Malcolm Cooper reports trails are heavily iced. Expect further ice accumulation followed by thawing.
Further report from Colin Miller An overnight freeze, with only a slight dusting of new snow, gave hard conditions on Tuesday 20th December. The thin stretches were icy, and with fast conditions everywhere the skiing was challenging. At least the base is in the best possible shape to take whatever the thaw may bring, but how much will survive remains to be seen..
Casual visitors to the Clash might not be aware of the work done by club members in the forest throughout the year to maintain the tracks for skiers. As well as pisteing with the snowmobile the club organises parties to keep the trails clear when events take a turn for the worse. For example the recent windy nights have taken their toll in the forest with trees fallen across the trails. Here are some photos from a recent work party clearing some of these recent falls.
Thanks to Jason Williamson for the pictures
There seems to be good cover in the forest at the moment with further falls last night making very forgiving conditions,plenty of grip and lots of control on down hill sections. Colin Miller reports 15-20cm snow depth.
Many skiers were out enjoying this pre-Christmas opportunity.
Warmer temperatures are forecast for later this week and this will probably cause some melting. The next two days will probably be the best until after Christmas.
Thanks to Colin Miller
Saturday 17th December: 5cm of fresh snow arrived in showers today, bringing the snow depth up to around 15cm, but still with thinner stretches. Leids Leap remains stony above the s-bend. Temperatures stayed about zero, so prospects for Sunday are good. The A941 from Rhynie has slight snow and icy patches.
There are signs of vehicle access on Leids Leap ( presumably for access to the phone mast) so take care on descents. The snow may be tracked, or you might just meet something coming the other way. Here are some photos from Dave Horsley taken on Leids Leap
Thanks to Mike Taywood for this link. The cyclists in the club will appreciate…
http://manchestercycling.blogspot.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-christmas.html
Today, Tuesday, the Clashindarroch trails have retained their snow, but the thinner bits and downhills had become icy. Even Shortcut was a bit too fast for comfort. By mid-afternoon a howling gale was blowing and the good news is that this was driving in snow showers from the west with the sky suggesting plenty more on the way. This should add some much-needed fresh snow to the existing packed base. Temperature today was plus 2. The car park was very icy and the A941 from Rhynie had icy patches.
Just a reminder that club members can have a post on the website to advertise gear that they no longer use. Drop an email to alan.telford@nordicski.co.uk. Pictures always help.
From Colin Miller
Tramlines glazed by last night’s frost, thus nice and fast. No fresh snow but no loss of snow either. Those thin sections which have skiable cover are getting icy. Weather today sunny and calm; temp plus 3. Fingers crossed for what the next 48 hours may bring.
Who's feet? A small prize for the first correct response...
The last of the 2011 Under 12 “JDS Plus” sessions ran today. We even had a light covering of snow to increase the fun and glide so pretty much everybody had a good time.
There was a survey for children and parents to see how often and when and if the group should run in 2012. The general opinion was that twice a month would be great from August to December. That may require a slight increase in the number of coaches or helpers to so that every body doesn’t have to turn out twice a month, but it’s a very encouraging vote from the participants.
Thanks very much to all the children and parents for turning up over the last few months, it’s been a great time for the coaches!
From Colin Miller
The storm contributed only another 1-3cm of fresh snow, but the snowpack froze overnight,
Sunset At Slack By James Davidson
promising a good base if it lasts. Typical snow depth stays at 10-12cm. Condition varies from fast “frozen ice cream” surface to excellent powder on crunchy base, e.g. mid-section of Haute Route.
Descent of Leids Leap still not recommended, and there is thin cover in the usual places elsewhere where it’s a case of choosing one’s line carefully or making judicious use of the verge. Snowgoose and the northern part of Timberline have already filled in with 0.5m-deep snowpack, velvet-topped for superb skiing and 20-30 metres in width. The southern part of
Timberline has skiable frozen snow on heather. The storm brought down several trees between the main entrance and the foot of Highland Fling. These can be bypassed with some ingenuity. Other trails may also be affected likewise, and there is a fair amount of twiggy debris. No snow fell during the day. Temperature at car park today was zero.
The A941 from Rhynie is icebound, no doubt as a result of Thursday afternoon’s power shower and subsequent wet snow freezing onto the road. Car park had been ploughed before the storm and is icy.