18th December 2010 XC-Ski to Great Links Tor, NW Dartmoor
A cold northerly airstream during December brought plentiful snow showers to the far west of Cornwall and parts of Devon exposed to the wind. On 18th December I headed up to Lydford on the NW side of the moor. I figured that this part of the moor had been most exposed to the snow showers during the proceeding days. Rather than drive across the moor I drove via Exeter and Okehampton so that I could make use of the major roads (A38 and A30). This was probably a wise decision because there was extensive (light to moderate) snow for the whole journey and back roads were treacherous or impassible without chains or a 4-wheel drive.
The Route (see map below)
Lydford (Dartmoor Inn) - col between Arms Tor and Brat Tor - Great Links Tor - Brat Tor - Lydford (approximately 5 miles)
This was my first xc-ski tour on Dartmoor.
The weather was perfect. A true 'Blue Bird' day.
Ski
A great route for backcountry skis. The snow was just about deep enough (~ 4 to 6 inches) but protruding granite was a constant hazard for ski bases. The finest part of the root was skiing from the col between Arms and Brat Tor to Widgery Cross (atop Brat Tor) in the fading light during the afternoon. The snow was fine. Also, the short stretch of downland between the end of the road and the River Lyd was perfect - no rocks! Swix Extra Blue grip was used.
Backcountry Fischer E109 waxable skis
Salomon XADV8 boots
Salomon XADV RAID binding
A cold northerly airstream during December brought plentiful snow showers to the far west of Cornwall and parts of Devon exposed to the wind. On 18th December I headed up to Lydford on the NW side of the moor. I figured that this part of the moor had been most exposed to the snow showers during the proceeding days. Rather than drive across the moor I drove via Exeter and Okehampton so that I could make use of the major roads (A38 and A30). This was probably a wise decision because there was extensive (light to moderate) snow for the whole journey and back roads were treacherous or impassible without chains or a 4-wheel drive.
The Route (see map below)
Lydford (Dartmoor Inn) - col between Arms Tor and Brat Tor - Great Links Tor - Brat Tor - Lydford (approximately 5 miles)
This was my first xc-ski tour on Dartmoor.
The weather was perfect. A true 'Blue Bird' day.
Ski
A great route for backcountry skis. The snow was just about deep enough (~ 4 to 6 inches) but protruding granite was a constant hazard for ski bases. The finest part of the root was skiing from the col between Arms and Brat Tor to Widgery Cross (atop Brat Tor) in the fading light during the afternoon. The snow was fine. Also, the short stretch of downland between the end of the road and the River Lyd was perfect - no rocks! Swix Extra Blue grip was used.
Backcountry Fischer E109 waxable skis
Salomon XADV8 boots
Salomon XADV RAID binding
A selection of pictures from the trip. Click on a picture for larger view and caption.