Ski-touring is hillwalking on skis; using skins to climb up to the summits and then skiing down. Scotland is an excellent place to undertake this sport and no better place than the Cairngorms. Skiing in the snowiest wilderness in the UK. Whilst many people go ski touring on Alpine skis, sometimes carrying their boots as they are difficult to walk in. Telemark gear is well suited to ski-touring in the Cairngorms.

The Cairngorms are the highest mountainous plateau in the UK; and area of high hills including many Munros. These hills are rounded and grassy,in summer, rather than the rocky peaks that typify the west of Scotland. This allows snow to accumulate from late autumn to late spring. These hills make ideal conditions for ski-touring in telemark gear. Get the right weather and ski-touring in the Cairngorms is a fantastic day out.

What telemark gear should you use? Not the skinny skis and light boots; it is not really the gear you want to get stuck on the Cairngorm plateau in. The heavier telemark gear with alpine standard skis, either 70mm or NTN bindings and suitable "heavier" boots.

Northern Cairngorms

Report on Thu, 04 Dec 2025

NC for 5/12/25: Shallow avoidable windslab on NW to N aspects above 1100m.Elsewhere good stability. Low Hazard.
Link to SAIS Page

Southern Cairngorms

Report on Sun, 06 Apr 2025

SC 07/04/25 Daily avalanche reports have ended for this season. Visit https://www.SAIS.gov.uk for current general snow & mtn info.
Link to SAIS Page

The best ski touring in Scotland is on the less steep, the rounder hills of the Cairngorms away from the steep rocky faces. The Cairngorms have another big advantage over many hills - altitude - the higher the hills the more likely they are to attract and keep snow throughout the season. The Cairngorm hills can keep the snow late into spring. In the early season, the lower hills with snow can be a good choice for ski-touring and the weather will be kinder.

Pre-Christmas - most times the snow at this time of year will not have a base and can easily melt. Skiing is for the opportunist on those rare sunny days.

January and February - the heart of the Scottish winter. Some terrible weather is to be expected but rest assured a good base of snow is building up. Even so there can be some great crisp winter days.

March - the best month for skiing. The base has been set down. The weather is better. The days are longer. Now is the time to get out onto the distant hills.

April and May - the tail end of the season. The weather is even better than March, the days are much longer and the snow is very forgiving - spring snow. Time to get out on the longer routes before packing up the skis and wait for next year. Well maybe another run down that nice forgiving slope.