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Unlike the high ground of Scotland where snow may accumulate all winter, forming a deep base suitable for skiing into the spring, snow in the Dales seldom lasts more than a couple of weeks (in some winters, not more than a couple of days). If North Atlantic sea temperatures are low, storms can bring snow as early as October, but if the ground isn't frozen, these falls rarely last long enough to consolidate. Short tours can still be grabbed early in the morning while temperatures stay low, but grassy slopes are an advantage as skiing on heather on a thin cover of soft snow can be purgatory, and rocky ground will cut up the ski bases. Opportunities for short tours improve through November and December, but the best snow usually arrives in January and February as the daylight lengthens but temperatures remain low. High roads may be blocked by drifts and no attempt is made to clear them until thaw sets in. Roads are much more likely to be cleared promptly in County Durham than in Cumbria or North Yorkshire. In these conditions, skiing along the roads can be a rewarding experience, with minimal hazard from difficult navigation, generally even gradients and, of course, no traffic !
The rule is to watch the weather carefully and grab opportunities when they arise. Often an early start will pay dividends with a quick tour completed before lunchtime, perhaps combined with another activity later in the day when snow conditions become softer. When perfect conditions of low-level snow, high pressure, clear skies and little wind combine to give the best skiing, its well worth dropping everything to take that long tour which will give lasting memories.
We've had a few poor winters recently and we can only hope for a good one with snow blocking the roads for days on end several times through the season. There will be a few notes on the snow conditions as (if) the season progresses. The latest information on skiable snow will be put on the Current Conditions page when there is enough snow to make skiing a possibility.
... was a fairly good one - There was a week of good snow in January when the uplifted skiing at the head of Teesdale was so good it even got onto "Look North". The large snowfall at the start of February seemed to cause chaos all over the country but was limited to a few millimetres here, until overnight February 2nd/3rd, when we had up to 10cm. This was enough for skiing down to fairly low altitudes. Skiing possible all week across the north, and your author even got onto TV on BBC's Countryfile (some of which was shown again in January 2004).
1997/8 was something of a disappointment, and 1998/9 truly dismal, as have been several winters since: the only good snow seems to have occurred when your author was out in the alps doing downhill stuff ! But 1996/7 (when I first started writing reports) was a bit better - a summary of the reports for that year, and for the better 2002/3 season are archived here.
The last really good winter was in the early nineties, when touring was possible for a week at a time on a couple of occasions, and day tours were possible on quite a few more occasions. There was even enough snow for alpine downhill skiing near the valley floor in Swaledale ! Coincidentally, that was the year I first came to live here and thought winters would always be like that - hence this guide. Global warming may yet shut down the Gulf Stream and give us Scandinavian-style winters when skiing will be the only way to get out on the hills...
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