Cross country skiers enjoy whiteout conditions this winter

Skiers from the Huntly Nordic Ski Club are enjoying Scandinavian conditions after the large amount of snow fall this year.

Scotland has nearly double the amount of snow it had last year, after artic weather systems from the North East of Europe battered the UK earlier this year.

Cross country skiing (or Nordic skiing) is a relatively niche sport but skiers in the North of Scotland usually expect to enjoy around 20 days of snow a year, but this year it has been closer to 50 days on the snow tracks.

During the Summer they train on dry ski slope mats that are made into an athletic style track or skate on roller skis.

Nordic ski coach Alan Telford talks us through the sport.

Huntly cross country skiers in action in the Clashindarroch Forrest.

Forget going abroad to cross country ski Scotland is enjoying a bumper year of snow!

Skiers in Scotland are enjoying a bumper cross-country ski season thanks to the heavy snow fall in Scotland this winter.

Cold temperatures and weather systems from the east, most notably ‘The Beast from the East’ have brought nearly double the amount of snow this year compared with 2017.

Watch the Nordic Huntly Ski Club in Action

Centre director at Huntly Nordic Centre, Elizabeth Massie said: “People are now beginning to realise that they can have a great holiday if they come to Scotland.

“They can hire a pair of skis and go out for the day, at either the Clashindarroch Forrest or in the Glenmore tracks near Aviemore.

“This winter, people can go out for days at a time because the snow has been good.”

The Aberdeenshire centre runs lessons and hosts cross country ski racing events throughout the year.

In the winter they practice on snow but in the summer, they have a 600m dry ski track and roller skis on which to practise your skills.

They also are the training ground for the British Development team who use their facilities.

Amongst the top athletes to have crossed through the centre is skier Andrew Musgrave, who came seventh at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Huntly Nordic ski coach Alan Telford said: “I think watching the Olympics this year has spurred some people to come and try the sport out.

“It’s been good to get some recognition.”

 

Speed dating – Is meeting face to face part of a bygone era?

My hair is styled in big curls hanging effortlessly down my back, my red shift was meticulously picked out weeks ago perfectly matching my favourite stilettos, and a professional beautician has done my make-up. First impressions are key.

And yet, I have a pencil hanging in front of my nose held on my two pieces of string that are sitting rather loosely around my ears. The tall, dark and bearded man in front of me looks equally absurd. Do ice breaker games really make any of us feel any less awkward?

Crowds join royals to hear National Pipe Band

Crowds gathered at the National Piping Centre last night as Scotland’s Youth Piping Band entertained royals.

Crowds gathered at the National Piping Centre last night as Scotland’s Youth Piping Band entertained royals.

‘Puppy love’ reduces stress in university students

Friendly pooches have been helping students relax in the run up to exams this year.

Four dogs spent yesterday afternoon being pampered by students at ‘PAWS for stress’ at Glasgow Caledonian University, an event run by Canine Concern Scotland.

Blood donors awarded for giving over 75 pints of blood

A father has revealed he’s donated over 100 pints of blood after his wife nearly died in childbirth.

Alan Lusk saw first-hand the importance of giving blood when his wife haemorrhaged and lost two pints of blood during the birth of his daughter.

The 62-year-old received an ‘100^th Donation’ award at the Blood Donor awards in the Glasgow City Chambers on Wednesday after making 105 contributions so far.

Mental health writing awards Glasgow

Up to 300,000 people lose their jobs every year because of a long term mental health illness says charity MIND this week.

Their latest independent review also revealed that mental health is still considered a ‘taboo’ subject in many work places.

Glasgow curry house helps the homeless

An award-winning Indian restaurant is feeding up to 100 homeless people a week in Glasgow’s city centre.

Charcoals Indian Restaurant on Renfield Street are no strangers to feeding people around their business but recently they began to think about how they could help people on a wider scale.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello! Welcome to the DailyHaley blog. Whilst I won’t be publishing stories every day, I will be putting up weekly news and feature stories for in and around Glasgow.

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