i am shafted – stuck with 8ft drifts across the road!

https://plus.google.com/photos/111032801268023395478/albums/5858858156264385793?authkey=CJ-X0t7ospaBnwE

Just going out for a ride* now so I’ll see what I can contribute later on today.

* I say “ride” it might possibly end up being “walk with bike”

Climbed Brough Lane onto Bradwell Edge yesterday with my eldest, we estimated drifts across the lane at 8ft+ had to tunnel/crawl onto them, then commando crawl on the top to get past. Awesome fun. 😀

We also built this, at 7ft he’s a big lad:

That’s incredible. We don’t have any down here. Although I am kind of hoping it stays that way as I have to go to Bristol ever day this week and the OH has just gone down to work in Devon for 3 weeks with the winter tyres on her car.

Wow, far more than i thought there was 😯
Nothing here in Londonshire well a little icing sugar sprinkling, hopefully it’ll stay away from the SE- they say there may be more this weekend!

https://plus.google.com/photos/105625432678532069336/albums/5858896343685787841

Winnats Pass:

😯 at Winnats Pass!

I was tempted to head over there but the wind was horrendous, could barely move against it and given that it took me an hour to do about 5 miles I was going to run out of daytime!

Not all the lanes and tracks were like this.
No, some were worse.

What snow?

What snow?

Ah I forgot you’re from the North East…
I suppose this sort of weather is where the Geordies begin to think about putting a jumper on. 😉

No it’s -15c yet so not time to think of a jumper.

We haven’t got any at all it’s even stopped trying.

S’nowclear warfare innit?

Very, very good fun out there today…

This chap has snow tyres on so decided to ignore the road closed signs and got stuck in this drift!

That neon looks awesome in the snow.

Not too much snow, but we have our own issues today here in Surrey – frozen bikes.

Well this one was a few weeks back but it’s still neon and snow

And back to today…

Lane down into the valley from our house

Fortunately up the lane is better protected so isn’t too bad, only took about an hour to clear the drift. Down would be about 3 hours with a digger. Seems to have warmed up enough to stop drifting around now though.

Right, image finally uploaded. This is ice, not mud. Fell off in big sheets after an application of warm water.

Last night’s night ride. This is normally a narrow singletrack, you couldn’t see the track, and the drifts were up to about 4-5 foot in the bad bits. 2 hours to do 6 miles.

Went for a ride round Meanwood woods in Leeds today doing loads of drifting in the snow down steep banks and it was bloody awesome. I love biking in the snow. Puts a big smile on your face

Wholestone Moor. Bleak.

But fun

Drifts


Blizzard conditions

Like I said, drifts

Snow cave

We use to love making snow caves as kids, not had big enough drifts to show my kids how to do them.

4 gears out of 20 working, SPDs were ice cubes. Yesterday this bike was new. Today, it’s mine. The coating is leaf mulch and muck bound together by snow and ice. I left it for 6 hours to thaw and it was unchanged to I checked hot water on it.

Besides the main road

Untitled by S1mmy1, on Flickr

Tractor clearing it

Untitled by S1mmy1, on Flickr

Are snow caves not really dangerous?

Are snow caves not really dangerous?

Is riding a bike at speed down a hill not really dangerous?

Just down the road from my house. Blocked most of Friday and Saturday. Have to drive though the road closed signs to get to my house.

[/url] Snowdrift by Moose, on Flickr[/img]

Today after being cleared.

[/url] Untitled by Moose, on Flickr[/img]

These drifts are from the seat of a Mitsubishi 4×4 so pretty high.

[/url] Untitled by Moose, on Flickr[/img]

Rivington this morning

March 24th – Trapped van snow drift by Johnclimber, on Flickr

Ice roads by Johnclimber, on Flickr

rob jackson – Member
Are snow caves not really dangerous?

You’d be better asking all the people who have dug one to survive a night out in blizzard conditions!

The one we built yesterday was big enough for two. Once you have built it you smooth the walls down and let your body heat and moisture form an ice glaze. This increases the insulating properties. Inside the cave yesterday it was warm enough to take your hat and gloves off. Out in the wind it froze the snow to my beard and merino wool hat as you can see in the pics. They are therefore an excellent way of getting out of the elements and into a survivable zero to plus a few degrees. I guestimate yesterday temperature up on the moor was -3 or -4, then add another -15 to that for the strong wind that was causing a drift that size in the first place.

Basically you need to be aware of the snow above the cave, and if you are going to overnight in one you need to keep a ski or trekking pole at the entrance to give you a means of unblocking periodically.

Many years ago as a cadet I bivvied at 35000 feet in a Scottish corrie. We tamped the snow down to pitch the tents about four feet below the surface of the snow, and built a snow wall to deflect the wind that was whipping up as we pitched camp. It blew a gale that night, and we were all buried by morning. Needless to say, we all survived!

Local loop which turned into a short out and back as drifts blocked the road.

Not too bad in the shelter of trees

Drifts getting bigger

Wind chill!

Brough Lane, or where Brough Lane used to be! It was like this for 2 miles.

Many years ago as a cadet I bivvied at 35000 feet in a Scottish corrie.

Scotland’s hillier than I thought.

Brilliant pics… We’ve been spared most of it, a little disruption but all in all very dull. So was a bit surprised to ride round a corner at Glentress on a slightly snowy road and discover…

IMAG0289 by Northwindlowlander, on Flickr

Most of the snow from the tweed valley piled up in one place, drifts taller than my bike. Firm enough for a light person to walk on (and good fun watching less light people fall through) Green route not quite as family friendly as usual. We got in a good ride otherwise (waves at Bigdugsbaws)

Many years ago as a cadet I bivvied at 35000 feet in a Scottish corrie.

😆

Huh! We’ve got naff all snow here in Lancashire.

Heading up the road to local trails in the Isle of Man…

GOPR0928 by The_Manx_Ambassador, on Flickr

Then The Road turned to this (On the right of the hedgeline)

P1050564 by The_Manx_Ambassador, on Flickr

allthepies – Member
Many years ago as a cadet I bivvied at 35000 feet in a Scottish corrie.

mattjg – Member
Many years ago as a cadet I bivvied at 35000 feet in a Scottish corrie.
Scotland’s hillier than I thought.

Whoops, too many 0s 😳

Forum member in eagle eyed mathematician embarassment

Hard to believe how localised some of this weather is. I live about 15 miles as the crow flies from Arran, at the same height as all the villages there, and we haven’t had any snow at all. Bonkers.