Braemar Weekend
14th - 16th January 2011
By Clare
After all that yummy snow in November and December, demand for places on the first ESTC meet of the season was running high and 18 eager folk assembled at Breamar Mountain Lodge with an expectation of snow, snow, snow … and of skiing the steep and deep all weekend …
Yes, well remember this is Scotland so instead we had rain, rain, rain, and wind, wind, wind! So most folk put on their wellies and boots and sheltered in the woods until enough time had passed and they could respectably come out and go shopping. Everyone that is, except Lynn. She battled through the early morning gales, entered Braemar Mountain sports shortly after opening time, surfaced for a brief lunch and a change of clothes before heading back for a second round of nail biting, teetering on the edge, decision making. Will she buy those new telemark boots or not? At two minutes to closing time she takes the plunge, and makes a death defying leap into her pocket and extracts some cash and joins the scrum of ESTC members all seeking their 20% on the members discount day. The rest of the evening was spent purring over all the new avalanche shovels that had all left the shop like hot cakes.
Meanwhile Clare and Bill recklessly headed up to Glenshee, not quite believing that conditions could be quite so bad. Bill wanted to try his new telemark skis so they spent a few hours skinning up and skiing down the piste.
Don’t you just love skiing in the rain!
Two runs later completely sodden and cold Bill throws in the gauntlet and they hurry back to …… join the shopping.
Sunday was just as dreich and even more windy than the day before.
"Please please don’t make me go skiing".
Meanwhile Nick pretends to be asleep.
So we decided to implement the tried and trusted car door test, as follows. Drive to Glenshee car park and if you can open the car door … go skiing. If you can’t open the car door go for another walk in the woods on the way home. It was a rather odd that despite so much huffing and puffing most ESTC cars stayed resolutely shut and the occupants were forced to travel down to Kirk Michael and go for another convivial walk.
However Bill Clare and new member Isobel, urged on by Nick struggled out into the car park and donned their skis for a foray up to Loch Vrotagan.
To their delight, once they had dropped down towards the loch the wind had died away.
… and they had an excellent tour to the head of the loch and were rewarded by some fine views.
One last picture before skiing home.
Thanks to everyone for participating so gamely despite the weather forecast.
(Pictures Clare and Susan).