Got skis, or fancy a nice run in the snow? Greg Best has planned and tested a ski-O MapRun course around a snowy Cleeve Hill, and he invites everyone with skis, as well as those without who fancy a snow run, to head on up there while you can to take advantage of lovely snow conditions.
Time: Anytime between now and end of Sunday. However, best to do before Sunday, as it will be warm, wet and melting that day!
Start: from near the golf clubhouse. From cattle grid by clubhouse turn NE along the track for about 100m.
Parking: At clubhouse, but the access driveway and parking area are a little icy. However, I managed this without difficulty, but care needed. Also possible to park closer to the main road and walk up the driveway. All of the roads to the top of Cleeve Hill are clear.
Directions: What 3 Words: https://w3w.co/snappy.march.fatigued
Post code: GL52 3PW
Follow signs to golf club from summit of Cleeve Hill.
Points: 10 points per control for runners, 20 points for skiers who send a photo to Greg of themselves with skis in front of the golf club. Send to: permissions@ngoc.org.uk. 90 minute Score. Doctored results will be published after closing time on Sunday. MapRun will record 20 points per control, so runners' scores will be halved.
Map: standard orienteering map. 1:10000, 5m contours. Red arrows show the lopcation of the golf fairways. No golf happening of course, but fairways are good for running or skiing on.
Conditions: Greg tested it on Thursday morning. Beautiful sunny conditions with plenty of soft snow. Not so deep though that can't be run on. Tussocks all covered in snow, so can ski over them. The course mostly keeps to the flatter, grassy parts, so the going is generally good. Controls are mostly large features like golf greens (snowy platforms!) and large re-entrants.
Why do skiers get more points: (a) running should be faster. (b) they have to work out a way to hold the map with ski poles (c) skiers sometimes may need to take a longer route to avoid quarries etc. (d) they deserve an advantage
New to MapRun: Click here to find out more about MapRun, and how to set it up on your phone.
Tips for skiers: I managed okay to carry my map and thumb compass as normal, despite also having a ski pole in that hand as well. A couple of the bigger tracks had a few stones, so be careful not to scratch your skis. I used my mountain touring skis which have steel edges and fishscale skis. Not the fastest but the best I had for the trackless conditions.
Ski Loan: If anyone can XC ski but does not have their own skis, welcome to come and borrow mine, although you'd need to be a similar size to me (6 foot+ size 10-11 shoes). I live in Cheltenham, not far away from the hill. Contact me on permissions@ngoc.org.uk or 07989 276668.