Winter Is Here. Deep Snow In The Cairngorms.

 

Two days ago in the garden we had heavy rain and floods, water pouring down the path past the front door, little springs bubbling up in the trees, pools around the bird table. In thirty years I’ve never seen so much water here. Higher up – the house is at 300 metres – that rain would be falling as snow. The hills, hidden in the clouds, would be white. As soon as the weather calmed a little I set out to see what they were like.

In the Coire Cas car park bulldozers were clearing the snow into great piles. The ski area is closed at present, but a few skiers and snowboarders were heading up the runs. I’d brought snowshoes rather than skis – I find them easier to manage in deep soft snow, which is what I was expecting. A chill wind swept the car park and looking up I could see clouds swirling round the tops. A white-out up there probably, and even stronger winds. I decided to stay lower and head into the Northern Corries.

A deep trench beaten into the snow by many boots led out of the car park. Most people hadn’t gone very far though and the track soon narrowed. I followed it up towards Coire an t-Sneachda. Two walkers descending stopped to chat. Then another pair. Both said they’d come to climb on the cliffs in the corrie, but the conditions had put them off. “Waist deep in places higher up”, they said, admiring my snowshoes. 

My track was a light impression on the snow, the boot track was knee deep in places. The snow was wet and heavy, the wind having no effect on it. I was glad I had snowshoes not skis. I hate skiing in snow like this, fearing twisting a knee or ankle if a ski suddenly sinks and comes to an abrupt stop. Snowshoes are much slower and safer.

With the sun almost breaking through the clouds it had been bright at the start but as I climbed into the corrie the mist began to flow around me. I wiped moisture off my sunglasses and realised the mist was wet and I was getting damp and starting to feel chilly. A brief stop and tinted ski goggles replaced the sunglasses, and my waterproof jacket was on, hood up.

The snow grew deeper and I went in knee deep a few times. Some of the boot prints were much deeper. Visibility shrank, just a few rocks giving an idea of the terrain. The goggles helped but even with them I occasionally found the ground sloping more than I expected. On the edge of the upper corrie, with no view of the cliffs I knew were not far away, I turned and contoured round the foot of the ridge separating Corrie an t-Sneachda from Coire an Lochain. A set off tracks led up the ridge towards the Cairngorm Plateau, an exciting ascent in these conditions. There were no other signs of people as I curved round into Coire an Lochain. Again, there were no views and I turned away and descended to the line of the path back to the car park. A few walkers had made it this far, ploughing another deep trench.

As I dropped out of the mist I could see pale yellow sky far to the east. Clouds turned and twisted over the hills, strands of mist drifting past below me.

After four hours I was back at the car. I’d barely paused due to the wind, preferring to keep moving, yet I’d only travelled 6.5km. The effort I’d expended made it feel much more, even with the snowshoes.  

On my last walk in the Cairngorms, six days earlier, I’d felt that each day out was feeling a little wintrier. There was no question about it now. Winter was here.

 

 

In Praise of Snowshoes

Snowshoes on Sgor Gaoith

Today was my first day out in unbroken snow in the hills this winter. I took snowshoes as I knew from reports that the snow was quite deep high up and walking could be arduous. I could have taken skis but I didn't feel like carrying them to the snow or walking in ski boots. I suspected too that lower down the snow might be too broken or shallow for skiing, as turned out to be the case.

Snowshoes tracks (mine) and boot tracks today

Making travel in deep snow easier is the main reason for using snowshoes. Of course skis do that too - and I love ski touring - so why do I sometimes use snowshoes?

• Snowshoes are lighter than skis for carrying
• Snowshoes are easy to strap on a pack - no long waving skis catching you in the back of the legs or snagging on branches.
• Snowshoes can be used with your ordinary boots - no need for ski boots or bindings.
• Snowshoes can be worn when crossing areas on thin snow or even bare ground - no need to keep taking them on and off. I have waded streams in them!
• Using snowshoes is easy, just remember to keep your feet wider apart than usual. No need to take courses or learn skills.

Snowshoes on my pack today

I wrote a longer piece about snowshoes and skis a few years ago - The Snows Here? Skis or Snowshoes. I reviewed the snowshoes I used today for The Great Outdoors two years ago.

The snow's here! Skis or snowshoes?

Ski tourer on the Cairngorm Plateau

The first big snowfall of the winter combined with the arrival of a pair of snowshoes to try had me thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of skis and snowshoes. I use both and I like both but there are times when one is a better choice than the other. The big plus point for either is flotation on snow. I reckon that once snow is more than halfway up your boots then walking starts to become arduous. Once it’s well above your boots walking is very arduous. When it approaches knee-deep post-holing, as it’s known, becomes a great way to exhaust yourself and make your legs ache without actually getting very far. Stay on the surface and progress becomes much faster and less laborious. That’s where skis or snowshoes come in. I’m always surprised when the snow lies deep on the hills how few people I see using them.

On snowshoes on the Pacific Crest Trail. No poles!

I discovered both snowshoeing and ski touring in California on the Pacific Crest Trail over thirty years ago. The mountains were deep in snow and post-holing over the small ranges in Southern California quickly taught me that I’d never get through the hundreds of miles of the much vaster High Sierra like that. American companions were using snowshoes and I could see just how much easier these made snow travel. For the High Sierra two of them swapped their snowshoes for cross-country skis. Learning to ski with a huge load whilst hiking the PCT didn’t seem a good idea so I bought some snowshoes and was very glad I did so as they enabled me to cross deep snowfields fairly easily. Skiing looked much more fun though and I was envious of my friends as they swooped off into the distance whenever the terrain allowed. The next winter I took a ski course. And fell in love with ski touring. This was the way to travel over snowy terrain! 

Ski touring in Norway

I then spent a decade leading ski tours, mostly in Norway, but twice back in the High Sierra. At home I skied in the hills whenever there was enough snow. For a while snowshoes were forgotten. Then a pair arrived for test and I discovered I did quite enjoy using them. Since then whether I use skies or snowshoes depends on conditions. This is a key point. When there’s continuous or near continuous deep snow cover on the hills I much prefer skis – gliding over the snow gives a wonderful feeling of freedom, of lightness, of having escaped from being earthbound. However when the snow is broken and skis have to constantly come on and off or ways picked round rocks and convoluted routes devised to link snow patches then I prefer snowshoes. Whilst rocks and stones can wreck skis and skiing across anything other than snow is difficult snowshoes can be kept on regardless of the terrain. I’ve even forded streams in them. I like snowshoes in dense forests too as the length of skis can be unwieldy in the trees. If I have to walk far to and from the snow snowshoes are also better as they are much easier to carry on a pack and don’t act like a sail in the wind or catch in branches. Now if I reckon I’m not going to be on skis at least 75% of the time I take snowshoes.

Snowshoes on Ben Macdui

Skis on Ben Macdui

If you’ve never tried either snowshoeing is much easier to learn than skiing. Really, there’s nothing to it other than ensuring your feet are far enough apart that you don’t catch the snowshoes on each other. Mostly you just walk. Trekking or ski poles are a good idea – something I didn’t realise back in the High Sierra all those years ago – but no special gear is needed. You can wear your ordinary boots and snowshoes come with bindings built-in. This makes snowshoes much less expensive than skis too. And they’re also lighter weight.

Snowshoes are easy to carry on a pack

For ski touring you need boots, bindings and climbing skins as well as skis. Whether you choose Nordic or Alpine gear (I’ve always used the former) techniques take a little time to learn, which is best done on a course.

A ski descent in the Glen Affric hills

Whichever is chosen skis and snowshoes make snow travel much easier and much more enjoyable. I can’t imagine it without them.

Snowshoes to Ben Macdui

Ben Macdui

Snowshoes or skis? There looked to be enough snow on the Cairngorm Plateau to make progress easier than walking with either of them. I scanned the hills through binoculars. A rash of dark spots was revealed – rocks poking through the snow. Not good for skis. Ascent routes looked rather snow free too. I don’t like carrying skis or walking in ski touring boots for any distance. Snowshoes it would be. This year has seen snow but not that much.

Stob Coire an-t Sneachda & Cairn Lochan

As I climbed up to the Plateau with my snowshoes strapped to my pack I already felt I’d made the right choice. The air was still, the sun shone in a deep blue sky. The terrain though was frozen and out of the sun it was cold. On the Plateau there was just enough of a breeze to need some extra clothing. Stob Coire an-t Sneachda was a mix of snow and rocks, with many climbers finishing routes on the icy cliffs. I kept the snowshoes on the pack until I’d crossed this peak and descended to the high col with Cairn Lochan.

Cairn Gorm & Stob Coire an-t Sneachda

 

Unbroken snow stretched out towards Ben Macdui so I donned the snowshoes. I was to keep them on for almost the rest of the walk other than on Macdui’s summit where I removed them while I wandered round mountain and sky watching. 

The Cairngorm Plateau stretching out to Ben Macdui

The Plateau was as vast and beautiful as always. It never ceases to impress. Distant views were hazy though the other Cairngorms peaks were clear. Wisps and curls of cloud drifted high above, outliers of the storm forecast to arrive that night. 

A few skiers linked big snowfields as I climbed the final slopes to Ben Macdui to have the summit to myself. I saw no-one else the rest of the day. To the south the haze was obliterating the view, spectacular when clear, while across the Lairig Ghru the snow-streaked east faces of Cairn Toul and Sgor an Lochain Uaine rose into the sky with clouds building beyond them. 

Cairn Lochan & Sgor an Lochain Uaine

 

Returning across the Plateau the wind began to pick up and by the time I was crossing the western slopes of Cairn Lochan the gusts were strong enough to drive little clouds of spindrift across the snow. The sun was setting now, lighting up the clouds in the west and turning the snow pink. 

Sunset begins

 

As I began the descent the wind rapidly increased in strength and the spindrift came in head high blasts that had me turning away from the stinging snow and bracing myself against my poles to stay upright. 

Linking snow patches I kept the snowshoes on until I was within half an hour of the Coire Cas car park. I was glad not to have to remove them until I was out of the strongest wind. As I finished the trip a crescent moon was high in the sky and Venus was just visible through thin clouds.