I might have guessed it wasn't as simplistic as my primitive brain was telling me. Thanks for putting (as usual) the issue straight Alan.

Whats to the east then Brucey?
Jim Westland


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
I used to run a web cam for a number of years -I worked in the Lochaber area when PS Computers, as it was then, set up their webcams - at the time these things were fairly new. Used to be a good way of driving traffic to a web site - some of them get a huge number of hits

(BTW, webmaster, do you know how many hits the Gorms cams get? I reckon it must be quite a lot.)

The downside is the bandwidth it can suck up. Also, if it goes down you get all these email enquiries. Worst thing is if you take it down permanently, you still get loads of enquiries - wheres it gone sort of thing!

I used to use a bit of software called I-Spy - I dont think it is a vailablle any more though.

The only ISle of Mull cam currently working (that I know of) is at:

[www.kinloch.ukgateway.net]

It looks at Ben More.

All this talk of cams has got me interested in setting the blooming thing up again..... I'll post the URL when I do!

Bye for now

Jim
Kaoshan


Guest
Re: Web Cams
Date Posted: 10.20hrs on Sat 1 Nov 03
The Met Office have a camera and weather data report at

[www.met-office.gov.uk]

It is situated at Achantoul, the SNH place, just north of Aviemore, on the old A9. It gives a good idea of what is happening at village level.
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