T
R Pete Mackenzie making the first descent of Solar Face.
A BIT OF HISTORY
When Myrtle skied across Greenland she was retracing the tracks of Nansen, the Norwegian explorer: the first to ever make that journey, in the late 1800s. Nansen’s books inspired the first backcountry revolution in Britain: “When they read about skiing, the Scots thought, ‘Gosh, that’s what we could do,” says Myrtle. “And, it wasn’t like climbing: there were women involved in Scottish skiing right from the start. In skirts, of course.” Growing numbers of ski enthusiasts would leave Glasgow on the milk
train at 6am at weekends, heading for the hills. “They were great at sending telegrams to each other saying the snow was excellent,” smiles Myrtle. I mention this to Doug Bryce, a Glencoe local. He tells me: “Another remarkable thing about Scottish skiing is the working-class background. The original ski tows were largely built by shipyard workers escaping the smoky city for a weekend: The back-to-basics ethos was a direct contrast to what was going on in the Alps.” Doug puts me in touch with John MacLean, former member of the
legendary Creag Dhu climber’s club. This gnarly gang – known for drinking, brawling and plastering hard lines over crags – built and ran the first permanent ski tows in the Cairngorms. Happily reminiscing, John remembers ski enthusiasts experimenting with tractors and ropes, and a “strong woman” called Molly Porter carrying construction materials up Glencoe on her back. He also remembers enjoying blowing things up for avalanche safety and balancing on pillars in strong winds fixing ropes: “Best 25 years of my life!” But it wasn’t until he had kids that John actually tried skiing himself (before that, he called any climbers who skied ‘wusses’). What a revelation: “I loved how fast you could go!”
30 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.
“WHEN PEOPLE DON’T HAVE A HUGE AREA TO PLAY WITH, THEY TRY NEW THINGS, LIKE CRAZIER CHUTES AND JUMPS.”
FOUR ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCOTTISH SKIING
By Kat Jones, a director of Mountaineering Scotland:
Negotiating bracken fields. There are few Scottish hillsides without thickets of dead bracken waiting to snag your ski tip. Style should go out the window in the interests of self-preservation. Raging tailwinds. The classic Scottish combo of skiing with a gale- force wind at your rear over wind-scoured ice interspersed with pockets of deep, drifted powder snow means the snow plough is your friend. Negotiating hidden obstacles. Under every frosty contour is an obstacle waiting to snag your ski while you travel forward with surprising momentum, hoping your ski comes off before your knee dislocates. Skiing farm tracks. Often the best way up onto the open hill. Keep skis level, imagine floating across the stones that will be poking through. Yes, you can ski right over the muddy cow footprints and tractor tracks, but don’t brake or your skis will be scratched to smithereens.
PHOTO: JORDAN TIERNAN.
S
K
C
I
S E
O
A
S
S
O
S
N
T
I
H
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
