Nordic Ski Touring Video

 

A little video I made during this ski tour on January 11. 

A Local Ski Tour

View over the mist to the Cairngorms

With the snow lying deep all around I’ve been ski touring in the local area. There’s no need to go further afield and it seems sensible to make the best of these conditions while they last.

In the mist

My longest ski tour took me from the garden gate through woods and onto the low moorland at the head of our little side glen. Not high up and not very far but the snow made it wild and beautiful, enhanced by skiing out of thick mist into sunshine.

Hot in the woods!

The hardest skiing was at the start when I crossed a very rough field and went through equally rough woods. As the temperature was well below freezing I set off in hat, gloves, and fleece plus a Paramo smock. After ten minutes off came hat, gloves and fleece and I opened all the vents on the smock as I was overheating from the effort of skiing in the deep soft snow and over many tussocks.

In the woods the terrain was even tougher. I had to take a circuitous route round many fallen trees and negotiate branches and stumps hidden under the snow. Skis weren’t ideal for this. Snowshoes would have been better.

Silent and frozen

The woods were frozen and silent. Whenever I paused I could hear nothing. There were many roe deer tracks in the snow. A line of fox prints. The marks of a squirrel. But nothing moved. No rustle in the undergrowth, no bird calls.

Once I came out of the trees and joined an estate track the skis came into their own. The snow was packed harder here, especially where there were some tractor tracks, and other skiers had been along the first section. I could kick and glide on the flat and coast down the few gentle downhills.

The air was colder put in the open and I wasn’t working as hard so back on went the hat and gloves and I closed the vents on the smock. Staying comfortable – not too hot, not too cold – is important.

Leaving the mist

As I skied along the track hazy hills and trees began to appear. I was slowly climbing out of the mist. The moon hung high in the sky. Soon I could look back down at the mist-filled glen. The Cromdale Hills started to appear and then the more distant Cairngorms, lit gold by the low sun.

View over the mist to the Cromdale Hills

At the top of the track I stopped for a hot drink and a snack. Almost instantly I felt chilly and quickly donned my down jacket. Although only a half-day trip from home I had brought my usual winter hiking gear, apart from ice axe and crampons which I knew I wouldn’t need.

A welcome rest

Finding a comfortable seat with my back against a rock I decided to make a little video about the ski tour and set up my tripod and camera. As I switched on record two jets roared overhead, the first sounds other than the swish of my skis. They couldn’t have timed it better. Eventually the jets faded away and I continued the video. I’ll post it soon.

Heading back into the mist

The temperature was -5°C when I decided to pack up and head down the track. Swishing along my ski tracks was easy and delightful. A wren bobbed in a bush, a flock of fieldfares flapped overhead, the only wildlife I saw all day. Soon I was back in the mist.

At the track end I decided to return home via the road rather than back through the woods as it would be easier. The single-track road had been ploughed and gritted several days ago but not since and I was able to ski along it much of the way. Then it was up our track through the woods to a warm fire and hot chocolate.

Livestream on Nordic ski touring now available on YouTube

On the summit of Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms

The livestream discussion on ski touring with Ash Routen and Tony Hobbs on Tony's YouTube channel was fun and is now available.

Ski tracks in the Scottish Highlands

A Local Ski Tour Before Storm Bert Arrives

The Cairngorms at dusk

Snow deep enough to ski from the front door is rare in November. After more overnight snow there was enough today though. I thought I’d better go out and enjoy it before the big storm named Bert by the Met. Office arrives tomorrow bringing high winds, snow turning to rain, and rising temperatures. By tomorrow evening most of the snow will probably be gone.

Sunshine on an old wall

The day was calm and cold with much sunshine and a lovely blue sky. The snow was soft with a depth of around 20cm. Just enough. No breeze had disturbed it. The snow lay gently on the land. Where there were tussocks of long grass and reeds it covered up the spaces between them, giving the illusion of a fairly level surface. I knew from walking here just how rough and uneven the ground actually was and so wasn’t surprised when my skis broke through and sank deep, the tips sometimes disappearing. It was still much easier than walking though.

Old but still functional!

As I was only heading out for a few hours I took my old waxless skis, dating from 1986, as I can just grab these and go, no preparation needed. They’re battered enough that I don’t mind clipping the occasional stone either, something I did several times as some rocks were only lightly covered.

Care needed

Mostly I stayed out in the open out in the fields, where I could enjoy the sunshine, a rare delight this month, and let the skis run as the snow was deepest here and anyway I knew there were few stones. It was in the woods, in the shade of the trees, that the snow was thinnest and rocks more prevalent. Here I had to take more care, slow traverses down slopes rather than straight runs. Even so the joy of slipping across the snow was there, the rhythm of skiing. Every year when I first go out on skis I remember the delights of being able to cross snowy terrain so effortlessly.

Snow forest

The lack of wind meant the snow had stayed on the trees, creating beautiful delicate traceries and lines. Far beyond the forests the Cairngorms came and went in drifting clouds. Ben Rinnes was a white pyramid, looking bigger than usual, the Cromdale Hills a pale undulating ridge.

Ben Rinnes

As the sun dipped into distant clouds I turned for home. The temperature dropped rapidly, soon down to -7°C. A warm fire and a hot drink called.

The Cairngorms

The ski season has begun.

Wall & forest

Thoughts On When To Replace Plastic Ski Boots (And On Checking Gear)

My Nordic skiing gear is pretty ancient, the newest items dating from over twenty years ago, the oldest from nearly forty. It’s also been well-used. How long should it last? At what point would anything become unsafe?

Now before any trip I do give gear a quick once-over to check it’s okay and there’s no damage or anything missing like tent pegs. Items like crampons I check more closely. I’d rather not have them fail on an icy slope. A fleece jacket with a hole or two (I have several) is hardly a problem. A broken crampon strap would be a different matter.

But ski gear? How crucial is that? It depends, I guess, on where and when it’s being used. I’ve skied in remote places abroad where the snow was so deep that walking was very difficult and slow. A broken ski could have meant a very long exhausting multi-day trek. In the UK hills such deep snow is rare and distances are much shorter. Walking out is always possible. The biggest risk here is boot failure.

I thought about this after reading a piece sent me by an outdoor writing acquaintance describing a recent ski tour in deep snow and stormy weather on which the sole fell off one of his boots and had to be roughly kept in place with duct tape. He had companions to help out by carrying his pack and supplying repair items. Solo it would have been really difficult and probably hazardous.

Now you can’t always tell when boots are going to fail but careful examination can show potential problems. After reading about the boot sole delamination I checked my ski boots very carefully. I have two pairs, one leather, one plastic. The first are thirty years old and still in good condition with the welt-sewn soles firmly in place. The second are just over twenty years old and also look fine – at a glance. A close examination reveals cracks – some are just visible in the picture above. Now in leather these wouldn’t be a problem, but plastic can fail and fall apart. Looking at advice on various ski sites online I found that plastic ski boots should last for 150-200 days use or 6-7 years, whichever comes first. My boots have had well over 200 days use and are three times that age. I’m probably lucky they haven’t fallen apart out in the hills.

After reading about how long they should last and noting the cracks in the plastic I decided it was wise to retire the boots, which is how I ended up with mismatched skis and boots on the ski tour described in my last post. 

The plastic boots in use in 2009 with the skis doing duty as tent pegs

My leather ski boots are basically heavy-duty walking boots with a sole that fits Nordic ski bindings. I bought them in the early 1990s when I was leading ski tours, mostly in Norway. I used them with fairly narrow Nordic touring skis and the combination worked well on undulating terrain. Steep downhills could be difficult but there weren’t many of those on the trips I was doing. I still have several pairs of the narrow skis but all are battered and in poor condition. I use them for skiing in the local woods and fields where it would only be a short walk home if they failed but I wouldn’t trust them for longer trips high in the hills.

My only decent skis are a wider pair, described as light telemark ones, that need a stiffer boot with good ankle support to turn them easily. The leather boots don’t fit this description as I found on the descent on the recent trip. Trying to force the boots to turn the skis led to sore feet and ankles and a few clumsy turns plus one fall before I resorted to long traverses and kick turns done while stationary. I admit my lack of ski fitness and rusty skills probably didn’t help but I knew in advance these were the wrong boots for the skis. But as the combination was all I had in half-decent condition I used them. This isn’t a setup I want to use again though. I’ll have to get some new boots.

I’ll look for something between the leather and plastic ones. I’d like some that are stiffer and more suitable for the skis than the first but more comfortable and easier to walk in than the second.

In the plastic boots on Ben Macdui in 2012

Despite all the years I used them I never really liked the plastic boots. For downhill control they are great. For the rest of the time they are heavy and uncomfortable. For walking they’re diabolical, so bad in fact that I took to carrying them to the snow rather than wearing them. 

I can feel affectionate towards some gear, especially if it’s been on many trips and brings back good memories. Not these boots though. I’m happy to never wear them again.