•Glencoe Sledge Park

•England Club Fields

•Mountain Weather

•Mountain Forecast Discussion

•Webcams and Weather Stations

CairnGorm Mountain and Glencoe are offering top and some mid mountain spring riding. Sunday now looks like decent overhead during most of lift operating hours, but still a sight doubt about wind speed so keep an eye on updates.

Been out on the slopes - please send us your photos to the email address at the foot of this page.

Overnight period of stronger winds and showers, wintry around the tops, now looks like it should clear through by or soon after opening time, so a mostly dry and progressively brighter Sunday now anticipated. An unsettled week and changeable week coming up with spells of rain, spells of hill snow, bouts of strong winds and a yo-yoing temperature, but as is the case with Sunday, Monday now looks like most of lift operating hours will be reasonably decent, dry with light to moderate winds, with precipitation reaching the West late afternoon as wind starts to pick up. Monday evening looks like a howler though!

Since the weather settled down under the high pressure for the later part of last week it has been classic spring conditions, snow firming up overnight and loosening to varying degrees during the morning, with only a slow further thaw. Damper air through the dawn period on Sunday hopefully means the snow will start looser on Sunday, but may crisp up a bit as it dries out and cooler air moves in.

The main action is on Cas side mid mountain and the Top Basin on CairnGorm and on the upper mountain at Glencoe. So while there is still a decent range of terrain for all abilities to get their edges into, overall for mixed ability groups and those looking for green to easier intermediate terrain then CairnGorm is the better option as it offers top station to mid station riding from the Funicular and has selection of green terrain at the top of the mountain. Glencoe is only suitable for stronger intermediates and above at present, the Cliffhanger and mid mountain is primarily for access and when it softens up, the Wall (red). The Rannoch Chair is running for access to the Cliffhanger only via Old Mugs Alley, this is now very thin crossing the Coire Pollach Tow, but was still passable on Saturday.

Check out the pix from the slopes for Glencoe for a fuller report on run snow cover, but note the day to day differences in surface conditions!

Glenshee and the Lecht are currently closed for snowsports. Indeed it is likely Glenshee is now closed for the season, whereas the Lecht can come back from nothing due to convective snowfall on spring Northerlies even into May! Nevis Range is closed for snowsports.

:: Glencoe Sledge Park

The Sledge Park is full length and in good shape thanks to snow making from the snow factory. There are over 150 sledges to grab at the Plateau Cafe! It is advisable to arrive before 2.30pm at the latest for sledging to get a decent amount of time on the hill. First chair up at 9am, the sledge park is always quietest before lunch time. Last chair down scheduled for 4.30pm.

:: England Club Fields

All the club fields are waiting for new snow to be able to reopen.

For both Weardale and Allenheads, you need to join the club with a season pass, these are still available for both at this time.

Please check club access rules / availability if not a club member / pass holder.

Weardale: https: //skiweardale.com/ .
Allenheads: http://ski-allenheads.co.uk/ .
Yad Moss: https: //yadmoss.co.uk/ .
Raise: https: //www.ldscsnowski.co.uk/ .

:: Mountain Weather

At 6pm in the West at the Glencoe SSC hut (850m) the temperature was +3.1°c, with wind at 10 gusting 22mph. At the Top of the Access (671m) it was +5.1°c. At Base level (366m) it was +7.8°c.

The SAIS summit AWS on Aonach Mor was reporting +0.5°c. The Met Office station was reporting a SW wind at 31 gusting 48mph. At the CIC Hut (680m) it was +4.7°c. At Tulloch Station (237m) the temperature was +8.3°c.

In the East the summit weather stations on CairnGorm reported +1.2°c, with a South Westerly at a mean of 27 gusting 40mph. At Aviemore the temperature at 6pm was +9.5°c.

The Met Office Cairnwell AWS reported +4.1°c with a Westerly at a mean of 23 gusting 29mph.

:: Mountain Forecast Discussion

Sunday sees a deepening low pressure will pass above our recent high pressure as it attempts to ridge back north, it now looks as if the low and the stronger winds will stay further North and after a long trailing cold front passes through from the early hours of Sunday through the dawn period, Sunday could be for the most part dry, though some scattered mountain snow showers may come into the West. Pre-dawn around +2 or +3°c at Munro Level, wind briefly SW 40 gusting 60mph, risk stronger gusts on the front, but by mid morning expecting Westerly 20 to 25 gusting 35mph and 0, later -1°c at Munro Level.

On balance a blustery but not too windy day is expected, but with stronger winds returning for several hours in the evening before moderating further though the early hours of Monday.

By dawn on Monday it looks like the freezing level will be back down to the lower slopes of the ski areas before lifting to Munro Level by early afternoon ahead of frontal precipitation, rain preceded by snow on the mountains before the freezing level rises to or just above the higher summits into Monday night. Decent day for most of lift operating hours, but probably a day to stick to the groomers with a colder start than recently. Light to moderate SW wind around 15 gusting 25mph, but swift ramping up of wind speed from the West as the front approaches during the afternoon may see an early close of play at Glencoe at least. By dusk expect wind widely around 50 gusting 70mph on the higher tops, with gusts to or above 80mph on and around the Cairngorm Plateau and through the Nevis Range mountains.

Tuesday is likely to see a wintry mix of precipitation and high winds, whether the freezing level falls later in the day or is already at or below Munro Level by dawn remains uncertain, the GFS model brings in cold air much quicker than the Met Office. But a period of fairly heavy mountain snow is anticipated at least later Tuesday overnight into Wednesday morning.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday look likely to see Gales or Severe Gales, with periods of Storm Force winds on Highland mountains. There will be some new mountain snow, precipitation heavier and more frequent towards the West Highlands with a W to NW airstream expected. Freezing Level may drop below the lower slopes by Wednesday.

:: Webcams and Weather Stations

Lowther Hill: Leadhills webcam is online (24/7).

GLENCOE: All mountain webcams online and the first updated images are shortly before 6am. Sledge Park camera streams overnight. The mid mountain weather station wind direction is not working, other data valid.