Huntly Nordic Ski Club

For the past few years I have wanted to do some mountain touring, I even bought myself some posh skis and boots, but never quite got out to actually use them until last week. Pete was good enough to organise a trip, there was snow and I had a pass out. I’ve often looked up at the Buck when I’m in the Clash car park and thought it would be great to ski up it. Now my opportunity had come. continue reading…

This week was the Huntly Nordic Ski Club Open Championships and finally the weather gods were smiling on us. There was sun, there was snow (not too much), somebody had cleared the car park and Rick and Pete had done the pisteing . I hitched a lift with Ian Cooper and his son James up to the Clash from the Centre – Thanks Ian. continue reading…

Well, another week on snow, but we had to go up to the Clash this week to enjoy the white stuff, it’s definitely going in Huntly. I’m hoping for another dump somethime after next weekend!

I managed to get a lift to the Clash for Alice and myself from Eileen Cosgrove and I was very happy I did – the car park was mobbed and there was traffic parked along the verges by the Clash! Much to his wife’s amusement Malcolm Cooper managed to find a ditch to park in (leaving his car at an alarming angle) but fortunately managed to extract his vehicle without too much trouble. continue reading…

Reports from a contact in Finland have reached us that you can’t buy a pair of skis in Finland at the moment – maybe that’s an exaggeration. Apparently last year’s warm winter lead the ski importers it under order for this year. It’s been a snowy winter there too, so skis have sold out  -  Finns are now having to look abroad for their skis!

Four out of four JDS weeks on snow this year. Is this a record? You begin to hope the entire JDS could be run on snow in 2010, but that’s a bit unrealistic given the Scottish climate. Alice didn’t want to go to JDS most of Saturday, but relented in the evening. continue reading…

Another outing to the Clash this weekend after the snow on Friday. The roads were quite snowy up from Lumphanan and I had to divert via Insch following a crashed milk tanker between Lumsden and Rhynie.

The signs in Rhynie were showing “Road Closed Cabrach” but the chap in the shop at Rhynie thought you ought to be able to get up to the ski trails so I gave it a go. Sorry to Colin Miller if that was you I saw as I was driving through the village and didn’t stop!

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We still didn’t make it down the Ski Centre before 10 AM. This week we made good time to Huntly, but somehow the time got eaten up between parking at the pool and arriving at the Ski Centre, mainly due the atrociously icy conditions on the road. Thanks to Rick for running Alice down, although I don’t think she was too keen on Tilly! continue reading…

Another Sunday morning and another mad dash up to Huntly. I got up an hour earlier this week but still didn’t get the the ski centre until 10AM, where did the time go?

This week had to be the coldest I have ever seen it at Huntly, Sandy said her car was reading -15C in the car park. It was freezing. continue reading…

I’m often asked by work colleagues about the efficacy of snow tyres and wether they are worth it.

By accident I have carried out an experiment to prove the hypothesis this week. I didn’t manage to get the snow tyres on our volvo V40 in the autumn for various reasons so I have had the opportunity of driving the car without snow tyres in wintry conditions. Getting the car up our short track to the road with the standard tyres proved impossible and I had to resort to snow chains. After a visit to the garage to swap across the font wheels to snow tyres (Vredstein Snowtracks) the car will go up and down the same track no problems forward and in reverse. It seems to run better with the snow tyres than the chains! continue reading…

My daughter has been signed up to attend the Junior Development Squad (JDS) this year so I have been recruited to be one of the parent helpers. The JDS is run by Huntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre, but receives support from the club in the form of helpers and coaches.

My daughter is only 5 years old which is right at the bottom of the age range accepted for the JDS so I was a bit concerned that she would struggle continue reading…