•Terrain Parks

•CairnGorm Funicular Closure

•Mountain Forecast Discussion

•Club Fields

•Webcams and Weather Stations

The lift served 2019 Scottish Season has now concluded. Going sledging at the Plateau Cafe at Glencoe might be the thing to do to cool off on what is set to be a very warm Easter Monday, it will be hot work hiking for turns!

If you are heading into the hills get an early weather check with our webcams, first images shortly before 5.30am.

Not so much spring in the air, but summer at Glencoe this Easter weekend and though today was planned to be the penultimate day of the season, sadly with the warm and breezy conditions or recent days continuing Easter Day turned out to be closing day at Glencoe .

That of course barring some meteorological late spring miracle at the Lecht brings the lift served 2019 season to a close. On Monday and beyond you'll have to hike, though the Nevis Gondola and Glencoe Access Chair are open daily wind permitting.

Glencoe and the Lecht were the first to open, able to offer green terrain on 1st December with the help of their TechnoAlpin Snowfactorys, Glencoe was the last man standing making it to Easter Day, but by far and away the winner for days open was the Lecht with both their learner magic carpets clocking up over 100 days of operation.

It was not the season we would all have hoped for, however it has had some decent days and we?ve got almost a month later than we did 2 years ago in 2017. Certainly for those touring and hiking, it was a season that had some fantastic backcountry days if you could go at the drop of a hat, indeed some fantastic early season riding was had on CairnGorm where the Ciste Gully was complete for a chunk of November and December.

CairnGorm has recorded its all time worst skier day figure, we believe less than 20% of the previous worst recorded and that includes right back at the outset of formal lift served snowsports when there was only the White Lady Chairlift. The very strong SE winds on CairnGorm in recent days have clobbered the remaining snow cover and meant that even under normal circumstances Glencoe would probably have been the last man standing today.

That said this is not normal circumstances for Scottish Snowsports. Years of gross mismanagement by HIE and CML have effectively all but extinguished the mountain business as things stand this spring and there is no question that for the Scottish Season as a whole the omnishambles on CairnGorm has made this season appear considerably worse than it was even for a poor season.

SE winds will continue to be a feature over the coming days, so if you are planning to hike for turns, then Glencoe will fair better on the wind front than Nevis or the Northern Cairngorms. There is still around 1100ft of vertical achievable at Glencoe, but it will soon break into smaller sections. At Nevis Range you can get from the Summit to part way down the Goose, but the best of the remaining snow cover is in the various Back Corries, but that is a big day out now with a lot of walking in and out.

:: Terrain Parks

There are a couple of kickers of varying sizes built over natural features around the Main Basin at Glencoe. Island Rock Gully and the Haggis Trap are riding as a shallow natural half pipe on the Main Basin.

A rider X course was situated on the Upper Cas under the T-bar downline, this is not being maintained and uplift is now closed for the season.

:: CairnGorm Funicular Closure

The CairnGorm Funicular is closed indefinitely and will not run this spring or summer and as a consequence the mountain has now closed for the season.

An HIE hosted open business breakfast event is scheduled for Wednesday 1st May in the Macdonald Aviemore Resort from 8am to 10.30am on the future of CairnGorm Mountain.

:: Mountain Forecast Discussion

Monday should see largely unbroken sunshine for the West Highlands, Munro Level temps could nudge 13 or 14°c with a moderate SE wind for Glencoe, but the wind speed is likely to be higher possibly touching Gale Force through the Nevis Range mountains and on / downslope of the Cairngorm Plateau through the first half of next week. Gusts to or above 60mph likely in prone locations.

Temperature will gradually drop back from the highs on Monday, a degree or two cooler on Tuesday, then several degrees cooler as a bit more cloud comes in from the East on Wednesday.

By the end of the week or into the weekend it looks as if we could see some wintry showers on the higher mountains as cooler air eventually makes it under the blocking high on the continuing SE winds.

With the wind coming from the SE quadrant the best of the overhead next week will be in the West.

:: Club Fields

The season is now officially over at Allenheads. All other club fields require new snow if there is to be any further riding this season.

Please check all club fields access Ts&Cs as day tickets are not always available and some are members only due to insurance conditions.


Find out more:

www.yadmoss.co.uk 01228 561634
ski-allenheads.co.uk 0191 5974 174
www.skiweardale.com 01388 317767
www.ldscsnowski.co.uk

:: Webcams and Weather Stations

Lowther Hill: Off grid Summit Camera and Leadhills Village Camera online.

CAIRNGORM: Aviemore Cams online. Loch Morlich Cam is back online, apologies for the down time over the weekend.

GLENCOE: Sledge Park cam relocated to show current sledge park across from the Plateau Cafe. Mid mountain camera is broken and awaiting a replacement.

NEVIS: Front of mountain cams online.