Comments on Chris Townsend Outdoors: Lurchers Gully White-Out

Good description of a white-out Sean. Rob, I reme...

2010-02-08T21:49:27.144Z

Good description of a white-out Sean.

Rob, I remember skiing in the Cairngorms in April 1988. I skied Lurchers then and have done on many occasions since.

I remember the Highland Guides Aussie instructors too. I worked for Highland Guides for one season - 1990/91 - before working for Mountain & Wildlife Ventures.

I have winter tyres on my car but still haven't been able to get it up the track to the house since before Xmas. Since the coal ran out I've been cutting firewood every day as there's no chance of a delivery.

Our crab apple has been stripped of bark to a height of three feet and will probably die. Some of the rowans have been badly damaged too. It's a harsh winter for plants and wildlife.

We should have good snow in the Cairngorms well in...

2010-02-08T16:06:59.848Z

We should have good snow in the Cairngorms well into late spring – I remember the best late skiing I had on Cairngorm was in 1988 on April 28th. There had been fresh powder overnight and it was fabulous to telemark from Cairngorm right down to the Cas carpark though most of the day was spent making lovely turns from the top down to the Ptarmigan bowl and then climbing up again to have another run -great fun!

Shame about the nil visibility in Lurcher’s Gully – what a lovely run that can be! Lovely views from the top on a fine day down into Lairig Ghru and over onto Braeriach.

I remember some of the Aussies that used to work at Highland Guides for Ian Hudson (Cameron will remember them) would ski up to Cairngorm, over the plateaux to Ben Macdui then down into the Larig and then skin up on to Braeriach – some tour, some skiing – those fellows were truly fantastic skiers.

Hopefully we will be going back to those lovely snowy old fashioned Scottish winters – two years running now – and roll on many more!!

Like you we have lived in Northern Scotland for more than 20 years now and not that far from you either. We live on a hill and although the amount of snow deposited was not as great, the winter of 92/93 gave us snow cover from late October through to early April.

For more than twenty five years we have put studded winter tyres on our vehicle in November and keep them on until April – the traction they give is fantastic.

The coalman unable to deliver to our house recently meant bringing sack by sack to the coal shed by pulk.

No longer able to ski due to knee injury, snowshoeing, has been the way to get about – just like last February!

Wildlife has suffered, we had a roe doe and her two offspring from last May that visited our garden throughout the day, every day. Now she has only one – the snow, in excess of 4 feet was not good for the young roe deer.

Rabbits have stripped the bark from our apple and cherry trees – from ground level to a height of well over three feet.

Next time out I hope you have a much better day in Lurchers – what a fabulous place it is when under deep snow cover.

Rob fae Craigellachie

Yes a whiteout is wonderful. There is something th...

2010-02-07T17:45:52.587Z

Yes a whiteout is wonderful. There is something that becomes very intense in the nothingness, like someone just switched on a strong white light, and when a windblasted tree or crag looms up to break the illusion it seems a very threatening, spine-tingling intrusion.