Whisky or Without Ski

"Skiing in Scotland?" "Are you able to ski there?" – People kept asking these questions when I told my friends that I'll be leaving on a ski trip with Teresa Brenner and photographer Paul Masukowitz in March 2015 to discover new ski prospects. It all began with the idea of friend and photographer Paul Masukowitz last winter: "Would you be up for a ski trip to Scotland?" Why not? We started to plan everything and tried to gather as much information as possible. Thanks to Internet, we found some valuable websites around "gully skiing" in Scotland. The Scottish Highlands are a hidden, unknown jewel for ski touring and steep couloirs.

There is a lively scene of ski and mountain-loving people who are exploring the outdoors, no matter how the weather conditions are. There even exists a "Scottish Offpiste Skiing Book" written by Kenny Biggin about the ski opportunities in the Nevis Range and Ben Nevis. It provides a great overview of the area and gives an orientation regarding the incredible possibilities. In this guide, the domestic highlands are also called "little Chamonix". Unbelievable but true. Ben Nevis alone, with its 1,344 meters the highest mountain in Britain, provides a wide selection of classic, long and steep ski descents down her North Face.

To my amazement, even a Scottish avalanche bulletin is kept of all regions, where the current snow conditions are reported daily in the blog. March 2015. When we arrive in Edinburgh, it's raining cats and dogs. Not exactly the best way to start a journey but we knew beforehand that we had to expect unstable weather. Our home base for the week is a small, cozy wooden house in Glen Nevis near Fort William, the outdoor capital of the United Kingdom. In the midst of enchanting nature, we feel like home. Rain and wind: These are our constant companions for the entire week. Nevertheless, we head outside to explore. As a first goal, we want to climb and ski the North Couloir of Stob Ban that lies in the shadow of Ben Nevis.

It's located near our cabin and would, therefore, be an ideal mountain for our first tour. Fully motivated, Teresa, Paul and I start at the end of Glen Nevis Road. A narrow, muddy path leads us towards Stob Ban. Normally in snowy years, you can hike with your skis from the parking lot, but the heavy rain and stormy wind melted the snowpack away. No more snow. For more than an hour, we hike with heavy backpacks in the rain and try to stay strong against the gusts of the wind. Trying to keep our balance. No chance at all. Nature is stronger. It doesn't make sense to go any further. The higher we climb, the stronger the wind. We must accept that we have to surrender to the forces of nature. Nevertheless, we are not disappointed, nor discouraged.

It is exciting to be out in this fascinating landscape. Not a soul there, just us friends in this charming, green environment. Unfortunately, the bad weather conditions stay as they are. Heavy rain and stormy winds up to 180km/h on Ben Nevis! And it doesn't even look any better in the East, where you can usually expect better weather. We could make an attempt towards Ben Nevis but prefer to take a trip to the Dallwhinie Whisky. If already in Scotland, why not try their Whisky? And certainly some of the finest Ian Burnett Highlands chocolate. Simply delicious! We also head to famous Loch Ness trying to find Nessie. But does Nessie really exist? The next day promises better weather, so we start a new attempt at gully skiing.

Ben Nevis is covered in clouds, so we head further North to Craig Meagaidh National Park. The day starts with warm temperatures and sunshine. It's good to feel the sun on our faces. To reach the end of the valley and Raeburn's Gully, we need to hike about seven kilometers with the skis attached to the backpacks. Halfway, we meet a group of Scottish mountaineers with big smiles on their faces. We ask them where they are coming from, as it is still early in the morning. They tell us that they were "snowholing", which means they dug a hole underneath a cornice, where they bivouacked and spent the night playing cards and drinking beer. Crazy. Scots are tough and humorous people. But they envy Paul because he is travelling with two young, cute girls.

It is jinxed. Again, the clouds are coming in as we reach the end of the valley. But strong gusts of wind and the snow can't stop us now. Teresa and I still want to take a shot at Raeburn's Gully. While we climb, a small stream of coarse-grained snow is flowing down beside us. In addition, a huge cornice covers the exit and we discover cracks in the snowpack. Just below the exit we decide to turn around, but finally we get to ski some Scottish snow. Unfortunately, we had extremely bad luck with the weather while we were there. However, it was an exciting adventure. Less skiing, but more exploring the impressive landscape. We had to rearrange our plans over and over again and had to accept that nature is simply stronger. Scotland is a beautiful place on earth with great nature. One day, we will return to climb and ski Ben Nevis.