It's great to see all this late season skiing, and an impressive depth is to be had on the northern Cairngorms by the looks of it. As coaster has stated, all snow's a bonus, particularly substantial snow. However, as this snow has come exclusively from the NE it will have done little to benefit the places that need it most in terms of long-lying patch sites. Also, Lochaber has faired far poorer than the Cairngorms, so the net benefit, though noticeable, is not spectacular.
As a man who likes comparisons
, I had a look at the level of cover that was present in early April 2011 on Aonach Mor, as the recent picture (27th April, from the SAIS website), reminded me of the start of that month last year. I've tagged a picture below it from 5th April 2011. Though superficially this year looks better, because of the recent falls, the depth looks similar.
However, the snow in April took a real beating last year in the ridiculously warm spell. This year, by contrast, April has seen a net gain.
MWIS are forecasting that there will be a few days of melt coming up, but nothing too major. Interestingly, the medium term forecast after next weekend gives cause for optimism for May skiing:
"There are strong indications of further lengthy cold conditions beyond."
27th April 2012
5th April 2011
!
