On Sunday, July 7, 2013 6:50:09 PM UTC-4, dardruba wrote:
I have heard Scotland is the place to go!

I'll second that.

But just remember this is a small island crammed with people into

villages towns and cities with narrow winding ancient roads and

merciless autostradas we call motorways, so travelling any distance to a

place of interest can be fraught, particularly for winter sports.



I believe our friend may be going to Loughborough University, its known

for its sporting activities and support.

Patrick Winterton our leading sports commentator and former British

Nordic Ski manager went there, he's now with Eurosport and covers

Adventure and Nordic activities.

The Cairngorms are a mountain range in Scotland in a rough triangle

Inverness, Aberdeen, Pitlochry.

Aviemore in the west has the Cairngorm Biathlon and Cross Country Ski

Club with Mike Dixon our former biathlete and now also a Eurosport

commentator. Its a DH ski centre but trails are cut thru the low lying

forests. Huntly in the east (inland from Aberdeen) has a thriving Nordic

Ski Centre in the town with tracks on matting and trails laid in the

nearby Clashindarroch Forest, which is a snowholding miracle and catches

the snow blown off the high mountains.

Both places are in the forefront of developing our nations skiing

youngsters.

This specific area is an absolute delight for mountain walking in

wilderness conditions over centuries old tracks and forest trails alone

or in groups sometimes with the chance to travel light and sleep in old

derelict shepherds hovels they call mountain bothies.



I sent an email to our friend giving webpages with club info, race

venues and locations for rollski activities. WH Smiths is one shop on

the High Street which has dozens of magazines on display for all outdoor

sport activities. Shops selling clothing for these activities also sell

guide books, trail guides etc which our friend will find interesting.

So he won't be puzzled for long!

DD


Hey-hey,

Thanks a lot for the great response! I am actually going to Leicester U to teach biochemistry and biophysics. Know of any sustained rollerski climbs in the East Midlands? Anything above 500 ft elevation change counts!

Is that WH Smith store in Loughborough? If yes, I should pay it a visit as soon as I move!