Get a real
adrenaline rush Short blade skiing Click yOur ski boots into a pair of Salomon
Snowblade 90's from NevispOrt i9175i
and these short i90cml skis WI” help you effortlessly WhlZ? down the piste. Snow-boarding Whether you want to perform table-tops like World Cup snowboarding ace. Lesley McKenna. or carve through powder, the Lecht is among Scotland's ski centres where yOu'll find dedicated snow-park facilities. eQuipment hire and lessons. Scotland's dry ski slopes also welcome boarders. Snow-kiting For the ultimate adrenaline fix. strap skis to yOur feet and take-off with yOur Wind Things snow-kite ifl20—E‘SOOl. Big air and effortless uphill skiing guaranteed. Snow shoeing Don't let deep snow SCupper yOur plans. Strap a yeti-sized pair of Denali Classic snow-shoes 1913:”). Tisoi on your feet and you'll be savouring gluhwein long before your mates reach the pub. X-country Fancy some cross- country skiing? Try the snow / trails of the Clashindarroch Forest in Aberdeenshire. Call the Huntly Nordic and Outdoor Centre for details of lessons. Tel. 01466 794428 wmvhuntlyhet
'0‘
Winter skills Learn how to av0id avalanches and navigate in a blizzard by enrolling on a Tiso Winter MOuntain Safety Training COurse.
Off-piste Spend a weekend 1532991 in the company of expert ski mOuntaineers. climbing ridges and carving turns down remote Scottish mountains. Tel. ()131 625 663:") ww\.v.\.vi!derness scotlandcom Snow-tubing Rent a single or double inflatable snow-tube ifrom £78 per hour) and enioy a hair~raising slide down the Lecht's snow-tubing pistewwwlecht.co.uk. Snow-holing Forget igloos. With Wilderness Scotland you can spend a fun weekend ($7265) learning the art of how to build and stay snug in yOur very own snow-hole. Tel. 0131 625 6635. www. wilderness scotland.c0m Curling Find a frozen loch. stay on yOur feet and try some outdOOr curling. Tel 0131 333 3003. www.royalcaledonian
curling cluborg.
Telemark skiing Yes. beginners may occasionally fall head-over-heels but once the
technique has been mastered. the skis free- heel design allows all to gracefully perform the impressive ‘telemark' turn. For $745. Avremore based G2 Outdoor WI“ introduce you to this exhilarating sport at Cairngorm. the Lecht (or your local dry slopei. Tel
Montana mitts (bottom left), £40 from North Face (www.thenorthface.com); The Chronicles of Narnia (bottom right), the screen adaptation of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
07752 276467. www.g2outdoor.co.uk Ice-climbing From Glencoe to Torridon. Scotland boasts a host of ice-climbing routes. There's also Ice Factor. the world's largest indoor ice- climbing wall. For $40. instructors at the Kinlochleven facility offer a 1.5 hr introduction to the nerve-wrecking experience using ice-axes and crampons to hang off ice-walls. lce Factor also offer lessons in Glencoe and Ben Nevis (2 people £80pp). Tel. 01855 831 100. www.ice-factor.co.uk. Ski biking Try mountain-biking in the snow. Y0ur brakes may fail, but hopefully you'll have a soft-landing. You can buy a piste biking conversion kit (SSOOUS www.skibikefuncoml to turn yOur own machine into a piste basher
Dog-sledding Rendezvous With a pack of huskies and embark on a 2— 3hr iE‘ASi four-legged adventure in yOur all-terrain sled-buggy at the Cairngorm Sleddog Adventure Centre. Tel: 07767 270526 www.sled- dogs.co.uk
Go ice skating
During the festive season Glasgow's George Square becomes home to an open air ice rink for Glasgow on Ice and the same goes for Princes Street Gardens' Winter Wonderland. which is part of Capital Christmas. But for a safe bet weatherwise. you can get icy indoors: Murrayfield Ice Rink Riversdale Crescent. Edinburgh. 0131 337 6933. Braehead Skating Rink Braehead Shopping Centre. Glasgow. 0141 885 461 1. Adult $2.25. kids 532. Senior Citzen E2. Family Pass (2 adults and 2 childreni £7.50 plus $31.70 for each additional child. Skate Hire 75p.
Expand your
snow vocabulary Here's a handful of key lnuit words to throw into the conversation. Qanir : ‘to snow' Natquik .- ‘drifting snow' Oengaruk : ‘snow bank“ Pirtuk — 'blizzard. snowstorm' Cellallir ‘to snow heavily' Oanikcaq 'snow on ground' Qanisqineq .- ‘snow floating on water' Kanewluk -. 'fine snow rain particles
Get snowed in . . . at home Why leave yOur armchair when you can experience the highs and lows of snow from films and literature? FILMS Gremlins You’re slumped drunk in front of the telly. when suddenly a bunch of ueg green puppets crash through your wall in a snow plough. Touching the Void The Jaws of snow movies. Just when you thought it was safe to go up a mountain . . . Citizen Kane The sledge dunnit. BOOKS The Shining A remote haunted hotel. mountains of snow and a loony with a bloody great axe. Might end badly. The Snowman The ultimate Christmas weepie as boy meets snowman; snowman takes t)oy to meet dancing snowmen; snowman reaches meltdown. It's unforgettany tragic. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Posh kids in duffel-coats arse up the plans of an evil Snow Queen. Also refuses to include a lion on a snowboard.
Compiled by Mark Robertson, Paul lt/Iiite/aiv. i‘i/liranca Heggie. Robin Lee, Katy McAu/ay, Nick Barley and Brian Donaldson
For more information about messing about in the snow, visit www.visitscotland.com/adventure