Scottish-Irish Skier

I'm originally fae Carrbridge. If you love snaw, it has it's own wee microclimate. Often you are buried there, then when you get to Aviemore there's noticeably less. On to Kingussie and there's none! More exposed to the North, but also to the west due to the Dulnain valley extending that direction while Aviemore is more sheltered from that direction maybe. I can heartily recommend the Cairn Hotel in Carrbridge for a pint, pub lunch and game of pool. The wee dug in front there had a problem ball joint on the back leg when young - kept dislocating. So they removed the ball as she's got 4 legs and the muscle just develops to cope without. But because she could not put normal full weight on it, she developed her own walk where she puts both paws on one side forward, then the same with the other. Like a weird ladder climb, but on the level. Ergo has a funny wee waddle. Bless.

Dug walk. Hud tae be done in full ski gear! Got caught in shower oan the way back (vid). Wild tae say the least! Some impressive drifts starting tae build. WhatsApp Video 2024-01-15 at 12.23.18.mp4

Car in for it's MOT the morn. Decided to take it today and leave it with them to be on the safe side. Not sure I'll get out in the morning - have to wait for the farmer and his plough to pass on our wee lane. Vid of the journey back from Insch to Premnay for winter rubber lovers. Was under a streamer for a while there; whiteoot chucking it down and blowing around wildly. Snaw 15-01-24.mp4

I grew up in the Spey (Dulnain) valley, so am pretty well practiced in teuchter, which is quite similar to Doric, ergo I can generally understand the latter, but not use it other than 'fit like'! Found this handy pocket guide from RGU: https://media.scotslanguage.com/library/document/RGU_Doric_Dictionary.pdf Div ye ken ony Doric? On the toc ae snaw... few gairden shots I took before going to the office, which thankfully on a day like this just up the stairs. Dug walk take follow. Regular showers keep battering through.

Can you buy lampposts? It's nice being oot in the sticks, but ye cannae open the curtain tae see fits gan oan! Aw a ken is it's snawin. --- (attempting to work on my doric as when in Rome)

Snawgates shut at the lecht. Camera at the centre shows some serious drifting going on if you look closely. . https://web116.secure-secure.co.uk/snowgatecameras.co.uk/strathdon/image.jpg e.g. around the wee hexagonal building.

Guid tae see the snaw hitting the Lecht and Glenshee! Snowroad traffic cameras WWW.SKI-GLENSHEE.CO.UK Webcam images from the Spittal of Glensehee #Snowroad showing the current driving, traffic and weather conditions EDIT Aye, the drifting here is getting noticeable. We must have at least 6 cm level now, but the wind is blowing it around. Don't have the old sheltered picnic bench(mark) at the new hoose!

Dugs walk. New snaw oan auld up Bennachie. Nice tae experience snaw fae a N-NW'erly. In the eastern borders you never get anything from that direction. VID-20240114-WA0004 1.mp4

WhatsApp Video 2024-01-14 at 10.56.37.mp4 What this morning looks like at Fort SIS.

View oot the windae.

Skis waxed and ready. Snaw shovel tae hand. Snaw socks in the boot. Winter tyres oan. Beer fridge stocked. Bring it oan.

Skis waxed and ready.

Sweet.

Very pleased tae be part of the Aberdeenshire 'friends' posse for my first winter here. So far not too bad. Indian summer followed by some snaw and seasonal temps (loadsae flooding aside, but I'm on a wee hill crest, so nae bother)... now looking to seriously deliver! The Scottish skis are waxed and ready with Glenshee / Lecht an hour away at most now! Bring it oan...

Been a light dusting here too, as per @Mair Snaw's observations.

12z GFS extends the cold uppers oot tae the 25th Jan. Ups and doons suggest lots of potential for prep.

Oh man, a youtube 'cars on ice' episode from Kirkcaldy. Was f'n lethal the day here for sure. Unsalted roads a sheet of ice. Hud tae stick tae the grass at the side when walking the dugs. Really vehicles in Scotland should be wearing all season tyres with snaw symbols, certainly during the winter. Watch the moment a bus skids and spins on ice WWW.BBC.CO.UK A double decker bus spun right round and smashed into parked vehicles when it hit freezing rain on a hill in Kirkcaldy.

Ok, increasing my ramp size.

Was looking at those too.

Well, I confess tae waxing my Scottish rock hoppers yesterday, so I'll be at least partly guilty. While there's not been a lot of snaw so far at the ski centres, due to the seasonal temps, what did fall has stayed largely intact, so will help build a base, particularly aided by freeze thaw (light on the thaw) cycles. Guid news is that while the uppers will rise a tad before the main plunge, surface temps will stay low, preserving snaw, particularly up oan the hills (the rule of thumb is 0.7-1 C drop per 100 m altitude rise).

T850's - the air temperature at around 1500 m altitude / a pressure of 850 hPa - is conducive tae snaw at -5 C or lower to all levels potentially. At the 850 hPa altitude, surface warming / cooling temperature variations don't impact the upper air temperature, so it mainly reflects the movement of air masses, e.g. beasts fae the east and whatnot. I find it a quick and easy finger in the water of potential. T850's taking a plunge in the ensembles? Time tae take a look at the charts and whit miar geeky folks are saying on NW... In this chart case, it's a big T850 plunge, particularly for the easties, as others responded.

Holy guacamole.

I'll just place this here. January set to see temperatures dip as cold start to 2024 expected NEWS.STV.TV A number of meteorological ducks are in row, meaning there is a strong chance of a cold snap in January.

Happy new year tae all! May 2024 bring loadsae snaw! I'd take the day's 00z ECM.

Looks to have been a decent amount of new snaw at the ski centres, with some drifting between the fences. I'd love some snaw at hame, but up in the hills will dae. Glenshee had quite a few tows running the day before this additional snaw.