First ski tour of the season

Club member John Hooson provides an account of our first local tour of the 2015/16 season. 

Oh, and happy birthday John...

Today, Sunday 13 December 2015, I turned 52, but more importantly I spent the day ski touring on the Howgills with two other members of LXCSC - a marvellous present which money can’t buy.

The tour started from Weasdale on the north side of the Howgill Fells, near Newbiggin-on-Lune. Martin Metcalfe, club leader on the day, was joined by Brian Smith and me, with Cuddy (the dog) tagging along too. Skis were fitted at the car and the route then went due south over Ravenstonedale Common, climbing steadily to the summit of Green Bell – a chance to get ski legs back. 

A short easy descent followed by another climb brought us to Randygill Top. Here we met the only other person seen all day, before turning north and dropping steeply into the saddle of Leathgill Bridge. This 'challenged' all our skiing skills and anyone at Tom Higgs' talk the previous night will know that he’d approve.

A quick standing lunch was eaten at the col with nice views to the northwest. The final climb onto Hooksey was followed by a long and enjoyable descent back to Weasdale.

I think that this is the first time I’ve been able to ski on my birthday – terrific!

John Hooson

There will be club ski tours throughout the winter whenever there's skiable snow in the Lakes or Pennines. If you're interested in joining us, let us know or keep an eye on the message board.

Tom's talk on ski touring

Lakeland XC Club member and experienced ski tourer Tom Higgs will be doing an illustrated talk on Saturday 12 December with the title:  
Ski Touring and other experiences - don't be misled!


The talk takes place at Natland Village Hall, south of Kendal, at 7.30pm, and will last approximately two hours. Refreshments and cakes will be available at a small cost.

This promises to be an entertaining talk drawing on Tom's experiences of leading ski tours in Norway and further afield. A must for anyone interested in hut-to-hut touring.

For further information, email: Events@LakelandXCSki.org.uk

Places for the talk are limited, so to guarantee a place and avoid disappointment, just leave a message on the home page message board giving your name and the number of people interested.

Roller ski coaching dates at Preston cycle track

This autumn we’re helping Manchester Cross Country Ski Club with their roller ski coaching at Preston Cycle Track.

In return, the sessions are open to Lakeland club members (and potential club members) of any ability interested in roller skiing or enhancing their technique.

The coaching dates are:

• Saturday 24 October, 10 am – 12.30 pm
• Saturday 7 November, 10 am – 12.30 pm
• Saturday 21 November, 10 am – 12.30 pm
• Saturday 5 December, 10 am – 12.30 pm

Sessions cost £5 per person, including the hire of equipment. Further details, including how to book a place, can be found on the Manchester Cross Country Ski Club website.

Cameras roll on roller skiing

Roller ski sessions organised by the Yorkshire Dales Cross Country Ski Club over the summer are the subject of a short film produced as part of Snowsport England's GO SKI GO BOARD participation campaign.

The three-minute video can be found on YouTube - you may even recognise a few familiar faces...

Scottish weekend February 2016

The date's been set for next year's Scottish Weekend - and it's Friday 19 February to Monday 22 February.

The venue is Mar Lodge, just west of Braemar, giving good access to the Glen Shee ski area as well as extensive touring opportunities (hopefully) to the north and south of the River Dee.

There are 12 spaces available which should be reserved early to avoid disappointment. For further details, click here.

SSE on-snow coaching awards 2016

Snowsport England is planning an on-snow coaching awards week at Nordseter, Norway, from 31 March to 3 April 2016 - and is looking for expressions of interest to make it viable.

Full details of  the planned programme and likely costs are on the SSE website.

Expressions of interest need to be made to alistair.westell@gmail.com by 20 October 2015.

Dalseter GB Nordic

Dalseter GB Nordic - who are using a number of instructors many of us will be familiar with (Tom Higgs and Dagmar Junghanns, for example) - have published their Winter 2016 programme of  holidays based at the Dalseter mountain hut in Espedelan, Norway. The programme is available here.

Club holiday - Austria - Jan/Feb 2016

We're currently finalising arrangements for the club holiday to take part in the Saalfelden Marathon in Austria on Sunday 7 February 2016. The aim will be to fly out the week before. Updates will be posted on the website. Michael & Helen Smith