Winter bonus 2017/18

[M1BUU]

I’m not very well travelled but I did have a trip to Austria with the Scouts in summer 1990, I was 11 at the time. We climbed some mountains, I think the name was Lechtal Alps, I get the feeling that they’re in the same general geographical area, just over the border. In any case, the terrain looks very similar. We were definitely very near the German border as I can remember going to an open air swimming pool in Germany one day

As it was summer time, the mountains didn’t have snow and I remember that one of the slopes had a dry toboggan course. Unfortunately I crashed my toboggan (no fault of my own) and I grazed my left elbow severely. I still have the scar to this day! I have fond memories of the trip despite my injury.

73, Colin

[EA2IF]

After todays activations being cancelled due to bad WX, I’ve lost my last good chance to grab 6 winter bonus points. I may try it again tomorrow, but the WX forecast is even worse, so it’s going to be very, very unlikely.
At least, let me show you a few pics I took during my short time in the mountains this morning.

under graupel

and finding the summit I was heading to completely inmersed in cloud.

I hope to be able to make it and take some good pictures of the nice landscape.

Well, I didn’t make it and these are the only 2 landscape pics I took.

The bad weather was coming from behind me when I took this picture.

the 4 pointer Larrakarte EA2/NV-173

This 4 pointer I’ve never activated before doesn’t look too hard to tackle. Maybe next time…

73,

Guru

[2M0NCM]

Nice looking area Guru.

That’s the kind of weather we get here in Scotland in the middle of May! I was hiking over a few summits and camped overnight on Shalloch on Minnoch GM/SS-048 last May and awoke at 5.30am to everything being frozen solid and my bottle of water was just an bottle of solid ice. Not cold enough to freeze the peat bogs though!

73 Neil

[MM0YCJ]

Hi,

Managed 57 winter bonus points so far this season. Should have been 60 points but failed to raise a 4th contact on boxing day 26th December 2017, GM/WS-292 (Ben Shieldaig). Short day plus the late start didn’t help!

Best day, so far, was on 4th February 2018 when we skied over to GM/ES-005 (Beinn Mheadhoin).

Have just arrived in Switzerland so potential for a few more bonus points by end of March.

Ciao

MM0YCJ

[GI4ONL]

On my recent trip to Gran Canaria the wx for winter bonus was a mere 24C:

73

Victor GI4ONL

[M1BUU]

Phew!

Hope you had the right gear with you - shorts, plenty of cool drink etc.

I’m not good in the heat.

73, Colin

[GI4ONL]

Hope you had the right gear with you - shorts, plenty of cool drink etc.

Hi Colin, no shorts as experience has shown the vegetation can be quite sharp and has been known to draw blood therefore really lightweight walking trousers and I usually carry around 2 litres of water in a hydration bladder in the rucksack. I haven’t ran out of water yet but have been close on a few occasions

73 Victor

[iw2obx]

Hi,
I managed 57 winter bonus points, a few 6 points and the other of 4 points.

Mt. Legnoncino I/LO-178 with my friend Massimo and my dog Zac

Mt. Palanzone I/LO-320 I will remeber this activation because it was freezing cold and I’d forgotten my gloove at home…

73 de Roberto IW2OBX

[VE2DDZ]

This selfie was taken on Mont Lafrenière March 10. Winter isn’t done with us here in Canada either

[DD5LP]

Hi Malcolm,
I hope you don’t mind me saying it but this would be a great picture for the SOTA database web interface! You know the webpage that comes up when you go to enter your logs at http://sotadata.org.uk/default.aspx

73 Ed.

[MM0FMF]

It’s a cracker. I can add it if you’re happy with that Malcolm.

[VE2DDZ]

Oh. Yes, thanks Andy, go ahead.

[M6BWA]

Hi Colin

54 winter bonus points this season with a lot of local hills unvisited owing to injury (M0JLA hurt his knee walking off Yr Eifl at New Year and that took 6 weeks), the wrong sort of weather on days I was available (as usual) but I did manage a couple of walks in good cold weather (ie not snow as I can’t see if it is bright). I took a bus to Hay on Wye on the Welsh Border and walked up the Offas Dyke Path to below Hay Bluff and then on to Hatterall Ridge and ‘Black Mountain’ GW/SW-041. It was a cold, bright day…

as I was not wearing crampons I took to the (fairly frozen) bog

After the activation I realised it would be unwise to linger

and was soon marching down to the bus stop as quickly as possible!

On M0JLA’s first activation after convalescence we chose some easy hills DSCI0493|666x500
Brown Clee and Titterstone Clee G/WB-002 and 004 but it wasn’t very warm on either of them

We hope to get out and about in the ‘Summer’ season - if only get fit for 1 December!
Viki M6BWA

[M3ZCB]

Our March “winter bonus” SOTA holiday was rather limited by the weather, and we only managed 8 “bonus” summits having lost 2 activating days to the weather, and on the days we were able to get out we were limited as to which summits we felt capable of doing, and there was only one day we did two summits.

Martyn has already posted the fine photo of our HF operation on Grisedale Pike, but here’s one of the view in the other direction from near my VHF operating position.

We had pretty good views from Seat Sandal the previous day too. HF station looking towards Grasmere:

And view from Seat Sandal VHF operating position towards St Sunday Crag, Grisedale and Ullswater:

And the previous day from Place Fell towards Ullswater with snowy Pennines beyond.

Caroline
M3ZCB

[va7jbe]

The winter bonus is in full effect here in VE7 until the end of the month, which was nice considering the effort it took to climb Mt. Garibaldi (VE7/SL-009). Four days, tenting in -15C, and an overall elevation gain of more than 2000m and 9 points well earned. Pretty good skiing, too!

Dawn before summit day

Climbing above the valley fog

Avalanche crown and final ascent

Summit!

[MM0YCJ]

Hi,

just had a great day ski touring on Munt Buffalora HB/GR-368. Activated on 40m before it started snowing again. Final day of winter bonus in HB land and felt like I earned them today breaking trail for some of the ascent. Super powder snow on descent but soggy back at car park. So a total of 75 winter points this season, although I cheated by activating in Switzerland 2 weeks after the Scottish bonus season ended.

Ciao

Colwyn
HB9/MM0YCJ

[MM0YCJ]

Hi Jack,

Nice one.

Our own Jethro Tull (MM0FMF) are they related by any chance, I think we should be told!

Ciao

MM0YCJ

[GM4COX]

Our FMF is definitely evolving - that’s for sure - hi!

And off to see these old folk-rockers this coming Friday at the USHER HALL with friends of the same ‘ilk’. Looking forward to it and a few beers of course!!!

(;>J

[MM0FMF]

i last saw them in Perth a few years back, excellent. The rest of the band used to change regularly but Martin Barre was a constant. Now he’s been put out to pasture too. Still, probably be rather good. I think I might go and put Hunting Girl on nice and loud. The remastered CD doesn’t half sound good compared to the original CD master which was made of some old tin boxes

[MM0YCJ]

Hi Andy,

Martin Barre is playing the Backstage venue at the Green Hotel, Kinross, UK next week, on Monday 09 April 2018.

Ciao

MM0YCJ