Day of days at Nevis Range

An overnight frost, clear blue skies and amazing visibility, and huge amounts of snow following the storm at the weekend... Yes, today was a day to tell the folks in the office that I'd be "working from home"!


Dropping in to Chancer's at Nevis Range from Ed Daynes on Vimeo.

Best day of the winter. Well, so far!

At the top of Winger's Wall, with Spean Bridge and the entrance to the Great Glen beyond.

 The Rum Cuillin were clearly visible in the far distance today.

Hope it rains tomorrow. My knees can't stand another day like today!

Snow!

Just a quick note to say that if you want to get in touch with us at Clachaig this week but no one's answering the phone, or your email reply is taking a little longer than usual then our apologies. We've probably all gone skiing!

MD Andy Meldrum outside the ticket office at Glencoe Mountain today 
Sunday 13th March 2011

Friday into Saturday, into the early hours of Sunday saw continuous snowfall at pretty much all levels. However, Glencoe village seemed to avoid the settling snow while Ballachulish saw several inches lying; a scene repeated in Fort William.

 The chairlift at Glencoe Mountain first thing this morning.

On the hills however, there's ridiculous amounts of the white stuff. Glencoe Mountain have had to dig out their ticket office, and that's just at the car park. Meanwhile, one of the best runs at Nevis Range today was back down under the gondola line, back to the car park - and that doesn't happen very often.

 Catch this! Nevis Range car park earlier today.

Conditions like these don't come often enough, so while they're here we hope you don't blame us for making most of them. Normal service will be resumed as soon as the legs are too tired...

(And jesting aside, power to the local transmitter mast has been interrupted, causing a loss of mobile signals. Not sure how long the problems will continue but be advised that mobiles in the Glencoe/Ballachulish area are likely to be without signal at the moment.)

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

Back to Winter

Or is it forward to Summer? Who knows. It's all seasons in one day at the moment.

Throwing back the curtains this morning revealed quite a heavy frost. Saturday also started with a frost and at 6am I had to scrape the ice off the windscreen before heading north to Shieldaig for the day. But this morning, it was a proper winter frost. White over. Middle of May!?

Glencoe: Frosts and flowers!

Not only that. Davy from the An Teallach Brewery delivered another van load of beer yesterday and brought further proof that winter is still refusing to let go. Leaving the west at an unearthly hour he'd passed by Ullapool where he'd had to drive through a couple of inches of 'proper' snow on the road.

And then last night we had to endure a power cut for 2 or 3 hours. Fortunately, at Clachaig it came after food service and so for most it made for a pleasant bit of atmosphere in the pub. On Facebook I see that there were a few suggestions of increased demand for midwives in 9 months time (names withheld for fear of incriminating those with a filthy mind). Fortunately, I'd just returned from a 25 mile time trial and was much more interested in how I was going to microwave my TV dinner and get a mug of tea with no electricity. The idea of a lie down in a darkened room had an altogether different appeal.

But before you all cancel your trips to Glencoe for fear of getting stuck in deep snow drifts and having to battle through blizzards (yes, at Easter plenty of you did exactly this didn't you?), I can also tell you that by 8am the sun was over the mountain tops, the frost was gone in 10 minutes, and it's now a glorious sunny day here in Glencoe.

The mother of all (Scottish) avalanches?

I was definitely not going to mention avalanches, or even the snow today. But, day dreaming and trying to find myself some motivation to look at the VAT returns, I found myself staring out of the office window at the West Face of Aonach Dubh. (Well, you would wouldn't you if your office window had a view like this!) And then I noticed something a little odd.

Can you spot it? Look very carefully.


Does this help? There's a huge crownwall running all the way across the upper slope from somehwere above D buttress along the way across to a line somehwere below the summit as viewed from Clachaig. Wouldn't like to guess how big it is but to be able to see it so clearly from here I'd hazard a guess at 2m+

The debris has swept right across the snowy slope and in some places has gone over the cliffs on the west face. A quick peak through the telescope suggests that the bits at either end which haven't slid are extremely unstable and will probably slide in due course, possible with the sun watrming the slope.

It's huge.


Fortunately, this part of the mountain doesn't see much footfall. However, looking into Dinner Time Buttress and the top of no. 2 gully, which is a popular ascent / descent route, another crownwall is clearly visible. This is ever so slightly higher than the point at which Glencoe Mountain Rescue attended an incident last weekend.

Wish you were here? But not up there!

I've left all these photos at max size so that you can check the detail better. Click to make it big! (and make sure you link to them rather than nicking them for your own blogs, please!) I also hear reports of a huge avalanche on Ben Nevis, tracking all the way down to the half way lochan.

Glencoe has never looked better. But keep it safe out there.

Take care out there

A gorgeous day in Glencoe today. Bursts of sunshine now adding to the spectacular snowy mountains. But barely had the day started before Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team were again called out to another avalanche incident, this time at Glencoe Ski Centre. I don't think the off piste is recommended at the moment.

Drivers on the A82 found obstacles other than snow on the road today.

Enjoy the mountains, but take care out there. The avalanche risk is particularly high just now, and extreme caution is required. At the very least, check the Scottish Avalanche Information Service web site before contemplating a trip into the hills.

At Glen Etive road end, looking towards Glencoe Ski Area and the avalanche site

Closer inspection reveals 2 huge avalanche trails going nearly the full length of the mountain side

With the forecast looking like more cold but relatively settled weather, chances are the conditions on the mountains won't be changing very quickly. However, no problems on the roads (unless you want to drive down the old Kingshouse road).

Last night of FebruaryFest at Clachaig tonight. But not the last night of winter looking at all the snow out there!

Read the report on the BBC News web site.

The most snow in all the world!

A wry smile appeared on my face last night as I caught the end of the Scottish regional news following the BBC's News at Ten. Apparently, Glencoe has had the most snow in the world in the last 24 hours. No word of a lie, that's what they said, and they said it again on BBC Radio Scotland when the alarm clock radio told me it was time to get out of my pit again. It was on the BBC, so it's true and it's official!

2pm today. Thawing low down. Some of the hillsides are bare,
but others, particularly leeward hollows and gullies are absolutely full.

As Chairman of the Glencoe & Loch Leven Marketing Association (brand new web site coming soon to http://www.discoverglencoe.com!), I was wondering who our inside man at the Beeb might be. After all, with media coverage like this I need to say thanks. All is now revealed as the BBC's News web site runs with the story too.

No doubt about it, there's certainly been a lot of snow. I have again spent most of the morning digging out cars, chalets and paths, and from the ache in the base of my back I can tell you that it's deep. But it's also thawing at Clachaig level and very wet. Traffic seems to be flowing freely on the A82, all the way south, and the roads are clear.

The hills however,..! Skiing this weekend should be awesome, though the wind needs to ease. And anyone heading out to walk or climb needs to be super cautious about the snow conditions. Not only are slopes loaded, the new snow is lying on a layer of hoar frost, and that's going to significantly increase the chances of avalanches, even on lower slopes. Check the reports and do your route planning carefully!

So, with an improving forecast and the last days of FebruaryFest, it looks like a cracking weekend ahead.

Winter Continues - Part 2

A quick post script on yesterday's blog entry, in view of the fact that we're experiencing some rather exceptional winter weather just now.

Check the depth at Kinghouse on their web cam!

The horizontal blizzard at Clachaig is still raging, some 30 hours on, with no sign of letting up. I've spent most of this morning digging out our back road to the A82 to get staff into work, and then digging out our back road to get our residents out again. There's a bout 6 inches of slushy heavy snow between Clachaig and the A82. Fortunately, my trusty (should that be rusty!) Vito is in for some warranty work just now and the garage were kind enough to give me a 4WD Subarua Imprezza for the week (Oh, yes!)

The snow gates are now shut, keeping the road over Rannoch Moor closed for the time being. It seems that the Tyndrum to Oban road is open in the meantime, as towards sea level its mild enough for the snow to be melting.

I was up on the moor last night as again Glencoe Mountain Rescue were involved in another tragic mountain accident, involving an avlanche on Buachaille Etive Mor. Rescues apart, it has to be said that it was a wild night up there. And if now's a good time to remind you that you can raise funds for the team while doing your online shopping at stores like Amazon then click this link for further details of EasyFundraising.

So all in all, quite exceptional. Checkout the various links referred to yesterday, look at some of the blog links on this site or just email us at Clachaig or contact us through Facebook if you're looking for any more information about travelling to Glencoe at the moment.

Turned Out Nice Again

Ho, ho! What a bunch of comedians you are! Hands up everyone who's come up with a comedy caption for yesterday's post. My favourite so far is 'Bitter & Twisted', despite the fact that there was actually more lager on the truck than bitter.

A stunning morning at Riverbank Holiday Cottages, Glencoe

Anyway, today the roads are clear, the sun is shining and it's quite simply the most stunning day. Not bad for a half term!

Even the local horses dress in gore-tex jackets

If you fancy waking up to a view like this get further details of our 4 & 5 star self catering cottages on the Carefree Self Catering Holidays, Glencoe web site.

What! No beer?

A wintry scene greeted us this morning when we pulled back the curtains. Snow showers through the course of the afternoon yesterday should have been sufficient warning, but we're so used to not having snow settle, plus we've already had more than our quota this year. So, a good couple of inches of the fresh white stuff came as a bit of surprise.

Beer, beer everywhere but not a drop to drink!

And, as is the British way, it caused its usual share of havoc. Our weekly beer delivery made it as far as the car park, and then things went horribly wrong!


Fortunately, we managed to blag some grit to keep in reserve (in lieu of the fact that it takes 3 days after a snowfall to see a gritter on the Clachaig road - yes, they do the village and the A82, but not the bit in the middle!) After much digging and thawing, the driver seemed so relieved to be back in a straight line again that he cleared off without delivering anything.

Cup of tea any one? Beer's off the menu! Fear not. There's plenty in the cellar.

A snowy Argentiere (Chamonix Valley) main street last week

The way we seem to come unstuck at the first sign of a bit of wintry weather is in stark contrast to places such as the Chamonix Valley. The snowfall last week was measured in feet rather than inches, well metres actually, but it was another big one. And there's already several feet of lying snow already. Add to the that a temperature well into the minus teens (-14 degrees at Le Tour car park on Saturday morning) and yet we were still able to drive everywhere without any bother. That's winter tyres for you!

Anyway, it looks like there's been a bit of a thaw today, the road is clear and it looks great out there. Time to go!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (& Hogmanay)

Time for probably our last update before that plump chap in the red suit comes to visit us all again. The weather is very much dominating everyone's life at the moment, so here's a Glencoe view on things.


Late this afternoon the glen was looking quite simply STUNNING. Clear blue skies and a covering a white from top to bottom. -5 degrees in Glencoe village, which being by the sea on the west coast coast is unusual.

We asked Icon or Firewood - as it turns out, it was both!

I had to go to Glasgow yesterday, and I have to say that Rannoch Moor was also STUNNING. Ba Loch was frozen and white over with deep snow. On the way home in the mid evening the temperature had dropped to -6 degrees. No wonder I spotted a few deer on the verge, presumably thumbing (hoofing?!) a lift down to the pub for the evening. Apart from a few concerns over black ice, the roads are clear of snow.

Bike ride to Glencoe Village on Sunday

Work to get the car park finished in time for the Hogmanay onslaught has been made a little more tricky, though we're about 98% complete now. And progress on the replacement sign has also slowed down. A grand unveiling for FebruaryFest is now more likely than Hogmanay, though we might get the ironmongery back up tomorrow.

Clachaig closes down for 3 days over Christmas. Its a rare opportunity to ensure that everyone gets a good break, especially as the week that follows is generally the busiest trading week in the calendar year.

Quite what the Scottish weather will throw at us is anyone's guess at this stage. There is a suggestion that the cold spell will continue, and today's MWIS report suggests that it may last until New Year. What we do know is that listening to the doom-mongers on the TV & radio, you'd be as well hiding away for ever more. However, if you're thinking of heading this way there are sources of more reliable information.


For the lastest weather try the Mountain Weather Information Service.

For the latest snow & avalanche conditions see the Scottish Avalanche Info site.

For ski conditions check with Glencoe Mountain and Nevis Range (who were open for snow sports today!)

And for roads information check Traffic Scotland, and especially check the Altnafeadh (by Buachaille Etive Mor) web cams.

Or you could always ask us for some advice!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Winter

The irony is that the glen is really quiet just now. Ok, you need to choose your days. The weather changes fast, as do the conditions on the mountains. It could be wet and windy. It could be quite pleasant. But when you strike it lucky and get a day like this one so early in the season you know you are truly blessed!


I remember the good old days when you used to complain to the staff that their c.v.s all waxed lyrical about the fact that they wanted to come and work in Glencoe so that could climb all these wonderful mountains, only to find them unable to get out of bed before noon.

But like everything else in life, times they are a changing.

James got out of his bed last Friday and went for a bit of a wander. And I have to say that I am just a little bit envious. Bidean nam Bian is not only looking absolutely fantastic in this shot, there's not a foot print to be seen on the final ridge to the summit.

Winter has arrived in Glencoe!

A snowy day

Frosty last night. Heavy snow falling this morning. Fantastic winter weather!


How we tittered a month or so ago when Engerland seemed to shut down because of a little bit of snow. However, seems were not immune from it either. A couple of inches of snow this morning, with a forecast for it to clear by 9am, and the schools are shut. Its now late morning, the snow man in the garden is melting fast, the roads are blacker than my coal bin, the sun is out, the sky is blue and the kids are going wild... No complaints from them at least!

Lots of snow on the hills now. Have heard a couple of reports of folk 'swimming' on all fours in some parts. And you can see some of the deep drifts looking spectacular in the sunlight from down below.

Looking good...

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!