Still snow on the tracks here, so skied the Carn Ban Mhor ridge above Glen Feshie – turns in the late afternoon on soft spring snow, lush.

No.

Aye martin, there is a shed load of snow up there. I only got as far as Glenmore, but there's 1m there and that's unblown depth, some of the drifts are deeper than the van! Can't see them getting it open for days. I'm going to skin up prob' monday morning with the camera to hopefully get some pics of what is the best snow season anyone our age can ever remember. Biking – what's that…..

Maverick ML8

Well another few inches of fresh up here. Biking taking a back seat this winter and skiing is the one. Gonna skin up Cairngorm for the exercise, then maybe into the Northern Corries for some "steeps".

I like how he's got people, who would never have bothered, into cycling. I like his cancer work. I personally don't know him very well so I can't comment on his character.

Nope, snowing heavily here, so it's ski's (of some variety) over the w/e.

stick a "Beaujolais Noveau" label on it and some idiot will pay a fortune for it

You wouldn't need to, a bottle of Lafite '45 would get you a handbuilt Ti frame.

Oh dear, the missus is away for the weekend and now you've made me think of "browsing" the Internet………

Trails lethal here. Road bike at front of bike stable.

O's, Highers (easy Scottish A's!) and a Desmond in Mech Eng when they were proper hard. Never used it – well apart from blowing things up!

Works (or did when I raced) for me.

Search this site, loads been talked about it. I changed over to mac 4 weeks ago and am very happy.

Just handy having memory map on yer phone – for "justincase" times. Proper GPS for oudoor pursuits.

Race the puffer?! I'm not even going along to take photos – and I'm only an hour away!

Yep got that e-mail here too. I'll be buying it.

Still on left over Christmas cake.

Magic mouse is a revelation.

Tell me if you find out I'm spending a fortune on the stuff!

I've become a ski bum.

My toon on a busy ski weekend – hoaching, not that I pay any attention these days mind.

Nae too bad, on kid duty today; xc skied with the little one in the backpack in the morning and took the two of them to a secondhand bookshop in the afternoon, all good. Was going to drag out the turbo for the first time in years tonight, but the xc skiing with 50 odd lbs's on my back has done me in.

the_lecht_rocks, jumping in front of slw, that's the east wall of the lady way down the home road, it's been awesome these last few weeks. Advice for Cairngorms at weekends – in a word – don't, and that's as a local!

Same as drac and -13*c this morning.

Maltesers, Heineken, echo and the bunnymen.

Checked ffordes just this afternoon 80-200 2.8 for sensible money! Ch-ching!

Deadkenny, I've got the 18-200 too and defo notice a difference in sharpness compared to my fave – the Nikkor 17-55. But I love vr.

Well well well, I was skiing with some friends today, when one of them whips out an LX3 and asks me to take a group shot. Excellent! Played with it for a while and very impressed with handling and the fast lens, not pocketable but just what I'm looking for, now to find one on-line at much cheapness!

Cheers all, much as I thought; G10, LX3, S90, PEN, Sx100, DP1/2. Need to get hands on and judge from there. Ref, those that say DSLR you'll miss it, well better to have a camera on you than none and one handed use of a D200 with fast glass/battery pack/flash not that easy with a toddler in tow!

Shame it never really fitted me, it was great for big Scottish mountain days.

As was said earlier the 4×4 Panda and C15 vans are the ski bums preferred choice in the Alps. I've owned both and with their tall skinny tyres are pretty unstoppable in snow. My 4motion VW van at the mo' is earning it's keep in our neck of the woods.

I win! We've been getting regulat top-ups for 3 weeks now, currently 2' in the garden and snowing lightly.

Bring it on, the skiings awesome, some of the best powder I've ever skied – real "champagne" stuff, got number 1 son skiing, been building igloos, xc skiing with kids in a pulk/backpack and have no desire to work or see a thaw. Not bothered if the bikes aren't used til the Spring. Legs getting stronger every day. Oh – and it's snowing as I type this!

Gislaveds allround here, both on the wifes focus and my transporter. For the last 3 weeks we've had deep snow here and we still need to get around – especially up the hill to go skiing. Both vehicles very confidence inspiring and as I do a lot of driving on dodgy forestry roads I usually keep mine on all year and just buy new ones at the start of each winter. The wifes just go on from dec – apr and show no real signs of wear after two winters. As loads have already said it's not just snow they're good in, but just the usual wintery cr*ppy weather. We couldn't move without them. I have witnessed both a RR Sport and an X5 losing traction in this weather, both shod with big alloys and rubber bands, proving it's not how sophisticated yer transmission is, rather what rubber you've got.

Actually a mates got a Cayenne and it's very capable off road, still ugly though.

Cairngorm on Boxing Day, light was fading fast so I think the iphone did quite well. However having left the "proper" camera at home – I've got a Nikon D200 which I felt was too bulky for a quick blast on skis, I now plan to buy a compact as it was horrible not having a "real" camera to capture the beautiful sunset.

Aye, Kbrembo same here down the road in Aviemore, there's 18" in the garden, 2' @ Glenmore and a metre on the hill. Bikes confined to garage, skis – xc and tele, getting a right good doing. Long may it continue!

Hope you get there, dumping here in Aviemore.

Well Martin it's dumped loads here, gotta have been 12" since you went home on Xmas eve. Me and June hoping to get a ski together tomorrow as folks up (if they get the bl**dy hill open). Well excited, been waxing skis and walking around in new tele boots. Happy happy joy joy.

Got a 4 wheel drive VW van and I leave all the gizmos on and recently have had to lock the diffs too, but must admit with winter tyres on driving at the mo is a hoot. p.s. with gizmos off managed some lovely on-the-spot "doughnuts" in a local deserted carpark – do we never grow up?