Sunset Ski Tour

2025 has started very cold here in Aberdeenshire with steady accumulations of snow and arctic-sourced winds....good conditions for XC skiing in other words!  I set out from the high point of a road close to home and skied up a forest track before breaking out onto the end of the Correen Hills.  My timing was fortunate, 30 minutes after sunset and the sky was a range of beautiful shades.  This stunted pine tree is usually the first skyline object on the ridge and makes a nice foreground to pictures.

I made an energy-sapping climb on the skis to catch the colours at the cairn of Peter Prop before they faded and was rewarded with a great show of light.

 Despite the biting cold I stood for a good while to enjoy the show as the light faded from gold to a deep amber.

In the south-eastern sky there was a lovely view as Saturn emerged from behind the moon and Venus shone as the brightest object bar the moon itself - not the best image but a lovely sight.

My fingers and toes soon told me it was time to move, so I headed back down through a narrow fire-break to reach the forest track and get some warmth back in a fast, swinging kick-and-glide to the road.  A tour of just a couple of hours, but a great way to spend an early Saturday evening!