The epic opening conditions in Shropshire lasted four days but by day 5 temperatures were on the up and work called.

The following Saturday I had a very speculative drive up to Pistyll Rhaeadr, the gateway to the Berwyns in the hope that the snow had kept better with a bit more altitude.  There was snow cover but the thaw was firmly underway.

Slab avalanche on the head wall, below Moel Sych.

Surprisingly I spotted 2 sets of avalanche debris.  The first had crossed the miners track and had probably come down in the week, starting at the top of a gully. The second,  a full depth ‘slab’ was on the head wall above the Llyn, triggered that afternoon by walkers.

I managed a few turns but they were ‘challenging’ !

27th December 2018. Long Mynd.

Poppy on her last ski touring outing.

My final Shropshire ski of 2017 was up on the Long Mynd, on the Golf Course.  I took Poppy along and sadly it was to be her last outing, she passed away a few days later.

1st April 2018. Snowdonia.

Ski touring on the Carneddau, looking up to Carnedd Dafydd.

Snowdonia often delivers late season ski touring, with April snows. This year was no exception and I headed over on April 1st. Conditions were uncertain so there was every chance of an April Fool, but on parking up it looking promising, with a thin snow line at the 500m mark.

After a hike and a skin up, the ski down was good, although the visibility was poor to start.

I finished my season with a few days touring in Scotland with the very last turns of the Winter in powder up on Glencoe  🙂