Glencoe
Sunday morning was a frosty one. I woke up early to see my breath frozen on the inside of the car window. Through the ice I could see a clear sky with pale peach colours emanating from the East.
The Morning grew brighter and the sky bluer. A wisp of cloud sat atop the Buachaille as I walked through the busy car park to get breakfast, always a priority.
Conditions on the hill
It was pretty cold once again, so I thought I’d take my time and let the sun do its stuff. The weather was much the same as the previous day, with slightly less cloud and even less wind. It was a busier day also. The sun had brought out the crowds and I waited a few minutes in the Plateau Poma queue before I was up onto the pistes proper.
Top of the Mountain
Looking up the mountain I could see they had pisted the Spring Run. A ribbon of perfect corduroy running down one of the steeper parts of the hill.
I took the lifts to the top, and that’s where I stayed most of the day, with the exception of the Spring Run itself which takes you down to the middle part of the mountain.
Although the car park had been busy, the lift lines were non-existent.
The top runs were well pisted once again. If anything they were, better, and less icy than the day before. I was content with Main Basin alone, but Spring Run was something else. Full of snow, it was as if you were on an alpine piste, the slope rolling away beneath you towards the Plateau below.
The sun is definitely staying higher above the mountains these days and this helps the snow conditions immensely. It also makes a change to have perfect visibility.
A quick review
While on the subject of visibility, I was using my new goggles. A pair of DRAGON ALLIANCE NFX Lumalens Green Ion + Lumalens Amber spare lens. They are a large comfortable fit of the frameless variety. The contrast of the Green Ion lens is outstanding. There is a slight greening blue tint to the top and bottom with a more amber tint in the middle area of your view. I’ve not needed to try the amber lens yet. It’ll be handy for riding in Scotland. They are available in smaller sizes (NFX2), but I do prefer larger goggles. The keep your face warm and allow excellent peripheral vision.
Looking ahead
An easterly weather system on its way dubbed the “Beast from the East” is bringing much colder and snowier weather particularly to the east of the country. Lets see if the West gets a top up rather than it being wasted down in the south-east where it wont be appreciated.
