Glencoe Mountain resort
The forecast for Saturday at Glencoe was for sunshine, and on leaving Glasgow, the sky was blue and the air was warm. As I got closer to Glencoe, I could see cloud scudding across the very tops of the hills. It looked great though, the changing light across the mountain exaggerated the contrast between the snowfields and the increasingly visible patches of rock and heather. It is the end of April though and this is to be expected, I need to keep reminding myself that this winter we have had can’t go on for ever. Much as I would love it to. Still lots to ride on!
This was my 35th day of lift assisted snowboarding. A new record for me, and not bad considering most of these were weekends. We really have had the best of seasons, starting early with lots of fine weather.
Conditions on the hill
As you would expect at the end of the season the snow was sugary and wet. But not too slow. With my deteriorating boots, this has the added effect of soaking my left foot! (Socks drying as I type).
The cloud above was moving fast and regularly giving way to brilliant sunshine. The freezing level was way above the summits, so I spent the day riding around in a hoody and not my bright green jacket.
The lower slopes are now unfortunately starting to break up. While mostly cosmetic, it does cause a pang of disappointment seeing all that white being replaced by the burnt orange of the hill.
The uptrack of the plateau is in great shape and the Plateau run itself is complete for now. The Low Road and Rankin’s Return are now just a memory.
From Mug’s Alley upward, it’s all looking pretty good even after the rain we had mid-week.
Spring Run still has full width cover, but Rannoch Glades is broken. Main Basin and Happy Valley are still in prime condition, with lots of little hits to jump off. There is even a set of moguls built for you to test your skills on. The fence along the T-bar is now visible, but the depth of snow here should see us through easily till May.
The Wall also has great covering on the steeper sections with only a few islands of grass popping through on the flatter section at the bottom.
I did notice a bit of a line forming at the top T-bar for the first time this season. With slightly less cover, more people are frequenting the same lifts.
Snow Sure?
I’m not going to be able to visit Glencoe next weekend due to other commitments, so this could potentially be my last day. I’ll see if Sunday is worth it, but hopefully with the help of some snowfall that is predicted, we will have something to ride on in two weeks for the closing weekend. Fingers crossed we can ride till the last. Get up if you can, ‘cause Spring snow is the best. Spring is King as they say here at Coe.
