•Glencoe Sledge Park

•England Club Fields

•Mountain Weather

•Mountain Forecast Discussion

•Webcams and Weather Stations

Glencoe has faired better for wind so far this week, having been open to the top everyday. CairnGorm has been StormBound the past 2 days and looks odds on to be again on Thursday - check Thursday AM! At update A93 Cairnwell Pass open and clear, but A939 Lecht Pass closed both sides of the ski area. On CairnGorm the Glenmore Gates are closed.

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

Continuing high winds from the South East quadrant kept CairnGorm StormBound for a second straight day and similarly kept the Strathdon approach to the Lecht also closed for the second straight day. There has been some moderation of wind speed late afternoon, but unfortunately wind speeds are forecast to ramp up once again, with even higher speeds expected daytime Thursday than was the case on Wednesday morning / early afternoon.

Winds attained Storm Force for many hours on CairnGorm and severe drifting means there is substantial work required to dig out the Ski Road above the treeline. The Munro Level temperature is expected to rise to -1 or 0°c briefly for a few hours overnight, this will dampen down lower elevation drifting for a time, but the temperature is set to drop through Thursday morning as the wind picks up again. CML advise not to travel to the mountain on Thursday unless there is an unexpected positive announcement about the road. Given the forecast it is also doubtful for lift served snowsports on Friday, wind speeds do now look likely to moderate substantially on Saturday morning. The question is whether the wind / drifting / visibility situation will improve early enough to allow the road to be dug out quickly for Saturday and how much storm recovery work required is required on the mountain.

The Lecht was only accessible from the Tomintoul side after a delayed start, but wind kept uplift limited to the magic carpets and visibility was horrendous in blowing snow and hill fog. At update the A939 Lecht Pass was closed both sides of the ski area.

Glenshee has seen further fresh snowfall, an assessment of how much is difficult, due to the strength of the wind over the tops. While the base area and operating Cairnwell lifts were relatively sheltered on Wednesday the top of Sunnyside gave an indication of what was going on wind wise further up and out. Glenshee could see another 15 to 25cm of snow by the weekend. Fantastic surface conditions with machine packed fresh on pisted runs and skier tracked / packed windblown fresh beyond. The poor visibility and continued significant drifting however welcome for the new snow being delivered, continue to hamper efforts to push outwards from the back of Sunnyside. The Caenlochan Poma is practically buried in places with snow up to the sheaves on some towers. At update the A93 Cairnwell Pass was open and clear, unlike last night when drifting snow made the top section very difficult. Check www.snowgatecameras.co.uk in the morning!

Glencoe has seen almost constant light snowfall for days now, the Plateau area runs continue to slowly improve and fill out, but cover is still thin on the bottom third of the Plateau runs. Glencoe is best suited to more advanced riders at present as the best riding by far is on the upper mountain, but the visibility has been persistently poor above the Plateau. While the green trails on the Plateau continue to slowly improve, the green and easier blue terrain at Glenshee and the Lecht has better coverage at this time.

Glencoe usually fairs best in SE winds, but it will be a blustery day on Thursday, as wind will back more Easterly for a time and general upper level wind speeds will be strongest in the SW Highlands.

Overall because of the persistence of wind from the SE quadrant, Glenshee has by some distance amassed the most falling snow, while CairnGorm has gained masses of windblown snow from the sustained high winds over the Plateau (with much more snow accumulating in the ski area than radar data alone would suggest).

Base facilities at Nevis Range have reopened as of Wednesday 4th Feb. The Gondola is due to be open, but with strong SE to ESE winds forecast, check updates AM. SE winds generally impact Nevis Range more than general mountain forecasts suggest and Glencoe less, generally that flips around for NW wind.

:: Glencoe Sledge Park

The Sledge Park at the Plateau Cafe is in excellent condition! It is advisable to arrive before 2pm at the latest for sledging to get a decent amount of time on the hill. First chair up at 9am, last chair up at 3.45pm and last chair down at 4pm. Sledgers keep in mind, the Access Chair will be busier at the end of weekend days with snowsports underway, much quieter during the week.

:: England Club Fields

Weardale was able to operate last Wednesday and Friday. There has been some new snow over the past 36 hours at both Weardale and Yad Moss, but not yet sufficient to open. There is a chance for further snow showers tonight and during Thursday, but the freezing level looks fairly marginal.

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 -2.2°c, anemometer icing suspected, though wind had fallen light earlier. At the Top of the Access (671m) it was -1.0°c. At Base level (366m) it was +1.0°c with a light SE breeze gusting 7mph.

The SAIS summit AWS on Aonach Mor was reporting -3.8°c. The Met Office station was reporting a variable wind at 14 gusting 52mph. At the CIC Hut (680m) it was -0.2°c. At Tulloch Station (237m) the temperature was +3.2°c.

In the East the Met Office Summit AWS on CairnGorm reported -4.2°c, with an Easterly at a mean of 47 gusting 55mph. Earlier on Wednesday a Storm Force SE saw gusts to 69mph on the summit, with suspected higher gusts blowing down the Windy Ridge. At Aviemore the temperature at 6pm was +2.5°c.

The Met Office Cairnwell AWS (3061ft /934m) reported -2.1°c with an ESE wind at a mean of 8 gusting 27mph (gusts to 54mph were recorded in the afternoon).

:: Mountain Forecast Discussion

We remain in what has, apart from a brief blip from Storm Chandra, been a locked in South Easterly pattern. As has been the situation over the last while, the FL continues bouncing around between slightly below and slightly above the lower slopes, wind generally from the SE quadrant and speeds fluctuating.

This evening wind speeds have moderated from the peak at lunchtime, but unfortunately it is anticipated that the wind will ramp up early Thursday. Widely 35 to 45mph at Munro Level with an ESE to East direction expected, but on and downslope of the Cairngorm Plateau and through the Nevis Range mountains, speeds are likely to be in the region of 50 to 60mph with gusts above 80mph. There is a risk if direction moves more SE that mean speeds could push above 70mph in the Northern Cairngorms. FL rising to between 2500ft and Munro Level for a time overnight. Early Thursday temperature at Munro Level expected to be around -1°c, lowering -2°c during the morning, then likely dropping further to be around -4°c by dusk.

In the West showers will be lighter and further North less frequent, but towards Glencoe the recent steady light snowfall is likely to continue, unless wind turns fractionally North of East, then a chance that the mountain might actually make an appearance! Less change if winds veer back to the SE, there is some uncertainty on exact wind direction.

In the East more persistent and heavier snowfall particularly for the SE Cairngorms, while the Northern Cairngorms will not have as much falling snow, the strong wind will blow in snow falling further East and sustained whiteout can be expected at height.

Friday will see fairly continuous snowfall for the Eastern Cairngorms, continuing Severe Gale or Storm Force SE to East wind continuing, with -3 to -4°c at Munro Level. Widely 45 to 50mph with gusts to 60mph, likely higher in the Northern Cairngorms.

It now looks likely the high winds will moderate for a good chunk of the weekend, the question is one of timing. At this stage it looks like wind will still be fairly strong into the pre-dawn period on Saturday. Mean speeds around 35 to 40mph, but then tending to moderate down to generally 15 to 25mph post dawn. The question is whether the wind will moderate enough to allow much in the way of storm recovery work before opening time on Saturday. On this front Glenshee and particularly Glencoe are probably best placed for Saturday morning (A93 permitting for Glenshee) as they have been open consistently.

However, it is not looking like a bluebird weekend, overcast skies with light snowfall expected fairly widely, but less cold than Thursday / Friday, with around -1°c at Munro Level looking likely. Keep an eye on forecast detail as the weekend approaches.

:: Webcams and Weather Stations

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

GLENCOE: All mountain webcams online and the first updated images are from the Top of the Access Chair are around 7am, other cams come on by 7.30am. Sledge Park camera streams overnight. The mid mountain weather station wind direction is not working, other data valid.