Strathpuffer 2010 and all this snow

Will check with the shop first but was planning to spade out a line on the singltrack. A small section of at least.

Gonna be some hard work ahead 😐

that would be fantastic, i might do that on sunday… make the most of my last day off school this holidays…

Good work fella's.. keep up the info. I hope its all going to be ok for getting there Friday…

Hi Alex just as well we put aside those tires as we sold out later.Going in on Monday to clear some of the single track,so let us know how you got on.FC clearing fire road up to top of puffer.Things looking up

cullen-bay – Member
Xan, that app is lying…

and Alek, walking back from steve's old place is the best way…

No it is not.

This morning @ 6am it was between -10 & -12 here in the Dumfries area

but it wasnt only -5 here!

Cheers mate on the tyres front. Spot on. I'll call in to the shop with cash on Saturday and give them an outing

Let the work begin………Cullen, your more than welcome to join us. Just bring a spade and yourself 🙂

are you going out on sunday?

Hoping to go out both days……….

take a flask,going to be a bit nippy

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/14days.asp

looks better for the competitors , but worse for orgnisers perhaps

Wouldn't trust Metcheck – they currently say I have temps of +3C when the thermometer at my back door is reading -14C and every other news site is telling us about the coldest night of the year…
Every other forecast seems to be saying freezing until the Puffer and then only a bit cold (ie around freezing) after that.

trust me im not – im packing enough warm stuff to be michelin man !

Was up the Puffer today and speaking to the guy driving the catapillar plough. He has cleared the first 1km of fireroad from the Torachilty carpark up to the first turn off the fireroad onto the first little stretch of singletrack that cuts the fireroad corner off. He said he is clearing the fireroad out to the farm first then will be clearing up to the saw mill. The snow has been taken right back to the hardcore in places on the fireroad, but there are some big sections that are like glass underneath!!

The rest of the fireroad climb is badly rutted at the minute due to some tracked vehicle going up it, and its frozen solid, feels like riding over a cattle grid constantly. but this should be ok once the plough has been up it.

Got to the top of the fireroad climb and up to the singletrack which is no better than it was. Still un-ridable on this side of the hill.

Not long to go now 😀

Chipbutty, see next time you're up there. Could you just lie down and do rolypolys all along the singletrack. That should sort it! 😉

PS: Snowing hard again in Moray!!

Ill go up and do some of them tomorrow for you Jo ;).

Hopefully see ya next weekend

Mick

You're bound to pass me at some point. Just make sure I'm not frozen solid as you go. And can anyone who knows me that goes past also remember that although I can be irrational and talk sh*te most of the time, it's also a sign of advanced hypothermia….

hah! Alek- il see you in the shop tomorrow, and arrange sunday's clearing then.

A mate and myself will be heading (cycling) from the shop around 10.30am tomorrow for a rekkie on the course to cut out any tree fell we find! Spades at the ready 🙂

……..if any one else fancies a spin.

Course update,lower half now ridable (carpark up to veiw rock ,down decent to car park).Upper fire road cleared next week hopefully.Worst thing that can happen now is a thaw,turn every thing to ice

Niterider, can you clarify please? If you were to ride the course you can do up to the first lochan (mostly fireroad) then it's snowy up to the bridge of thighs and singletrack onwards throughout until view rock and then it's clear/rideable back down to the start?

Great effort to get the course ready guys!

Looking forward to the race – fingers crossed that wind or thaw doesn't undo your hard work.

Good job guys a little flirt of snow through the event would be perfect to stop it turning to ice. I'm just saying that cause I can't get ice tyres. Might do the home Made jobs just incase.

Not going , dont really know where it is cepting up north somewhere
but find myself returning to this thread every day just to see what the course is like
more pics please .

yes jojo thats right, but the second half of fireroad will be cleared next week hopefully.

il be up on sunday, i'll try and take pics then trout…

P.s, im surprised you haven't asked a strathpuffer competitor to test lights for you in the past…

yes jojo thats right, but the second half of fireroad will be cleared next week hopefully.

And the singletrack will be taken care of by the hundreds of people walking over it for a few laps and then will be rideable…. *crosses fingers* 🙂

Hi jo, you head up from carpark as normal,turn right ono the single track. follow the singletrack for a few hundred metres to a junction,turn right at junction instead of straight on(don`t rejoin fireroad).follow up hill to veiw rock,desend to carpark……simples Fireroad above that not cleared and same for top of course

Anyone know how the campsite will be for camping? Will it be possible to pitch a tent if the course is okay? And how are the approach roads to Contin from Inverness.I've just bought a Cube Ltd Race especially for the Puffer due to me rigid Muddy Fox frame snapping before Christmas, and I'm desperate top try it.

Its great to see you guys working to make sure the event goes ahead!!

Is there any firmer info about the parking/camping arrangements yet if we are not going to be on the firetrack like last year??

I've not seen the roads from Inverness to Contin since Sunday last week, but they were easily passable then. The roads local to me (further east on the Moray Coast are passable but have slush during the day and frozen slush at night. Highland Council are better at gritting and clearing the roads than Moray council, so I reckon that the roads to get to the race site will remain clear and driveable unless there's a sudden fresh dump.

Getting onto the campsite? Well that's another matter!

The roads are absolutely fine! getting camped should be fine also, but advice is to bring a shovel just in case…

AFAIA……we have removed all tree fell from the course 🙂 Cheers Chris, good work.

Most of the lower sections are easily do-able and serious fun. And I don't just mean the downs.

We are meeting at the shop tomorrow, heading off at 11am for a group ride and general clear to the top section. All welcome.
Bring a folding spade if you have one. No worries if you don't. Feet + tyres also work!

This has the making of an absolute classic 😀 but a nervous week of weather watching lies ahead.

The lower half of the course is hardpacked snow, and actually amazing fun to ride! I suppose il come out at 11, but there will also be a shop ride at 4 that il be on, i know a few others are coming on that, anyone can come along.

Fantastic, many thanks to everyone up there! I've been cycling on the frozen snowy beach here, not much similarity to those pics!

Metcheck (I know, I know) says a thaw next week & snowing through the event, then freeze again. So, that might be quite like last year after all.

Then again with the ice exposed by the ploughs maybe it's 2008 all over again!

Cheers, al.

metguess are currently forecasting the opposite of metoffice.gov.uk…

Alek,

Some of the pics from this afternoon. Maybe we'll get some cycling done tomorrow! See you themorn.

Tremedous………what a great day that was 😀

Bring on tomorrow. Will you be back in time Pitto?

Tyres changed and looking super 'narrow' 😐

Are you guys needing more hands for tomorrow? Can pop along to the shop at 11am but only have a crappy plastic spade.

Certainly Doug. Tomorrow will involve a ride and some work though.

Bring your steed (leave the spade unless it fits in a camel-bak. You'll need both hands on the bars where we're going)

Cheers. See you tomorrow.