Spontaneous Ski Weekend in the Scottish Highlands

Last minute, spontaneous plans are always the best. I mean who doesn’t love getting a text on a Monday morning suggesting taking Friday off & heading north for a 3-day ski weekend in the Scottish Highlands?!

Life has been hectic of late. Balancing training for 2020 goals, planning an 18-month career break, saving for an 18-month career break & trying to say yes to as many opportunities as possible. I say hectic, as I write this I realise its exactly the kind of hectic life I want to live… this time last year I was stressing over a dissertation & final year uni exams – now I can’t even remember what they were about!

I write this at a time when the UK is being battered by winter storms and howling gales seemingly every weekend & the Covid-19 situation spiralling rapidly out of control. There’s a circle of influence & a circle of concern – the things we can control & those we can’t. I prefer to focus my time and energy on the things I can influence, not what I can be concerned about. Needless to say, escaping to magical northern landscapes for a ski weekend in the Scottish Highlands does wonders for re-aligning one’s perspective.

The forecast was for snow all week & low winds on Friday – the perfect forecast for some Scottish Skiing. Skiing in Scotland is one of those things I’ve wanted to do, but conditions have thwarted for years. Luckily we hit the jackpot this time around. Setting off after work on Thursday, van packed full of adventure toys, we followed the A82 under a clear starry sky which winds its way across Rannoch Moor up towards the snow covered mountains – eventually arriving at 1am. Just the two of us & a furry four-legged friend for company, we awoke to an absolute treat on Friday morning – Glencoe Mountain Resort with snow cover right down to the car park, a snow base of up to 2 metres in places & low winds too. We couldn’t have asked for a better to start to the ski weekend in the Scottish Highlands!

Skis fitted & kit dusted off – we headed up on the first Gondola of the day. I was pretty nervous at this point, having just found my lift pass from the last time I went skiing… back in 2016! I also had the words of a colleague ringing in my ears too ‘if you can ski Scotland, you can ski anywhere… conditions are fickle – one minute you can be skiing on snow & the next, grass’.

Needless to say the first few turns were somewhat sketchy whilst I got my eye in. Truth be told, getting your eye in is pretty difficult in Scotland – especially with the visibility we had! But like most things, it’s like riding a bike – you never forget, although the chain does go a little rusty.

With all the piste running great & the off piste in fantastic condition too, Friday really was what dreams are made of. Ace snow & weather conditions, along with some awesome lines made for a great day out on the hill in the Scottish highlands!

Unfortunately the forecast for the rest of the weekend had turned somewhat drab – to which most people would be disappointed. Not us. We came prepared. With the mild, damp weather brings rain & also snow melt to the rivers – perfect for some whitewater kayaking action! I guess it would’ve been unheard of to get a full ski weekend in the Scottish highlands.  

Our van camp spots were very much influenced by where we wanted to be the next day – i.e. which river would be on a good flow (or which river wouldn’t be too high in this case!). Scotland is simply brilliant for van camp spots – it’s almost as if the country was made for campervan adventures. It isn’t however brilliant for predicting which river will be flowing in the morning. Most rivers in Scotland, unlike in England and Wales, aren’t on a gauge which records and posts the level online. Whitewater kayaking very much relies on knowledge of catchment areas, guesswork & a whole load of luck!

The River Etive is usually a good starting point – if that’s going, get on. If not, check out the Upper, the Tribs or head further north towards the Coe. Scottish Whitewater – 3rd edition is a guidebook written by those in the know – a very handy resource.

In this case, with all the snow melt & rain, the Etive was the highest we’ve ever seen it. Instead we headed across to the Coe Gorge, which we found on a superb level. Fast, continuous & technical whitewater. This is arguably one of my favourite runs in Scotland – If it weren’t for the exposed nature of the upper, the relentless howling gales & icy cold snow melt water!

The upper contains one class 5 rapid, before some super fun and continuous grade 4 rapids through a stunning & committing walled-in gorge. It’s a brilliant river – one I’m gutted I forgot my GoPro for!

The forecast never allowed us to get back on the hill to complete out ski weekend in the Scottish highlands, instead we spent the rest of our time chasing water/sensible river levels between Fort William & Glencoe, ticking off the west coast classics. Glen Roy, another favourite of mine was yet another incredibly cold day on the water. Snow melt, plus wind and rain makes the prospect of putting damp kit back on pretty grim! But I guess that’s the character building nature of adventure in the Scottish Highlands eh.

Nothing can beat the simplicity of living out the back of a cosy campervan, with all the adventure toys, good company and a dog-heater for warmth. It’s these challenging times that bring back fond memories of trips like this. Stay safe folk – and keep washing those hands!