‘Skis’ on ‘Meggie’
4th March 2009
The track to Coire Ardair has yet to be fully ‘forged’, with deep drifts awaiting the first pioneers.
I set off with good intentions but the hard going, a weak will and an eagle eye (which spotted some single point release wet snow slide events in Coire a Chriocharein) provided the perfect diversion.
Whilst I headed manfully to higher slopes the ‘SIT’ (the Stability Indicator Technician – featured below) set off to ‘count’ the deer nos at lower elevations in Alt Coire Ardair.
Motivation took a further dive before disappearing altogether along with dead camera batteries in the vicinity of Balloon Gully, Cairn Liath.
The close up single point release photo (above) I blagged from our stock images (exact same place and looked the same!)
These single point release, sun on new snow events are seldom big enough to bury you – but their chums in the next two adjacent gullies certainly would have; cornice triggered soft slab events on South East aspects at around 950m. Sorry no photos – dead camera.
With that I bailed out, as I left a party of 4 ski tourers were flogging their way up ‘Balloon Gully’. I trust you all made it to the top; you certainly improved your chances after diverting to the shoulder as opposed to straight up the middle – good effort!
Early starts are needed in the current conditions to get anything done.
Old skis best at the moment also, (new snow and hidden rock terrain) – when I say ‘Old’ – a major sponsor opportunity is available here! TUA the last to benefit – the final photo today doing justice to the ‘best ski’ (now approaching its 10th birthday – even camera refused to take an image of its less than photogenic mate!)
Post script:
If you double click the ‘ski’ photo the manufacturers ‘Logo’ comes up quite nicely – we tend to use reasonable pixel resolution in our images so details on crag shots etc can be zoomed in on for max info / detail (shameless / gratuitous / sponsorship!)
I’m told this website can get up to 5000 hits a day (that’s a worry!) – Perhaps a ski sponsor with us manfully atop a crown wall resplendid in matching headbands would have some commercial utility?!
The ‘SIT’ may even gain cult status (and present as a competitor in the nations heart’s for the Top Gear ‘STIG’) she could even appear in a sponsorâs matching twin set of harness and sun glasses….all food for thought!
PS. The âSITâ eats ‘chappie’ – 1/3 tin a day but if it was free we might up it to 1/2!
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