Cross country ski-ing

Got my skis out of the garage for the first time in I don't know how long and took em up tp Sutton Bank. Astonishingly beautiful trek along to Boltby Scar and back. I was almost getting the hang of it by the time I got back to the Visitor Centre. Hardly anyone else out. If heaven looks as good as this I can't wait to go there! Unbelievable shades of purple and lilac in the twilight sky and a new moon and one star. (Is it Eid by the way?) Everything's just like a Christmas card. Is this the second coming?

Fantastic post GD :cool:

Not sure about Eid. I have several friends in Pakistan and Bangladesh who send me Eid Mubarak texts and I've not had any yet ;)

It's definitely Christmas though isn't it. Picking my daughter up from a country church in the Ainsty, where she's helping to get ready for a nativity play in a real stable with real donkey etc, I got talking to a bloke who was trimming a holly hedge in the snow, then a robin hops up and all under a perfect blue sky and the red sun setting at 3.40.

By the way a charming lass served me in the visitor centre cafe where I sat on my own sipping hot chocolate and munching a chocolate cookie watching the birds on the feeders outside in the snow. Who needs Austria?

Anybody else doing this instead of running. Just did 5 miles over perfect snow with breathtaking snowy sights all around. A barn owl was hunting alongside me in the twilight or was it an Arctic owl?

I was running down at Bolton Abbey this evening and thinking there was some good x-c skiing potential there ;)

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Originally Posted by Guick Dotto

Anybody else doing this instead of running. Just did 5 miles over perfect snow with breathtaking snowy sights all around. A barn owl was hunting alongside me in the twilight or was it an Arctic owl?

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NOOOOOO!!!!!!

I'm stuck indoors. can every one stop telling me how good it is out there:o

I reckon there will be some good downhill skiing in the peak. Steep descent off Crookstone and off Howden edge will be fun if you can get there. More snow forecast and now on the mend. hoping to get out on Monday. Considering the amount of ice hanging off my roof ice routes must be in top notch as well.

Desperate to get out:(

Have been desperately phoning round trying to source a good deal on some nordic touring skis/bindings and back country boots but everywhere seems to have sold out!!!!

Have you tried Back Country in Ilkley www.backcountryuk.com 01943 816011 they excellent.

Debbie

Good to see you out skiing today on the Beacon GD. If you pm me an email address I'll mail you the photos plus one or two sunsets too :)

Thanks for calling it ski-ing Derby:o
I've been pottering about at lower altitudes. Flippin' cold wasn't it?
That sunset was quite something.

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Originally Posted by Guick Dotto

Thanks for calling it ski-ing Derby:o
I've been pottering about at lower altitudes. Flippin' cold wasn't it?
That sunset was quite something.

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We didn't have that amazing glow this evening but the sunset was worth getting cold for. I tied a light fleece round my middle as I left the house but was glad of it on the top and on the descent. Skiing Simon's Seat would be great :)

Hoping to get out tomorrow - XC skis are OK but boots are about 25 years old and they were only cheap ones then!

Skiing in Brough Park in Leek and Axe Edge when the road is open.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/...7327d0c8_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/...f676432d_o.jpg

Cheers

Baaarby

Had a short ski out today in between digging out 4x4s who got stuck on our lane. David also had a go but kept falling over.

I've used mine more this year than I have in years - mostly on the roads around home and on Greystoke Moor/Forest which was spot on. A bit optimistic but does anyone know of any 25 year old Look nordic boots going spare? - size 8/9 (or a 5/6 then my good lady could use them) Mine have finally given up the ghost. I have another pair of nordic skis with different boots and bindings but they are equally old and probably wont last much longer either - in fact I'd probably be thrown out of any self respecting ski club, kit held together with gaffa tape and pole baskets made out of PVC drainpipe and cable ties, not to mention skiing in battered winter running kit - so much for apres ski posing.

Got mine (Crispi special telemarks) off e bay last year just as the last bit of snow melted. But boy I've had my money's worth this year. Saw some ski tracks coming off Pen y Ghent today adjacent to the race route after you turn right to go up. It was perfect for nordic/x-c skis with lovely run outs on any significant slopes. Get up there if you can while stocks last.
Me and my mate were cramponing up the gully next to Red Pencil, not perfect neve but wild and beautiful. For once I was not disappointed to be not skiing.

Oh no! Just when we were all starting to improve the thaw set in !!:confused:

My son wasn't impressed by my 25 year old boots! However he thought the equally aged skis looked OK.

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Originally Posted by wycoller

My son wasn't impressed by my 25 year old boots! However he thought the equally aged skis looked OK.

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My Cross country skis are proper old school:o steel edge skis from Rossignol, 75mm 3 pin bindings. leather boots with vibram sole.

Now for the Epic!!

This probably deserves it's own thread.....

Had four hours out today set off to climb Margary hill up cut gate. tried this on foot on Saturday, and had to turn back due to deep snow. once above the tree line it was apparent that there was at least another foot with deeper drifts. Progress was good on consolidated snow but hopeless in the deep fresh stuff
Once on Cut gate its self the density of snow increase with thick windpack/wind slab on the lee side. Made good progress but visibilty drastically reduced to zero due to cloud and wind blown snow. Moved up on to the top but ended up wallowing in 2-3 foot snow over deep heather constantly breaking through I dropped back to the lee side where a brief gap showed that the wind had created a surprisingly big cornice!!!! just 3-4 metres to my right.
I continues on giving the edge a healthy gap. There was no one around and I suspect there hadn't been any one up here for at least a week.

Another 200 m along the edge and the conditions were terrible. so I stopped took off my skis had a drink and decided to head back. Just then the wind stopped and the vis picked up and I notice I was only 2 m from the edge.

The next moment I was falling!!! then face down in the snow and then rolling. Yep the cornice had broken taking me with it:eek: I'd only dropped 15 ft and then rolled 25ft but to say I was a bit shook up. No injuries at all but I was a bit worried about the chance of more collapse. I made my way back up to the fracture line apprx 3-4 ft thick. beneath this there was at least 6-10 foot of vertical snow.

I guess not many can say they've fallen through a cornice in the peak!!!:o

Any way I managed to tunnel, plough, climb my way back up but it took best part on an hour up in white out conditions, Took some pics and a movie shot as I had my camera around my neck at the time. The bits you can see(as snow went every where) are pretty dramatic. I'll try and post some soon

Decided to head back direct and had to fight through deep drifts over deep heather. In 2-3 days times after a slight thaw and a good freeze the skiing will be amazing. This snow will not dissapear overnight, there just so much of it. One drift was at least 13-15ft deep and had produced a double cornice.

Awesome stuff but glad to be back at the car having seen no one all day. quite an humbling experience I can tell you.

A stream crossing on the way up, usually you drop down in to this but I was able to ski straight over it.

Attachment 2795

wall line before on way to Cut Gate

Attachment 2797

It all gets a bit blurry now due to the spindrift etc
This shot is after the event looking up Black object TR is my ski, the snow face is the fracture line! approx 3-4 foot thick!

Attachment 2796

Is it possible to put movie stuff direct on here? Brett?

[QUOTE=IanDarkpeak;294574]My Cross country skis are proper old school:o steel edge skis from Rossignol, 75mm 3 pin bindings. leather boots with vibram sole.

Snap!:)
I had some old plastic boots with a vibram sole but they rotted over the 18 years of languishing in my shed. "New" Crispi boots are the same but the real Mc Coy.
I love the sound of your epic. well done for surviving. I thought I'd ski across to the summit of Round Hill from the high point on the Blubberhouses road but I just kept falling through into the heather and getting the skis stuck so I bailed out. Sometimes I want an epic but I already know how to survive (so far:)) All I want is to ski like a Norwegian.
Talking of which has Eirik Stangness skied the 3 Peaks yet? It was perfect on Sunday apart from the howling wind on the tops.

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Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak

My Cross country skis are proper old school:o steel edge skis from Rossignol, 75mm 3 pin bindings. leather boots with vibram sole.


I guess not many can say they've fallen through a cornice in the peak!!!:o

Any way I managed to tunnel, plough, climb my way back up but it took best part on an hour up in white out conditions....

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First read this just after you posted it, Ian, but I thought I needed to digest it a bit before posting. Certainly counts as an epic in my book! I was trying to explain to my kids last night why we may not be climbing any mountains this weekend when we're in the Lakes, and your story came in very handy! This time last year we took them up on High Street in wind, snow & low cloud for a "big adventure" & to give them the experience. The big difference was that there wasn't the depth of snow there this time last year. Good job you survived to tell the tale! Could have had a broken leg as well - then we may have been reading about it in the papers rather than on the forum.

And of course it could just as easily have been me or loads of others on the forum & elsewhere who love getting out on the tops in wild conditions. Without pushing the boundaries life loses a lot of its flavour - for me anyway.

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Originally Posted by Splatcher

First read this just after you posted it, Ian, but I thought I needed to digest it a bit before posting. Certainly counts as an epic in my book! I was trying to explain to my kids last night why we may not be climbing any mountains this weekend when we're in the Lakes, and your story came in very handy! This time last year we took them up on High Street in wind, snow & low cloud for a "big adventure" & to give them the experience. The big difference was that there wasn't the depth of snow there this time last year. Good job you survived to tell the tale! Could have had a broken leg as well - then we may have been reading about it in the papers rather than on the forum.

And of course it could just as easily have been me or loads of others on the forum & elsewhere who love getting out on the tops in wild conditions. Without pushing the boundaries life loses a lot of its flavour - for me anyway.

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I agree there's no value life with out knowing you will die one day.

Plan to try again on friday but this time on touring skiis and skin up, at the very least coming back will be easier;)

Out again today and a friend lent me his spare pair of ski mountaineering skis - he gave me a few goes on them on other trips over the last few days and it turns out you can actually steer them whilst going downhill. Makes a change from falling over then getting up pointing in the new direction I want to go. I liked these a lot, they were great and I would like to do more but there are lots of other things I would like to do as well and unless we can expect a winter this good every year its not really justifiable for me. Plus I still really enjoyed getting some miles in on my old x country skis - its nice to go places, especially while running is a bit of a problem in or on the snow.

This stuff would be impressive on alpine skis but on nordic it's simply incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cppkpKu-CA

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Originally Posted by nikalas

This stuff would be impressive on alpine skis but on nordic it's simply incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cppkpKu-CA

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agreed wow! top stuff

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Originally Posted by nikalas

This stuff would be impressive on alpine skis but on nordic it's simply incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cppkpKu-CA

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Thats quality. I like the way they put all the crashed and falls in.:D

Shiny new pair of Hagan X-Trace back country skis have finally just arrived.... what are the bets we don't get any more snow this year!

Not been online much the last few months so I only read this thread with great interest today.

Although I was away skiing when you lot enjoyed all the snow here, I am extremely annoyed I missed it all.

If I hadn’t been away, I would for sure have skied the 3 peaks in the same style as these guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUxS9...layer_embedded

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Originally Posted by nikalas

Shiny new pair of Hagan X-Trace back country skis have finally just arrived.... what are the bets we don't get any more snow this year!

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Plenty of snow on Bleaklow Nik. I might be going up with my touring skiis on Sat

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Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak

Plenty of snow on Bleaklow Nik. I might be going up with my touring skiis on Sat

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Could be tempted.... would be amusing as I haven't skied for almost two years and that was track cross country! Forecast is saying we might get some on Saturday. Do you bother with skins?

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Originally Posted by nikalas

Could be tempted.... would be amusing as I haven't skied for almost two years and that was track cross country! Forecast is saying we might get some on Saturday. Do you bother with skins?

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I will for this bescause I'm thibking of skiing the cloughs that come off White stone. they were hard pack with 2 inches of fresh snow. but steep enough to get some good turns in.

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Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak

I will for this bescause I'm thibking of skiing the cloughs that come off White stone. they were hard pack with 2 inches of fresh snow. but steep enough to get some good turns in.

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when and where would I need to meet you?

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Originally Posted by nikalas

when and where would I need to meet you?

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just sent you a PM

Well?????????????????????

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Originally Posted by Marvin

Well?????????????????????

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no where near as much snow as mid week Andy but yes me and Nik met up and went up near Black clough over Bleaklow meadows ( where we were looking on Tuesday) and up to the wreck. Snow had the consistency of slippy granite and having touring skis I could skin up . Nik tried in Fishscales (skis not tights:o) and struggled with grip. very cold on top. A bit of fresh snow and it will be great up there. paths were very icy

Attachment 2871

Conditions for a HPM recce are superb with all the groughs filled with diamond hard snow you can run any where with out fear of the bog monster

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Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak

no where near as much snow as mid week Andy but yes me and Nik met up and went up near Black clough over Bleaklow meadows ( where we were looking on Tuesday) and up to the wreck. Snow had the consistency of slippy granite and having touring skis I could skin up . Nik tried in Fishscales (skis not tights:o) and struggled with grip. very cold on top. A bit of fresh snow and it will be great up there. paths were very icy

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I'm not surprised. I think the rain we had midweek must have washed quite a bit of snow away. The ground remained frozen all day here so I guessed it must have been pretty hard up there.

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Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak

Conditions for a HPM recce are superb with all the groughs filled with diamond hard snow you can run any where with out fear of the bog monster

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Completely unrepresentative of real HPM conditions then!

Was a lot of fun although I've lost quite a bit of skin off my left hip and buttock. Just about managed to maintain forward momentum going up but just couldn't hold an edge with nordic skis (and extremely rusty technique) coming down. Hoping we get another dump this year to give it another go.

Cheers for the expert guiding Ian, keen for a tour of Bleaklow run at some stage.