Winter 25/26 expeditions

This post will be a record of what I get up to in winter 25/26. I'll record rides and slides that involve snow and ice. For some reason I've an inkling it's going to be a good one, as usual after my first ride in the snow. Goodness knows what we will actually get. I've high hopes of some decent skiing, after last year's lame efforts, but I'll just have to wait and see.

Season Opener 17th November '25

This was a bonus ride really as I was slated to be away all weekend with the Lochore Meadows conservation group at Lochgoilhead for more temperate rainforest restoration. The weather forecast had hinted at the usual wind and rain, then suddenly everyone was going on about there been lots of snow forecast. Some did fall on the Thursday, a chunk more than what I'd spied last month on Ben Lawyers, then the next thing we knew the pressure went up and the temps down. So a fab weekend followed and best of all, I'd blagged a day off work on the Monday to recover. A cold nearly spoiled the party but on waking to a crystal clear day I ignored it and got going. I stuck to a usual circuit round the Ochills, my hopes pinned on Ben Cleuch for some snow time.

Snow on Cnoc Coinnich (alt 764) near Lochgoilhead, peaking above the ridge opposite with more on the higher hills hereabouts. Smoke from large brash fire in the foreground...

Lots of bits of snow above 600m on Ben Cleuch (summit alt 725m) it was all very crunchy after a couple of thaw / freezes and so presented some difficulty where it had filled in the path. Much more on the hills up north! There was also enough ice around to make me wish I'd fitted my newly built wheels shod with studded tyres. Still, a fine day's ride ensued to kick the season off and more snow is due this week.

Friday / Saturday 21st/22nd November

As per November BAM. A large amount of frustration as it had been super cold all week after the dump last Thursday. Cairngorm had been plastered but I could not be bothered traipsing up there, along with every skier in central Scotland; so a local ride it was. Porridge snow conditions led to lots of sliding about and extreme frustration but it was snow and my first try out of tyre studs was pretty successful. Bring it on! 

New Year 2025/2026

Over the last 30 odd years a few of our new years trips / celebrations have featured snow, sometimes in large amounts. This one promised much and contrary to normal practice, delivered! I got up to Speyside ahead of it all, fat bike at the ready and lo and behold Friday 2nd saw 6" plus of the white stuff waiting to be played in. 

And we did, this is on the Speyside way which is quite a good route for skiing as it tends to collect the snow and is smooth and level. An hour along this and around the local woods was hard work so we got back and switched modes, in time for dark O'clock.

Night skiing is ace, with a decent head light. The temps had dropped so the snow was nice and fluffy.

The next day we were out again as there was more snow and drifting.

Not seen this before - loads of bits of ice being carried along in the Spey, probably from it's upper reaches where it had frozen then thawed and broken up. Not quite enough ice to ride on though....

Sunday 4th January

I got home without too much problem and hit my local hills again

This ride nearly didn't make it in as there was no snow at home or in the forecast. But there was a dusting on high and suddenly a large cloud came in and once again I was riding through a blizzard.

Saturday January 10th, into the big white room

A music weekend got canned due to the weather then a trip south was needed which meant no Scottish Winter bivvy. But at least I could cash in on the snow for one ride. Up north looked good but the weather didn't look great, along with the Avalanche forecast. I nearly went with skis but I'd doubts there was enough snow so out with the fatty once more and up into the Ochills. A good move as the lower trails were lovely - a couple of inches of snow and still iron hard. The roads and tracks on the approach were covered in sheet ice thanks to a skim of freezing rain making the studded tyres a very good move. Up high, as usual, the snow depth mounted, topping out at about 6" - a lower crusty layer overtopped with about 2" of fresh. This made for hard going so I went with the trail north from Skythorn hill down to upper Glen Devon. This was a fab descent as the snow levels dropped.

The view.... It had been clear at home with hints of sun. At one point the sky cleared but then it all closed in again.

Lunch at upper Glen Devon res. I did briefly consider going round the shore edge on the ice but it ran out about 100m east of this pic so just as well I didn't. More fun trails followed, backtracking a bit. Ice was a-plenty and the studded tyres sailed across the lot.

The temps are on the rise from tomorrow into Monday before falling a bit. I suspect most of this snow will get wiped out but the rise should stabilise things up north and more will fall on high next week - we appear to be having a proper winter!

Sunday January 18th

I'd no idea if this ride would involve snow or not. In the event another high level expedition into the Ochills took me to some big patches of consolidated snow, frozen iron hard. Clearly the remains of last weeks dump but still more than expected. I spent some time playing on these but the weather was horrible - cloud down and varying amounts of hail and rain so I exited fairly quickly and took no pics. I've done some great snow patch hunting rides over the years, usually after big winters in the trad spring skiing months of March and April. That said, in Scotland you can get any kind of snow condition in December, January and February.... More snow incoming...

Friday 13th  to Sunday 15th February, real winter.

Day 1, bluebirds

Having spent several weeks watching vast amounts of snow fall, thaw / freeze / thaw cycles and a lot of murky / horrendous weather, this weekend, it finally came good.

As per, I'd taken a couple of days off as it was my birthday, in the hope of some winter fun. The last time this worked out was in '21, on my 50th and I had a fine snowy week. Since then it's just been wet...

So when the weather finally looked like it was going the right way, plans were hatched. I figured on some on piste time at first but, annoyingly, I realised it was school half term. Good snow, first decent weather for over a month, school hols = ski areas crowded out. So plan B was to head for remote hills, away from the madding crowd. I chose the hills west of the A9 at Drumochter, as I had a fabulous day of spring skiing in March 2022 here (actually the last time I did some proper turns) and I knew that there was enough easy terrain to be able to have a fun day out, whilst avoiding any avalanche activity. So up early, into the (already loaded up) motor and off up the A9. I arrived at Dalnaspidal lodge at 9.30, spent a lot of time faffing with kit and then marched off, snowy hills in sight. As usual, everything was bare on the road up (below about 600m anyway), despite there being a dusting of snow at home but as with the last time, I got a sudden sight of a solid white Ben A'Ghlo and my destination also looked to have full snow cover.

The walk in was longer than in '22, about 45 mins and the skin up was pretty marginal in places, and dodgy in others. I tried to link up patches of the newer stuff overlaying the old frozen snow, but it was pretty patchy requiring much side stepping, slithering and one slope where I was continually checking the gradient as the fresh snow was slabby and breaking a way under my skis.

Into the big white room. I was focusing more on travelling than putting in some turns so skied up and over Mam Ban then more hard snow ice to an un-named summit before actually removing skis, fitting spikes and walking down to get some shelter for lunch. I was on my S-bounds, with a grip base and half skins, which were on and off a few times. But the snow ice meant uphills were hard work. That said I had some joyous schusses, the sun was blazing, and I saw two mountain hares in their winter coats.

Further sliding and scraping followed and a couple of short downhill runs. 4 years away from downhill skiing meant it took a while to regain some confidence, which I didn't fully, but on the run back out I got down some pretty scraped burn lines without too much trauma, or crashes. The drive home was a chore, thanks to Cairngorm rush hour and roadworks but I was fair chuffed to have got a fab day in on sunny hills, after weeks of horrible weather.

Massive cornice collapse triggered avalanche on the hill above Loch Garry - you wouldn't want to be in the way of this monster. 

Day 2, fat bikes rule!

I actually had the car loaded with skinny skis, destination Ochills, after a bit of peering through the binnocs at a snowy Ben Cleuch. But a clearer view suggested it would be a fat bike day. So a quick u-ey, throw bike into car and off up to Glen Sherup. I should have ridden from home but, being my birthday week, I was keen to get straight onto the good stuff. 

The climb was hard but the snow well tracked and firm, only a few inches deep, even after I passed the magic 500m contour.

Then it got a lot harder - all the footprints turned off towards Tarmangie and a fresh untracked trail was before me. I ground to a halt immediately, dropped tyre pressures all the way down but still struggled. A couple of runners were coming up behind me so I went all out to get some momentum up. Patches of frozen bog kept appearing, then there would be some firm wind slab, followed by more deep, soft snow. A lot of huffing and puffing, swearing, walking and some pedaling got me back to tracked trails. I was now on a mission to get up to Ben Cleuch. 

Up to Andrew Gammel was a solid push but on the descent, I got a hint of the fun to come - big areas of slab that supported the tyres allowing me to float past and through many post-hole footprints. Oh yes! I cut across to the main Cleuch path in the hope it would be well tracked. It was plus large areas of frozen bog allowed an almost easy pedal up the final few hundred meters.

The summit after a lot of effort. On the descent the fun began - first a strip of old frozen snow next to the fence line then more firm windslab enabling a fast pace past several beleaguered walkers. Beyond Ben Ever, it was untracked snow again but this time downhill and also on firm slab.

This is why I persist with fat bikes and expend vast amounts of energy dragging the bike through snow - a wonderful descent, the rumble of powder loud under the wheels and the sun on high.

Food followed and a cruise round the windfarm. I actually saw bits of ice flying off one of the turbines so rode past them sharpish. Then a steep descent to Glendevon res and a hard ride round it. A breather on the road led back to the reservoir trail (mostly frozen and a snowy) to the car park.

Day 3, less optimal

I woke to more snow, but temps were up and it was all looking a bit wet. I figured on skinny skiing in the Ochills to try out my new boards as it should be more snowy than yesterday. There was 4" of (wet) fresh at Glen Sherup car park, so boards onto bag and march up the glen, skis on at the 450m mark. Up the track was OK, with a modest amount of heather hopping. Present were several new patches of drifted in snow off the south westerly wind. This and the old stuff from the previous south easterly's should mean plenty on the north facing slopes.

And there was. I was able to pick a line all the way round to Skythorn hill and then round this. Less pleasant was the weather. I'd climbed into the clag just after donning skis and now cold rain came on in earnest. Plans to push on to Ben Cleuch were shelved and I headed back down, roughly following my outward route, noting the potential for some downhill fun along the way. By the time I got back to the car I was soaked and starting to chill, despite a blistering downhill pace.

Plenty of snow still and more to come ahead of a mild spell so I'm looking forward to the next weather window!

Except I didn't. Long story short a minor 'health issue' prevented bike riding. I could have got some fab spring skiing done but it would have involved time off work I couldn't afford. So there we have it, winter 2025/26 is done for me (but still going on in the Cairngorms and the Ben). Still, a vast improvement on the last couple of years and the fatty got a good work out. Now, it's spring!