The last time I completed a ski tour to the two Munros, Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui, I was not a skier. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but 15 years ago I was a snowboarder who had tried a bit of skiing. The outing took place in April with Hubby G and good friends Stew and Jen. It was an amazing experience but it felt arduous and scary and I was out of my comfort zone, especially on the descents.
Earlier this year, I repeated the adventure. It was much more enjoyable in many ways because these days I’m a competent skier with many weeks of on-piste and off-piste skiing under my belt. As I skied the classic Cairngorms route I thought back to my first ski touring experience and also reflected on what I have learned since.
The ski touring route
The first time I skied this route, we followed a clockwise circuit from Cairngorm Mountain Base station heading over Cairn Gorm first and then to Ben Macdui.
In contrast, on my recent outing, we took an anti-clockwise route, also leaving the Cairngorm Mountain base station car park, traversing south-west to reach the base of Lurcher’s Gully. Turning SSE, we skinned uphill via the gully and then continued in the same direction to reach the summit of Ben Macdui at 1309m. Macdui is the second highest peak in the UK.
From Ben Macdui, we skied north then turned towards the NE to ascend to Cairn Gorm summit at 1245m elevation. The final descent was to the north-east and then north-west back via the resort of Cairngorm Mountain. A decent alternative for the descent would have been Coire na Ciste but the light was fading and the decision was made for a speedier exit back to the car park.
The distance was almost 20km and 1350m of ascent.
I was accompanied by Hubby G and Stew again – we did a lot of reminiscing! – and our friend Thorphin.
Ski touring Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm – the first time
My memory of the first trip mainly focused on my lack of skiing ability. I’d never ski toured before yet Stew persuaded Hubby G and I of the joys of the route. He wasn’t wrong because it’s a stunningly beautiful adventure if the snow conditions are good. But we under-estimated how tiring it would be.
While I immediately took to the uphill “skinning”, the descents were frightening and stressful. I didn’t have the skills to easily manage the off-piste snow and ice and I did a lot of energy-zapping snow ploughing and sudden turns and stops.
As I recall, the snow that April was superb. We enjoyed a good covering for the whole outing. While there were areas of ice and sastrugi, it must have been a long and good winter season that year.
I also remember that I greatly enjoyed getting to know Jen and Stew as we skied. Hubby G and I were fairly recently together and we were both new to ski touring. We took out time on the ups, chatting and laughing.
Stew and Jen were much more experienced skiers and passed on their knowledge and experience. Both G and I were using hired skis and boots, which probably explained, in part, why I had sore feet and shins by the end of the day.
I would not recommend that people try this route on their first ever ski touring adventure. It’s probably better to choose a shorter route, such as Cairn Gorm only or Fionn Bheinn.
Of course, the experience is often determined by the snow cover and quality. A longer outing on great snow can be easier and more forgiving than a shorter ski tour on poor snow and ice. But the full Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm outing is quite committing, so ideally you should have a bit of experience of skiing first, as well as a good forecast.
This begs the question of whether it was foolhardy for me to have taken on such a long route on my first ski tour. G and I were fit and used to spending time in the winter mountains even if we had not spent a lot of time on skis. I had completed a couple of winter skills courses and I was familiar with the snowy slopes on a snowboard. The main issue was fatigue and skills. I don’t recall the slopes being dangerously steep although there was always the potential to slip and fall on the ice. I guess everyone will try something a bit too committing at some point in their mountain hiking and ski touring journey. I think it would have been better to try a few shorter outings first but, in the end, we completed it just fine, even if it was very little style. (And we were carrying all the right safety kit.) Overall, I think a longer ski tour is better enjoyed when you are more experienced and this is what I discovered more recently.
Ski touring Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm in 2026
This winter has proved to be a good one for skiing in Scotland. Read more: What’s it like to ski in Scotland? I’ve enjoyed several outings and when the forecast looked good for a Saturday in February, Hubby G and I jumped at the chance to ski our first ski tour route again. We asked Stew and Thorphin to join us.
The weather was fantastic for most of the day, with a bright blue sky and sunshine. The wind picked up as the day progressed and the cloud started to roll in later on, but for the most part it was sunny and benign.
The snow was also excellent, mostly. Scottish snow is rarely perfect, but it was good overall. We encountered plenty of fresh white stuff but with some areas of sastrugi and ice thrown in. In places, you could still see some vegetation and rocks poking through the snow but the coverage was some of the best I’ve seen in Scotland for many years.
This time, I was fitter for skiing and much more experienced. I was able to fully enjoy my surroundings and I happily skinned uphill, chatting to my companions or to other people we met along the way.
In the last 15 years, ski touring has become much more popular and the mountain was quite busy. It was wonderful to see so many people exploring on skis, as well as on foot.
I am much more familiar with the Cairngorms than on my first ski tour and as I skied, I looked out across other mountains and remembered the many outings, such as a walk-run: Five of Scotland’s 4000fters. It was near here that I undertook my training and Mountain Leader assessment, too.
Skinning uphill is rhythmic and peaceful and offers plenty of thinking time. Approaching Ben Macdui, the summit was busy with other skiers and we waited our turn for a photo on the top of the cairn. We stopped for something to eat before discussing our route to Cairn Gorm summit.
The views were clear so we could point ahead and after transitioning from skinning to ski mode, we all set off for a lovely descent. The snow was firm but not too hard and it made for an easy ski.
There were several more ups and downs – with the required kit transitions in between – to gain the summit of Cairn Gorm at 1245m. By this point, the wind was much stronger and the sun was setting. It was much colder and I had on all my layers and my most insulated gloves.
Instead of skiing off-piste back to the car park, we decided to exit via the mountain resort slopes. All went well at the top, with nicely snow-packed pistes but further down it was very icy. My recommendation is to find a route off-piste if possible. It’s better to stay away from the slopes unless you have paid for a lift pass and because off-piste is generally quieter. We simply ran out of time for a safe exit away from the slopes.
This time, I finished tired but not exhausted. I had been comfortable in my skis and boots (my own not hired!) and the adventure had lived up to my expectations as a superb ski tour in a fabulous landscape. I’ve come a long way since that first ski tour and I have Stew and Jen to thank for encouraging G and I to get into the sport.
Ski tour: Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm
Distance: 20km
Ascent: 1350m
Our route: Strava