(Very) Early Season Ski-ing

Well, I really wasn't expecting to get my cross country skis out already. A day of heavy snow showers with the snow sticking even in Inverness meant that I just had to chance it up at Abriachen. Although the forest tracks are only about 250m-300m in altitude the place seems to be a real snow trap. It is only 15min from the middle of Inverness and has been a favourite place of mine for ski-ing, running and biking for a while now. It seems to be more often ski-able compared to other places like Farr or Daviot Woods.



So yesterday morning (Wednesday) I got up early and skied for over an hour on perfect snow (well for Scotland that is) and I felt very satisfied, although pretty sore, sitting back at my desk watching the snow melt.

Making waves on the XC scene

It has been nearly a month since I last blogged and what a wet and windy month its been. After having got long 'challenges' out of my system for the time being, my focus has been on the cross country season and the training for that has been short. That, together with having a fairly hectic work schedule in Shetland and Orkney, have made sure that weekends at home have been spent recuperating rather than being out for hours in the hills.

One great day out recently was a circuit of Binnein Shuas and Binnein Shios. These two peaks sandwiched between Creag Meaggaidh and Beinn a'Chlachair are very rocky and are well placed for panoramic views of the surrounding higher hills. The weather was cool but dry and stags could be heard in the high corries of the Munros opposite. Small slabby crags gave some interesting scrambling on the broad ridge. After descending very steep slopes and gullies from Shuas we slogged up wet ground up the next hill at an easy gradient. From the summit of Shios, we dropped down north to the wooded shores of Loch Laggan for the journey back to the car. Rather than the dreary plantation we feared, it was a fantastic contrast to the rocky hillsides of the peaks above. Some of the trees were huge and for much of the way deer tracks could be followed.

Changing from long steady runs to the faster paced efforts of cross country (hence the awful pun in the title!) has been pretty tough. My track sessions have not been made easier by the almost constant wind and rain. Still, I managed to support the Highland Hillrunners senior males to the clubs first ever District Relay Championship. Running 4km flat out nearly killed me (at an average of 183 beats per minute), but I did enjoy myself a lot more than I expected to. The Inverness Harriers (local rivals) were a bit upset at how things panned out and the local press decided to ignore the results as best they could. So with a win in my first ever XC race things can only go downhill from here!

So since then it has been blustery runs in the Northern Isles. Trying to train whilst watching waves crash against the cliffs a couple of meters away is a bit distracting. I shouldn't complain about going to places like North Ronaldsay and Foula for work, but I will be glad when I can get back into a regular training regime.