Snow, Sunshine & Giant Wooly Mammoths - The story of Febfest 2016

There's something just a bit special about winter in Glencoe although we did have to survive storms Henry, Imogen & Jake before the weather finally settled down.

Storms, what storms?

We managed to un-batten the hatches just in time for our winter festival Febfest and whilst we were busy stocking up the whisky shelves some folk were out on the slopes or riding their bikes, lucky devils.

Cracking view

Ice, Ice baby!

With all this snow around it was no surprise that our Winter Safety Lecture series that ran throughout the month was well supported. Over the four weeks we welcomed over 300 folk to the lectures.

 

Opening night

These four evenings, delivered by qualified mountain guides, are a chance to refresh and learn about the skills and planning required before heading out into the mountains.

Top tips from the best

Having done this for some 31 years we felt it was time for a change of venue and with plenty room to spread out and roaring fires to add atmosphere the Boots bar was the obvious choice.

Room with a view

We never tire of looking for new cask and craft ales and this year we added 4 cask ciders and over 30 Scottish gins to our range.

is it your round?

We are extremely proud of our food and top marks to the kitchen brigade for producing an interesting and varied selection for the specials board as well as our revamped menu. Well done lads

local produce.......from New York?

Throughout the month our staff were busy selling tickets to anything that moved for our Big Winter Raffle. We had a shed load of prizes including 100 baby mammoths accompanied by their dad.

What do you mean 'it's too warm'

Stacks of beer, cider, whisky, Mammut holdalls, accommodation, gear, food and activity vouchers along with t-shirts galore were all up for grabs.

Sorry, Pool table out of action for a bit

So where did you get all the prizes?, who won what?, how much did you raise? Good questions.

Many thanks to our sponsor Mammut who, as well as throwing lots of goodies at us, also dig deep into their pockets to pay for the lecture series. But we couldn't do it without the support of our suppliers and local businesses who get right behind our fundraising efforts.

So a big 'Thank You' in no particular order to:

Mammut UK

Rich Pyne

Glencoe Independent Hostel

Nevisport

Letterfinlay Specialist Foods

Ice Factor

SeaXplorer

Cairngorm Brewery

Isle Of Skye Brewery

Thistly Cross Cider

Anteallach Brewery

Orkney Brewery

Benromach

Gordon & Macphail

Alex Roddie - Epic author
Karl from Glencoe Photographic for taking the snaps
Kristin, Will & Liam for assisting with the draw

Special thanks to the lecturers:
Andy Nelson
Davy Gunn
Andy Spink
Rich Pyne

We are still counting the pennies but we have raised over £1000 so far.

And now for the Winners!

Mammut Goodie bag

Well done Ryan



'I'm gonna look cool in this hoodie'

Just what Sergio needed 'another t-shirt'

'I can't believe my luck' says J



Rich Pyne with his latest victim, eh!,client Jim

No favouritism here then Will, party at yours?

Jeff now has a better shirt for under his fleece

Looks like Stuart will be staying local next time

All proceeds from our fundraising efforts throughout February will go to Mountain Safety Initiatives

Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team in action

Thanks to all our customers and guests for parting with their hard earned cash and we look forward to doing it all again next year. 

Winter isn't over yet!

For everyone who thinks that the warmer temperatures of last week and the daffodils poking through in the garden mean that winter is over, think again! Snow is very much the weather of the moment, and chances are the folks at Clachaig will be hitting the slopes given a spare moment.

Tempted to join us? Read this press release from Glencoe Mountain and you will be!

‘There is more snow on the mountain now than ever!’ quotes ski patrol at Glencoe Mountain Resort who have managed to get up to the patrol hut for the first time in two days due to the storm. After a particularly vicious thaw in February it makes a most welcome change, just three days of high winds (which were recorded gusting 110mph!) and heavy snowfall, the entire resort is white again and all the gullies, streams and rock faces are covered in a smooth layer of packed powder snow. Even the run down to the car park (down at 305m) has been skied a few times already today.

 Looking good for the weekend - but eating your packed lunch could be a chilly affair

The resort has been quiet all season which means while many people rushed for the big centres of Glenshee and Cairngorm, Glencoe has managed to stay free of queues and car parking issues and with the A82 running past the front door, the road is usually the first to be cleared. The £30k of brand new Salomon skis and snowboards that arrived at ski hire have had a relatively easy winter so there isn’t they don’t have the ‘scottish hire ski syndrome’ of gouged bases, buckled edges and creaky bindings!

With the mountain being quiet the ski school have been able to spend lots of time building rails and boxes for the park with the help of the GPC (Glencoe Park Crew) last weekends ‘Freestyle Jam’ saw some really exciting action from some of the countries best skiers and boarders, Glencoe Mountain’s sponsored rider Hector Barbour took first place with some huge airs off the top kicker, good training for his next big event The Brits, out in Laax, Switzerland.

So if you are looking for the fresh stuff this weekend without getting stuck in queue, you will find Glencoe Mountain is the place to be!

www.glencoemountain.com
01855 851226

Winter has arrived!

There is no escaping the news that Winter has arrived in Scotland and with that the ski season is about to kick off. Being located close to Glencoe Mountain Resort they provided us with the following information to share with you.

View from the summit at Glencoe Mountain

Glencoe Mountain Resort, the UK’s original snow-sports destination is now gearing up for the 2010/2011 season. With heavy snow falling all over the country Glencoe looks like it is on track to have it’s earliest ever opening. For details about the opening date and to receive weather and news updates from the centre please go to www.glencoemountain.com/signup.html

Over the summer there has been lots going on at Glencoe including the creation of a brand new beginner’s area with its very own tow exclusively for the snow sports school. This will make the learning experience even better than before. Work is also ongoing with creating a brand new terrain park. This park will have exciting new features for advanced riders and also a brand new beginner’s area making the park accessible to all levels of skier and snowboarder. Freestyle lessons will be available on a daily basis through the snow sports school. If you need to hire skis or a snowboard then you won’t be disappointed – 70% of all our boards and skis are brand new for this season. We also for the first time ever have top of the range Trespass ski suits available for hire. This is on top of what’s always been available at Glencoe – namely the amazing off piste opportunities, the steepest black run in the UK, great natural gullies and features and some of the best beginner’s terrain in the country. Combine that with one of the best ski schools in the country, friendly staff and a great community feel and we are confident you will have a great time whatever the weather.

See you soon at Scotland’s original and best ski area www.glencoemountain.com

Warm & sunny - skiing anyone?

Can't see a cloud in the sky today. Again. A bit of good old high pressure has found the right place to sit for a few days, making it simply gorgeous. Warm (though getting cooler), clear, bright, quiet and midge free. And I'm stuck in the office again. Joy!

However, I'm easily distracted, and with emails the one just in from Glencoe Mountain, my sedentary status may well be short lived.


Still a great cover on the top of the mountain......

All upper runs still have an excellent cover of spring snow on a firm base. the forecast for the next few days is for an overnight frost which should firm up the snow and provide lovely skiing.

There are still many great off piste opportunities on the hill, including some great routes between the main basin T-bar and Rannoch Glades and there is still some great skiing to be enjoyed down the East ridge, and radio gulley (area around the Flypaper).

Middle runs are very sketchy now although it is still possible to get down Mugs alley as long as you don't mind a bit of combat skiing.

The plateau run and the low road are disappearing fast.

The Plateau Poma uptrack has had it's day. Transport to the Cliffhanger chair is now in the posh new Glencoe taxi. The very old bouncy Argo has been upgraded to a posh "new" Landrover Discovery.

The Poma uptrack is now available to ski back down at the end of the day.

The weather for the next couple of days is looking great. Don't forget the T-shirt, shades and suncream.

Adult day passes now only £20. (Juniors £15).

Andy

P.S We are still looking for more people to enter the MacMillan event on the 25th April.
Register for MacMillan Cancer Support Ski and Snowboard Summit Spectacular

Rock & Roll: The true meaning of Easter?

The North face of Gearr Aonach and Stob Coire nan Lochan

We've had one of the best winters for years and climbers and skiers alike were licking their lips at the prospect of great conditions come the Easter break. It looked like there would be some disappointment after a week or so of mild & wet weather, however, prayers have been answered and the snow returned with a vengeance as blizzards hit the Glen earlier this week. OK!, so it blocked a few roads and delayed the trains but anyone heading this way will be well rewarded.

Alpenglow on Coire nan Lochan

Our staff, as usual, are pulling out all the stops at Clachaig and the Boots bar will be 'rocking' to Lyra Celtica and Bonnie & Jim over the weekend.
The two Roddies, Alex & James, our in-house aficionados on all things craggy, jagged & icy have both reported wonderful conditions on the Mountains - with the usual safety caveats of course.
Skiers will be heartened to hear of fresh snowfalls overnight at both Glencoe & Nevis range with the forecast for more on the way making excellent conditions this weekend....and no queues.

If you don't fit in to either aforementioned categories you can still enjoy the Easter break and get into the hills as Glencoe Mountain are having an Easter Eggstravaganza 3rd, 4th 5th April with face painting, duck racing & egg 'rolling'.... something for everyone.

And when you've had enough excitement just relax with a refreshment, or two, in front of our log fire....Happy Easter from all at Clachaig.

What Next For White Corries?

Regurgitating stuff from elsewhere on the web is something we try to avoid. However, as this story really isn't ours at all (though it is very pertinent to Glencoe, Scotland) it seems most appropriate to simply point you in the right direction...

Ok, so it's a cracking day at Nevis Range, but I couldn't immediately put my hands on a Glencoe ski photo.

The Press & Journal reported on Saturday that the future of White Corries, the Glencoe ski area and the oldest of the Scottish ski 'resorts', is in doubt. And not for the first time.

You can read the full story on this link.

Great snow - but be quick!

Probably not what we should be writing on a Glencoe blog, but had a great day skiing at Cairngorm yesterday. The weather was a little dreich across in the west and as its been a while since we last visited, thought it time for a change.

The drive across was quite spectacular, with deep snow lining the road verges and hanging from the branches all the way across from Spean Bridge. So nice to see in Scotland. The car parks were full to overflowing and there were people out enjoying the winter wonderland everywhere. Loch Morlich was frozen (unsurprising at -18 degrees!) and had a covering of snow on it (see the middle of the above photo). And the snow was plentiful and in great condition.

There's still plenty of snow here on the west side - though everywhere looks like its going to see a bit of a thaw over the next few days. And though we decided to head east yesterday, both Nevis Range and Glencoe Mountain are reaping the benefits of a proper Scottish winter - for the moment at least!