The classic Scottish Mountaineering Club book, Ski Mountaineering in Scotland, has been fully revised and published by Scottish Mountaineering Press. It is the second edition of the book and it’s edited by experienced Scottish skier Colwyn Jones.
The book is packed full of ski touring routes, from short trips on single mountains to longer tours taking in multiple peaks.
There is a surprising geographic spread, from the rolling hills of Galloway to craggy western peaks, high arctic plateaux and isolated summits in the far north of Scotland.
By chance, I have an early edition of Ski Mountaineering in Scotland, published in 1987, that I picked up in the acclaimed Inverness second-hand bookshop, Leakey’s, in recent years. The original version is considerably thinner and smaller, although, to be fair, the text is smaller. It includes 60 routes, compared to the latest edition with 140 routes.
This new edition of Ski Mountaineering in Scotland is both informative and beautiful. The photography is wonderful and it’s a lovely book simply to flick through and browse the route options.
Each route, which has been suggested and skied by a host of accomplished skiers, includes a grid reference for location, distance, estimated time, total ascent and elevation gain, plus a grading. There are also the all-important parking details. Parking at mountains and hills in Scotland can be tricky when the weather is good and everyone has an idea to do a similar thing. There is also a brief description of what to expect as a skier on the route.
The hardback book, extending to 388 pages, includes a very substantial introductory section: “Using this Guide and and Enjoying he Hills.” It’s actually 31 pages long, which feels quite hefty when you first open the book and you are keen to get to the routes. In contrast, the 1987 edition had just five pages of introduction. I guess that people new to ski touring will have quite a lot to learn and we now live in a world where health and safety needs to be minutely explained.
The introduction covers many aspects of ski touring, including “digital and paper map”, “food and drink”, “clothing”, as well as “Railway Crossings”, “Footpath Erosion”, “Avalanche Rescue Gear and “Airbag System”. I quickly read through this and made my way to the skiing routes.
The meat of the book, the routes, is split into different regions, starting in South Scotland, through The Campsies to Loch Tay, Central Scotland South, Central Scotland North, East Scotland, North-East Scotland, West Scotland South, West Scotland North and The Northern Highland and the Isle of Mull.
I recognise many of the hills and mountains, which is no surprise because I am a keen summit bagger. Obviously, the ability to ski in all the different locations depends on snowfall, snow cover and subsequent temperatures as to whether it’s possible ti ski many of the routes. For example, I do recall skiing in the Campsies in Stirlingshire during the “lockdown winter” of 2021, but it is not always possible and as the years progress, the snow cover is less reliable and more variable. Although, saying that, when the snow does come in Scotland, it can be fabulous.
Having moved to the Scottish Highlands, there are a great many more ski touring options on my relative doorstep and as I flick through the new book, I note the places I have been – such as The Cairngorms, The Fara, the Drumochter summits, Fionn Beinn and Geal Chàrn (Laggan) – and others where I am keen to go, including Canisp, Ben Kilbreck and Ben Loyal.
I am looking forward to skiing more widely and following some of the routes described in this book. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys ski touring and is keen to explore more of Scotland’s hills and mountains.
Who is the author?
Colwyn Jones lives in Edinburgh with his wife Ann, with whom he shares a passion for the outdoors. His skiing journey began 50 years ago on a modest artificial slope in the Scottish Borders town of Jedburgh. He joined the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1991 and later qualified as a BASI alpine ski instructor. He has skied and climbed across five continents and led ski-mountaineering expeditions to Greenland, scaling virgin peaks and travelling by skis over previously unexplored Arctic glaciers.
To find out more about the book
See Scottish Mountaineering Press. The book is priced at £35. (Note, I was sent the book without charge to review.)