Skiing in Scotland into May

7th May 2021 | Rod Frazer, Cairngorm

Last modified on May 12th, 2021

Scottish ski tourers have been out in force on Cairngorm, making the most of what will probably be the last significant snowfall of this winter. PlanetSKI’s Scotland reporter Rod Frazer was among them.

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We always get plenty of snow in April, we call it The Lambing storms up here in the Highlands, but these northerly airflows don’t always last into May.

The last few days however have seen consistent low temperatures and snow showers on the hills, even down to lower elevations.

We had heavy snow on Thursday, but high winds kept all but the hardiest folk off the hill.

On Friday, with virtually no wind at all, and plenty of sunny spells, even the most fair-weather of tourers came out of the woodwork and headed north to enjoy some superb snow conditions.

There was the added bonus of being able to skin up directly from the car park, which isn’t always possible.

Cairngorm in May – Image c/o Rod Frazer

A great way to cap off a memorably snowy winter for the majority of the Scottish ski touring community.

This late snowfall will of course extend the spring touring season into early summer for those dedicated enough to cycle & hike that bit further to find the corries and gullies that continue to hold snow for some time to come.

Cairngorm in May – image c/o Rod Frazer

Good to see some construction materials stockpiled in the Ciste car park, and some heavy plant already at work on the hill beginning the long-awaited repair of the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, which is scheduled to be up and running again next winter.

Here’s hoping our Highland weather is kind to the contractors this summer and plans stay on track (pardon the pun).