A941 dodgy for the last mile due to fresh snow and ridges of frozen older snow hitting the underside of the car. Did not go into car park due to upthrusted frozen snow and ruts at the entrance, plus 9-10cm depth within the car park, some being frozen older snow with fresh on top. Perfect for getting stuck. Would be OK for high clearance 4x4s. Parked at Main Entrance gates. 9-10cm snow depth, two-thirds frozen older wet snow, with fresh powder on top. Temp about zero with snow showers and bright spells; windy. Tree blocking the trail at noticeboard (bypassable but not with snowmobile, if present in due course, until someone cuts the top off). Did not ski as more important to submit a report (plus weather and reluctance to leave the car at gates). Some of the above issues will be solved if road and/or car park is ploughed. All roads have had tree debris or protruding branches wherever there are trees. Predict more trees down in the forest.
Please Remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply Snow reports today are of some wet snow and some dry snow. More details to follow. Don't get caught out with new snow sticking to your skis. Pack some Easy Glide and remember to bang your skis down and forwards to help dislodge any snow or ice. View our full range of wax can be found here
Please Remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply 25 mm new snow on the Clashindarroch trails overnight. Some good skiing to be had today.
Please Remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply Snow in carpark 1-2cm Fresh snow on icy base Patchy in places best cover higher in the forest.
Please Remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply In the Clashindarroch Forest snow is wet but skiable and the depth varies between 8 - 20cm. The temperature is 3 degrees. The road has been ploughed but is icy with slush. The carpark hasn't been ploughed but is accessible.
Please Remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply Snow is still good, with the main trails still complete. The lower trails started hard and icy, but softened during the day. There are some thinner patches on the lower trails. The upper trails are very good with several cm of soft snow over a hard base. Conditions were quite fast, especially on the downhills.
Please remember Level 4 Covid travel restrictions apply Despite yesterday's optimism, there has been a significant thaw, with overnight rain, intermittent light rain during Saturday, and more in the forecast. The snow depth has reduced to around 5cm at all levels, and the burns and ditches have been running full of meltwater. Nonetheless, after a short walk in, it was possible to ski continuously today along the Main Drag with only occasional resort to the verge (e.g. the right-hand rushy verge of Telemark Twist), up Highland Fling, and back over the Haute Route to the top of Short Cut. Heading from there towards the phone mast, the cover was variable with some stretches having as much as 8cm and some unusually lacking in snow, due to the wind direction when the snow fell. With temperatures as high as 5 degrees, the skiing was slow due to the thaw conditions. This assisted a cautious descent of the upper part of Leids Leap with only an occasional scrape, but towards Deer Track it became a slushfest, this continuing down Deer Track itself. Among the trails which cannot be recommended because of the conditions are Range Way, Short Cut and the descent at the start of Normans Way. Unless there is an unexpected frost, the prospects for Sunday do not look ideal. Some snow should be available for those keen enough to look for it -- but not a day for new skis.
With warmer temperatures today, the snow has softened but there are much more extensive thin or bare stretches on all trails. There is still good cover on the Range and Little Range, with sufficient snow to ski out to the Biathlon Way/Classic Start junction and along most of Classic Start itself. The options for Sunday's HNSC Open Championships are severely constrained. A decision is awaited. If the event does go ahead, the only feasible route will be about 1km in length.
There has been relatively little loss of snow cover since last weekend, but the depth and quality on the trails themselves has suffered due to overnight frost, wear and tear, and lack of new snow. From the main entrance on Biathlon Way and beyond, along the Main Drag, the surfaces today were either “concrete” or ice, with any downhill gradients, however slight, being very fast. Untracked snow at the sides gave some respite. The same would apply to many of the busier trails, which makes the much better snow on the Haute Route somewhat challenging to get to. There is full cover and full depth on the Range. Beyond the thin and polished downhill at Telemark Twist (where the discretionary option is to inch down the rushy right-hand verge), the Main Drag has a short bare patch followed by thin and scratchy ice for a couple of hundred yards before slightly better cover appears. The descent at the start of Normans Way has a couple of bare patches and is effectively not skiable. Short Cut is thin but OK in ascent. It is likely that Leids Leap and Deer Track are even harder and faster in descent than they had become by last Sunday afternoon. Range Way is thin and would be difficult to descend under control at present. Milder temperatures are forecast for Saturday but we will have to wait and see what effect this has, especially if it rains as well. One fairly sure prediction is that the thin surfaces around the Hytti area will wear out fairly soon. Sunday is the back-up date for the HNSC Open Championships. There will be an inspection on Saturday to see if it will be feasible to hold this event, which would necessarily be along a severely abbreviated course if it does go ahead.
A brilliant day, enjoyed by a big crowd. Car park had at least 40 vehicles by midday. An overnight frost and a dusting of fresh snow, replenished again at midday, improved conditions for Sunday. There was good skiing almost everywhere, though Range Way and Short Cut are wearing thin. By mid-afternoon the popular trails were smooth and much faster as temperatures dropped. Skiers on Leids Leap should beware of maintenance vehicle tracks on the mid and lower sections of the route, but the middle of trail is smooth and skiable for those who can cope with speed! It should remain cold for the week ahead, giving continued skiing opportunities, but more snow is needed to forestall a slow decline in conditions.
Thursday 27th February 2020, saw a couple of centimetres of fresh snow on top of the existing good cover. The main trails have cut tracks at the side and are in good shape. Lesser used trails such as Secret Passage can be a bit sticky due to the lack of a frozen base under the soft snow. It looks as if the weekend will bring a little rain and a little snow, but with plenty of good skiing on offer. There has been some drifting on the open hill above the forest, but the indications from a brief struggle on the slope beside Snowgoose are that the Timberline snowfield has not yet consolidated sufficiently to be skiable.
The snow depth in the car park had reached 6cm, with snow falling at the rate of 2cm per hour. Temperature zero, and the snow was damp, with no sign of drifting. Trail conditions too sticky to ski! (wax wizards excepted). But in due course, conditions can only become better than any we've seen since last season, at least. As of lunchtime, the roads and car park had moderate snow, but travel conditions are of course subject to change. ---------------------- A beast from the east...
No change since yesterday. A possible fresh dusting of snow on the Buck overnight with snowline at about 1800ft (well above Clashindarroch). In the forest, the short surviving stretch of snow at La Glace is holding up well, but realistically we need more snow before one can say there's skiing at the Clash again. With a cool week forecast, let's hope for this.