The Cairngorms are synonymous with breathtaking mountain terrain and high octane ski-ing and snowboarding. The range of ski-ing opportunities across Glenshee, the Lecht and the Cairngorm Mountain is vast, but hurtling down a mountainside isn’t the only way to ski.
Nigel Wells, 66, who provides tuition for the Aviemore and Glenmore Ski Shop, is a passionate advocate of cross country ski-ing which is a completely different approach to experiencing the landscape, expanding your skills on snow and testing yourself.
“It’s the only form of ski-ing that allows people to truly appreciate the Scottish countryside and really immerse themselves in the forest,” he said.
“The silence, compounded by the compacted snow, can be deafening and the scenery in the Cairngorms is quite something.”
Nigel is a BASI level 2 instructor but he only started ski-ing in his late twenties proving it’s never too late to start. He left school at 16 and experienced a demanding career with the Police in Bradford, including becoming a firearms officer and a member of a specialist unit involved in the Ripper enquiries and the Toxteth and Leeds Riots – but he was soon
looking for his next challenge.
Cross country ski-ing started as a hobby in the 1970’s but after a holiday in Aviemore Nigel became such a regular visitor that he virtually slipped into teaching. When he left the Police in 1998 he made his move to Aviemore to become a full time ski instructor and now knows the terrain of the Cairngorms intimately.
He said: “Cross country ski-ing can be immensely challenging. You don’t have gravity on your side propelling you down a hillside so self-locomotion is the order of the day and that requires some effort on the part of the individual. You use your whole body and can burn around 500 calories an hour. It’s the top all-over calorie burner ahead of swimming and cycling and requires huge stamina but it’s also hugely accessible.
“Children can try it and I’m also hugely interested in adaptive cross country ski-ing for those with disabilities. You can take it at
a gentler pace or you
can really speed through the forest as there are a
variety of trails available
in the winter months
and with Glenmore now having a piste machine many more can now be cleared.”
Depending on the snowfall tracks run through Glenmore forest, taking in Bagaduish, the south side of Loch Morlich and excellent views as skiers cruise past Meall a’Bhuachaille just north of the loch and the forest.
The Glenmore Cross Country Ski Machine was an investment to improve cross country ski-ing in the region and it’s hugely popular for an inanimate object. With its own Facebook page the machine’s run as a charity to encourage the advancement of public participation in sport, but the beauty of cross country ski-ing is that those who wish to explore aren’t necessarily confined to the tracks but can venture out and explore as desired.