UKH

Hey All,

Looking for advice on huts that will be usable in Spring for multi day ski touring. Not sure if staying up on the hill is feasable? Or do you need to come down and start from the valley each day?

Cheers,

Dom

I'd be looking to stay high, either snow hole or light tent, wind forecasts permitting.  I've used cornice lines late season a few times for holes.....very satisfying  ????

This is purely off the top of my head, I've not done this or looked at a map so it may well not go.

How about, Fort William to CIC hut, up onto the Aonach's all the way along to ridge to the Grey Corries and stop in the Stob Ban Bothy.

From there across to the YHA Corrour (is it still open?) I think this section might be quite flat.

From Corrour to Ben Alder Cottage via Carn Dearg and Mam Ban (I have done this bit and it quite good).

Ben Alder cottage over Ben Alder and out to Dalwhinnie. Ben Alder is very good but the skin/walk out is a drag. 

You could stay at the Raeburn hut just outside Dalwhinnie or end your tour here. I'm not sure if there is any bothies within a days tour of Dalwhinnie that could take you on towards Aviemore, if there is it would make quite a classic tour. 

All depends on the snow level. Raeburn’s and the CIC are private SMC huts which would need booking.

A tent is more versatile but the heavy weights involved would mitigate some of the pleasure.

Aviemore to Blair Atholl (linked by train so a good through route) using a tent or Corrour Bothy or the Tarf Hotel Bothy. Crossing the Geldie can be an issue but not if you are heading to Tarf. 

Using some of the bothies already mentioend Roger and Fin wild did a Scottish haute route a few years back youtube.com/watch?v=GMHBJrBn9l0&

Similarly, a few more years back... https://www.flickr.com/photos/28183399@N03/sets/72157618426135357/

Don't mean any offence Dom, but have you been to Scotland? Your profile says London or Kitzbühel, so it sounds like you've skied in the Alps and might be thinking Scotland is similar.

I've not done it, but you could do a number of days touring in the Cairngorms and use bothies possibly (someone with more local expertise might suggest a possible itinerary), but even that would be conditions dependent. Scotland doesn't have many huts comparable to the ones in the Alps.

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever done this crossing the Dee and out via e.g. Clova adding 1/2+ more days?

I think the first 'Scottish Haute Route' was by Malcolm Slessor & friends who went from Donside to Nevis staying in various bothies along the way, I'm sure there will be a write up in the SMC journal.  A group of students  from Aberdeen on XC gear led by James Baxter skied in the other direction from Nevis eastwards in the mid 90s.  Not sure where they finished but I saw them at Glenshee and they were heading for Mount Keen. I had plans to do something similar about the same time (maybe a year earlier) but due to poor snow never got beyond leaving a food dump near Drumochter.