Our ski touring group included a mix of skiing abilities and ambitions, from a first-time ski tourer to a couple of very keen beans! With this in mind, Hubby G and I discussed where to head for a day’s adventure in early January.
We had enjoyed a major dump of snow in Scotland but conditions had changed over the week and we decided to choose somewhere that would be relatively snow-sure, even if it wasn’t the most exciting ski touring destination.
We could decide on the day and according to the weather – and everyone’s aspirations –whether to ski to the summit of the Munro, Fionn Bheinn at 933m elevation, or to stop short and do a few laps of a section with better snow.
On the day, the sun came and went, as did the clag. The wind at higher elevation was brisk and brutal, while lower down we felt the gentle warmth of the winter sunshine. The snow was a mix of lighter, nicer stuff and heavier, wetter stuff. It was, overall, a typical ski touring day in Scotland!
Parking on a busy day – and a big thank you
A village party the night before led to a later than normal start on Saturday and while we live just an hour from Achnasheen, when our group of six arrived in two cars, we discovered many people had, had the same idea as us.
Parking in the usual spots was almost full to capacity but, thankfully, local farmers Ronnie and Dena decided to welcome skiers and their vehicles to their farm. We ended up with a perfect parking spot at the base of the Munro.
It was a wonderful gesture of goodwill by this couple.
The skin up Fionn Bheinn
For our neighbour friend Thorphin, it was his first experience of skiing uphill but he quickly got the hang of the slide-step process. With our skis fitted with “skins” and our ski boot heels unfixed, we all made relatively easy progress.
Thorphin, another neighbour friend Alice, Hubby G and I set off at a manageable pace, stopping when anyone needed to adjust their ski settings, take off layers, have a drink of water or simply enjoy the view.
David and Claire, our fit friends, had started uphill before us and we could see them in the distance above.
But there was no rush. It was sunny and the view was clear.
It was also amazing to see so many other people out skiing on the hill. Ski touring has become increasingly popular in Scotland over the last decade and this was very evident on Fionn Bheinn.
As we skinned uphill, a random ski suddenly flew down the slope in front of us. It came to rest in a burn and Hubby G went off to retrieve the ski. As we carried on, G carrying the ski on his pack, on the horizon we saw a man walking downhill towards us.
He was carrying one ski, a broken ski pole and muttering to himself that “today is not my day”. He was grateful that someone had stopped his lost ski in its tracks but he said he was going to continue on foot and return to his vehicle.
We carried on, mostly following the tracks of skiers who had ascended before us, and enjoying a bit of chat between us.
Thorphin seemed to be enjoying his first ski tour, which was really brilliant to see. Fionn Bheinn is a good introductory hill for new ski tourers because the gradient is never too severe and the route uphill is fairly obvious in fine weather. Like hiking, it is vital to have a map and compass in case visibility reduces and it’s important to note that when there is snow on the ground you can’t see the usual paths and trods.
When we arrived at the mountain to ski tour, there were already plenty of uphill tracks made by other skiers, so we followed these with reasonable confidence, while also keeping an eye on our phone map app.
Meeting new folks
As we climbed higher, a couple of men caught up with us. One was on skis and the other on snowshoes, carrying a snowboard.
I started chatting to them and skinned alongside for a while, enjoying the banter. I like the social side of spending time outdoors and we talked generally about skiing, snowboarding and the joy of snow in Scotland.
Having pushed on a little faster, I could see David and Claire not far ahead. They had stopped to see where we were but they had then decided to get going again. It was too cold to stop for long.
I put in a bit of a more determined effort and managed to catch up with them. For the rest of the ascent, which had some shorter, steeper sections, I skied with David and Claire. It was good to catch up on their chat, too.
By the time we were approaching the summit, the cloud was thick and visibility was poor. We didn’t “need” to go to the top but something often drives me to do so anyway. We had gone from beautiful wide views of the mountainous Highlands landscape, to hardly being able to see metres in front.
Quick transition to downhill skiing
It was very cold in the strong icy wind at the summit of Fionn Bheinn, which pushed us all to make as fast a transition as possible. Even so, my hands ended up numb with cold and as we waited for each other to strip off skins from skis, switch bindings to ski mode and clip back into our skis, I felt my teeth chattering.
The first stretch downhill was on lovely snow but we could hardly see a thing. Low visibility makes skiing very difficult wherever you are and especially when on changeable terrain.
A little lower and we could see further ahead and this was the best bit of skiing.
We passed G, Alice and Thorphin as they approached the summit and if the weather had been warmer we would have stopped to wait for them so we could all ski downhill together. But it was too cold.
Instead, we headed for a sunny area lower down the slope and waited there. Scottish skiing is often tough on the leg muscles because the terrain is unpredictable and rugged, even when covered in snow. We had to make sure we skied around rocks and vegetation that was still showing through the snow and negotiate every dip and angle on the mountain slope.
So, it was wonderful to have the chance to step out of our skis and sit for a while in the sunshine, while the others came down to join us.
Our emotions were high as we sat together, eating lunch and chatting about the skiing. Around us, other small groups of friends were also chatting and laughing. It felt like a very sociable mountiain to be on.
A second lap – or a ski to the base
G, Alice and Thorphin decided they would ski back to the car, while David, Claire and I plumped for a second lap. In retrospect, I think the other group made the best decision. They had the advantage of sunshine and good visibility for skiing the lower mountain where the snow was far more sketchy and tricky to ski.
Meanwhile, in our other group, we skinned back uphill for a few hundred metres before calling it a day as we headed deeper into thick cloud. It was tempting to return to the summit for another descent of some of the best snow on the mountain but skiing without being able to se ahead is pretty grim.
Another skin-to-ski transition
This time we decided to ski all the way back down to the base. The vis was as poor as we had dreaded to start with, before we found our way below the cloud again. Being able to see was a bonus because this is when the snow turned granulated and sticky.
The lower we skied, the more heather and rocks protruded so we needed to ski around these natural obstacles while trying to maintain enough speed to keep going through the sticky-tricky snow.
They say skiing in Scotland is called “survival skiing” and there was plenty of that on the lower slopes of Fionn Bheinn. By this point, my thigh muscles were burning so much that I had to keep stopping to shake out my legs. it was very hard work but still thrilling.
After passing through a gate in a fence, the final stretch was on a snow-icy track before we reached the road.
I always feel so grateful to have an amazing outdoors playground on my doorstep and with the freedom to enjoy it in all seasons.
Distance: 11km
Route: OS Maps