The snow has returned to the Clash & the trails are almost 100% complete. About 5-8cm of wet snow has fallen over the past couple of days giving a good skiing surface this afternoon. There are a few thin places where you can catch stones but you can ski around these. I will try to groom the trails tomorrow but this depends on the overnight weather. It was snowing this afternoon & these occasionally turned to sleet (temp 0degC). As long as there is not too much rain overnight then I think the skiing will be OK this weekend, but maybe not for your very best skis.

The one big problem today was Leids Leap. We would strongly recommend you only ski up this as there are wheel ruts that have frozen solid. Colin Miller has done a lot of spade work improving these but they are still a big problem for downhills. The wheel ruts were caused by Orange accessing their mast to re-fuel. They are not supposed to drive onto the trails when snow is on the ground & I have been in touch with the relevant parties trying to prevent its re-occurrence.

By Peter Thorn

From Colin Miller:

Evidence indicates it was a genuine attempt to check on the mobile phone generator, which isn’t running and has presumably run out of fuel. Vehicle only got two-thirds of the way up Leids Leap. The wheel tracks are a problem but the quantity and quality of snow generally allows for skiing between them or going off to the side. There are 2 problem areas where vehicle got stuck, causing complex ruts (tricky if skiing between the tracks!). At the lower of the two (between Deer Cut junction and the A941, there’s a lot of grit churned up).

Anyway, other than that, conditions today at Clashindarroch show a marked improvement as a result of Thursday’s fresh snow, which has deposited 3-9cm of powder on top of the hard frozen snow base. It has smoothed over some of the thin areas, but Range Way is still not really skiable. The road at Picadilly Circus is now OK however, and Tuesday’s bare patch at the foot of the hill on the Haute Route was skiable today. Some of the skiing was magic. Temperature stayed at -4/-3C.
and sunny all day.

Car park has a thin carpet of crisp snow over the underlying ice. Gritting lorry went up the Aberdeenshire side of the A9

From Dr Dave

Conditions Sunday 12th December. Still good skiing, the entance is thin untill just before the Biathlon Range, but from there the trails are complete bar an occasional short section where the snow was thinner due to snow shadow from the trees or on the Haute Route water dammage due poor drainage and the thaw. Snow was between 10 and 30cm deep over most of the trails though at one point when I was moving a fallen tree I was up to my knees. Lower trails were hard and icy, upper trails were better with a thin layer of fresh. Downhills hard, fast and chopped up.

2.5C and sleeting at the carpark snowing on the Haute Route

Snow report for Clashindarroch — 11am, Friday 10th December:

Trails have 30-45cm of snow. Good skiing on tramlines, slow elsewhere except on Timberline snowfield, which was evenly wind-packed with a user-friendly surface.

Temp at Car Park plus 6C. W-NW’ly gale blowing, but because of the rise in temperature the snow was no longer drifting. Wind has broken the uniform cover on the nearby hills, but there is still widespread cover on the NE-E side of the Buck.

A941 from Rhynie was black, but affected by meltwater, as was the A97. Front section of car park remained clear but was very icy underfoot.

Snow report for Clashindarroch — 1pm, Friday 3rd December:

Snow depths: Trails 0.5-0.6 metres; Timberline snowfield 0.6-0.7 metres.
Condition: Powder — slow but slidey; compacts well under ski tracks.
Slight drifting on exposed areas and on open hill.
Temperature at 11.30am: minus 3C.

The A941 from Rhynie had “Road Closed Cabrach” sign displayed. However, it had been ploughed and gritted from Rhynie up to the Clashindarroch Car Park. Snow and/or ice on road surface, and width limited in places due to snow banks. The front section of the car park has been ploughed and has hard-packed snow.

Judging by the forecast, conditions likely to change.

I’ve never seen the open hill so uniformly white — should make a superb base for touring if and when it consolidates and stabilises.

Visuals: awesome — hope to put photos on backcountry report later.

From Colin Miller

Colin Miller

Colin Miller

comment from Dave Horsley

Skied a haute route figure of eight. Conditions were deep and soft and the skiing was slow. There are big drifts in places and the trail has been scoured of snow in places, though there is plenty of snow to ski on, its just not where you might expect. There is a skier produced track appearing, but in places its over knee deep.

Depth of snow on the trails varies from 50cms to at least 1.5m (I faceplanted when my pole dissappeared full depth). One of the drifts along the haute route is at least 2 probably 3m deep.

From Dave Horsely

There is still good deep snow on the upper trails. Started out hard and icy (especially in the shade) but quickly softened.

First 150m or so are very broken, but decent snow starts from just after the hut. Good snow from there up Classic start, The trail to shortcut is broken in a couple of places. Shortcut complete. Haute Route to top of Leids leap is complete with deep snow, though there is a bit of a stream at the bottom of the hill. Leids Leap is broken breifly in a couple of places at the top of the hill in the usual place. Hedder Way is complete bar the first 2m uphill of Leids leap. Skied back up Shortcut and headed right on Haute Route. Still deep snow. Then headed up onto timberline which is 20-40m wide and 2-3m deep. Back to the track down SnowGoose. Returned via Highland Fling which is broken in a couple of places.

Still well worth skiing as the broken sections are short and most of the trails still have deep snow.