Sunday, February 2nd, was short and sweet. The forecast for Glencoe Mountain Resort hinted at snow, but the morning started warmer than expected, with rain falling on the drive up. By the time I arrived, the wind had picked up too—flags along the access road flapped wildly in the gusts. I took my time in the car park, finishing a small task on my laptop before heading up.

By late morning, I finally hopped on the chairlift, just as the Rannoch Chair came back online after a brief closure. A recent thaw had softened the snow, which turned out to be more enjoyable than the refrozen runs from the day before. Slushy spring-like turns down Mugs Alley led me to the Cliffy Chair, then I dropped into The Canyon for a fun, playful line.

Despite the hill looking less white than before, the main mid-mountain runs were still full, with only a few brown patches starting to appear. The softer conditions also meant The Wall was back in play—no longer frozen solid, it made for some enjoyable riding.

The skies remained grey, but visibility held up well, and by mid-afternoon, the wind eased. Just as I was about to call it a day, the Wall T-bar started running, so I grabbed one last lap. I took a sketchy but fun line down skier’s right of the T-bar, where the snow was heavy and sluggish on the flatter sections.

Heading back to the car, I caught a glimpse of blue sky breaking through the clouds—just as I turned onto the A82 for the drive south.

Note to self: Always lay my board flat in the car park! I broke my own rule today and rested my GNU Gremlin vertically against the car… only to watch it keel over, leaving a fresh ding in the rail right at the contact point. Guess I’ll be taking it to Ski‘N’Boardroom for a fix at the end of the season!