Was thinking of heading up on sunday for a bash.... how are the conditions? good for boarding?

I was at glencoe today, just got back a minute ago so give me a few minutes to grab some tea and upload some photos-

basically conditions were, not as good as previous opening days but lovely fresh snow collected on most runs. But there is no base and as the coe is ricky it wasn't wise to use new skis unless you ski very carefully and slower. I have 4 core-shots....

However, weather was great, everyone was friendly. Queues at the top were very small/non existent, surface conditions were excelent. Definitely reccomended but bring old skis (or hire). Some areas that had become a little scraped or hadn't recieved the snow and so care needed with skis.

Good beginners options off the plateau poma (the main run is full wdith, but pisted half way, not deep but deep enough) Just a bornw loading area at bottom of poma. Mugs Alley was poor but skiable. All main blue runs were skiable and in great codnition cosnidering the lack of base. Spirng run I was wanred by patrol was poor but I found ti to be great, just a little dodgy getting back on piste (maybe because I got lost and went down some gnarly gullies). Patroller also warned against FlyPaper because of the Avalanche danger, and anyway I'm sur eit would need more loading. Both top lifts runnin, T-bar is best option, especially for boarders, poma was a bit iffy but fine for most skiers except early beginners.

A few bigger queues but mainly for the Poma and cliff hanger, the top lifts only had a dozen people or so queuing for the T-Bar- the poma didn't have a queue at all really.

Several others were there, I bumbed into Doug for the first time.

I'll be back later with photos.

I was at Coe today & Nevis yesterday. Coe has more snow but some rocks were a prob at both centres. Coe def has better conditions and better views as always. Weather was fantastic both days.

Just got back from the Coe. Brilliant day, blue skies and freshies. Cover is good all the way down to the top of the access chair, but the fact that it's fresh snow on virtually no base is very apparent. The usual Glencoe approach to grooming, i.e. none, so plenty of bumps developing. Up-tracks were in good nick, although I wouldn't recommend the top button for boarders (T-bar is fine). I'm an old hand so made it up OK (thus avoiding the queue for the T-bar) but plenty of carnage going on. Lots of hidden rocks, becoming more obvious as the day wore on and the runs got worn. Only bad point was the hideous queue for the cafe at lunch time (mental note, bring sandwiches in future).

I got fresh tracks down Fly Paper first thing and it was epic, some of the best big, steep turns I've had in a long time (including a whole lot of days in the Alps!). Managed 3 or 4 runs of more or less untracked snow by taking different variations. Got a bit tracked by the afternoon, but still some decent riding to be had. Some rocks under the snow in the usual places. I took an old board and just went for it, hence 3 core shots and a damaged edge, but it would have been perfectly possible to take a decent board and be sensible! Avy conditions on the steep stuff were OK. I set off one very small pocket of slab in a little hollow on the first run down Fly Paper, but everything else I rode seemed very stable all day.

Going to go and pass out now with a big grin on my face.

At the bottom of the spring run I got a little lost went through a nice gully but it got steeper and the avalanche risk was very aparent, I had to do some jump edge setting at the top to try and set off a slide before I could ski down it. decided safety was more important at this stage and side slid down with a heavy edge forcing the slough below me which did start a small avalanche (only 6-8 feet wide runbning for 20-25 feet, couple of feet deep powder so would have been harmless but was an exposed position between 2 rock walls either side. Half way down after setting off the avalanche i straight lines it to the powder bowl below. A bit scary but all was ok. If I was more sure of the conditions below (i.e. there were no rocks) I could have straightlined from the top (this hgully was not really any wider than my skis and steep as heel (~60 degrees, too steep for me to ski if it was wider, e.g. a hell of a lot steeper than the steppest part of flypaper).


The reason for the no grooming was because they felt their wasn't enough snow and they would just chew up the rocks. Eitherway, at the bottom of happy valley you could see the piste basher in a very poor state. Caterpiller tracks were ripped off.

PHOTOS: currnetly uploading them to my flickr account, server is a little slow. [www.flickr.com]
should be up in 5 minutes. If you sign up you can access the high res photos. Later I'll send some to Alan. No amazing photos- i was enjoying myself too much!

Had a great day out at Glencoe with my 10yr old son today. Not a whole lot was pisted, but the off piste was a laugh. Smooth turns in fresh snow with the sun on your back - can't complain. I had a newish board with me, so I went carefully, and came away with just a few light scratches and one deeper one that'll need PTex, but nothing through to the core. My son had a great time too.

This was my first time at Glencoe, and I loved how bumpy it is - non stop potential for catching wee bits of air.

I think it might be more obvious tomorrow where the rocks are - it's mostly tracked out and the rocks that were going to poke through have done so by now.

At 11 am there was no cafe open up the hill - piss poor I thought - so we went all the way back down for an early lunch. Take sandwiches and a flask if you want to make the most of tomorrow.

Going to go up tommorrow myself,as its my last day before going back to work after a weeks holiday, not been to Glencoe on a sunday for a good few years, prefer to go during the week when it's a lot quieter, hoping for a good day been waiting long enough for it.

Pure Dead Brilliant!

Amazing day, one to remember..

We were up first thing, to be greeted with a big white blank canvas waiting to be marked.

The Spring run to the start of the Plateau(way out to the right) was lovely. The snow was excellent, give or take a few rocks. But for most of the day I was floating about on the powder with the sun burning the back of my head..

And for most of the day the pister was parked(broken), with at least 4 feet hanging out under it, trying to fix it,, if it was working I'm pretty sure they would of been shifting snow about..

There is loads of options out there for plenty of fun tomorrow,, the cliffs at the Wall looked tempting, but kept missing them on the way down. And the drop to the left(looking up) from the cliffy chair was amazing...

Photos look good timstirling! Captures what it was like pretty well. I'm already thinking about how I can weazle out of commitments next weekend and go boarding instead

Robert

Yeah,I just had a scan through yer pics,,very cool.

IMG_0746 is yours truely(me), in the middle, the cute one ,,lol

And yer pics of water(drops) are very cool.

I was at Glencoe today and didn't have the best of days as I've sustained quite a nasty gash to my backside after falling from one of the pomas.

I arrived at 8:30 but didn't get on up to the top until an hour later becuase of the queue for ski hire. Trust this to be the weekend I put my own skis in for a service after my overseas trip a couple of weeks ago. I fell when off the tow at the top and ended up 'hugging' the first poma pylon! I hope no one noticed! I later went up on the T-bar and this was fine - the piste coming down is a bit dodgy though.

The bottom cafe was a bit busy also, was taking 30 mins for food orders so I settled for soup instead.

And the amount of people falling off the plateau poma - is this normal? It's the first time I've skied at Glencoe.

Apart from that I was kinda surprised at the amount of snow there actually was. Weather was good, but remember to take your own lunch unless you think soup and a roll will fill you up.

It has to be said that the plateau poma was following a bit of a drunken course for those not used to Scottish conditions... the summit poma was a lot worse.

Those pics that timstirling has got on his website look excellent, judging by those pics the conditions look alot better than last year when I was at Coe even then I found conditions really good. I am definitely looking forward to snowboard at coe this coming week.

Hope everyone had fun. Thought I would take the liberty of firing up a few more pics from sat for everyone.

Good to get some Scottish turns in at the weekend - has been a long time coming.

Meall a Bhuiridh


Spring run from the plateau


First tracks




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Haggis trap lives up to its name - and see it's first visitor of the new year!


An interesting "sport section"...




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