Haute Route, via Normans way and up herringbone hill, back via leads leap

Was about 1.5*C at the car park when I arived around 11.30am and 2.0*C when I left at 2pm. Weather was misty, dry when I set off biut started to rain at the top of Herringbone hill

Heavy snow. there had been about an inch of wet snow yesterday or overnight. Tracks are complete from about 100yds into the forest, but thin in a couple of places. A 10m stretch on a corner on Normans way is completely bare but can be avoided on sno to one side. A couple of places on the Haute Route the thaw has caused streams to cut across the track but they are less than a foot wide so easily bridged. There is a bare patch appearing at the top of Leads Leap, but this can be avoided.

d dot horsley at abdn dot ac dot uk

Evening ski in the Clash. Went up shortcut along the haute route and then turned off left to Timberline. Skied timberline as far as the end of the trees and the top of the snowgoose descent. Retraceds steps, but took in rollercoasted way

Dry and clear with temperature of about -1* in the car park

Snow was hard and icy at the start and breakable crust on timberline. Made for fast descents in the dark! Still plenty of packed snow on all routes, only the very entrance section close to the car park is a bit thin

HNSC

d dot horsley at abdn dot ac dot uk

Biathlon hut-The Fingers - rollercoaster way -up the wall (the nutters from the JDS + Roy then went back down the wall and up again) along Hedder Way to Shortcut down shortcut and back to the carpark

Temperature was +0.5*C at the carpark when we arrived at 7.30pm and ~+1.0*C when we left. It was misty and there was light/fine sleet falling which was more like snow higher in the forest.

Soft and sticky. At the entrance the snow on the trails is only a couple of inches deep, but where skied/pisted (it was pisted on Saturday) is well compacted. Further in the snow is several inches deep and on the like of Hedder way its a foot deep of unconsolidated soft snow. There was a skier made tramline on all the routes we skied.

HNSC

d dot horsley at abdn dot ac dot uk

Haute route loop, via herringbone hill

light snow, some sunshine, sheltered from the wind by the trees

6-8" fresh snow overnight! trees looked lovely draped in new snow.
snow a bit sticky on skis in places, so never got a good kick and glide going.
around 0 to +1 in carpark

telmarker and mrs telemarker, Max & Zara (mutts)

Biathlon Range - Range way - deer tarck - Leids Leap - haute route - shortcut back to Biathlon Range

+1.5*C Heavy rain/sleet, windy

Soft and wet. Good snow cover on all the tracks. Bare patch at top of Leids leap, but is/was avoidable. Thin in places bewteen bottom of Short cut and the Y junction, but perfectly skiable

HNSC

d dot horsley at abdn dot ac dot uk