Early days of Scottish skiing remembered in Ashie Brebner’s new book, Beyond the Secret Howff

As midwinter draws near and the nation’s ski tourers take to the hills for their first few expeditions of the 2017/18 season, let’s travel back in time and consider what the early days of ski touring in Scotland were like, courtesy of a new book by the pioneering Scottish mountaineer Allister “Ashie” Brebner. Nowadays, backcountry skiers have access to so much hi-tech gear they make astronauts look ill-prepared, but in Beyond the Secret Howff, Brebner tells stories from a simpler time, long before things like metal-edged skis and breathable waterproofs were available, let alone gadgets like avalanche transceivers and hand-held satellite navigation devices.