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The view from Càrn Aosda's pale scree down to the Glenshee ski centre and the A93, with The Cairnwell and its masts across the pass under heavy cloud.
Glenshee, Lochnagar and Glen Clova

Carn Aosda

A Munro of 915 metres, number 281 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Càrn Aosda stands in Aberdeenshire beside the Glenshee ski centre on the A93.

The centre's ski tows cross its slopes, and one of its runs carries the hill's name.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority says the name should perhaps be Càrn Naois, Naois' mountain. The ski centre's walking leaflet marks the summit by a cairn.

Starts from
The Glenshee Ski Centre car park on the A93. The centre counts the hill among the three Munros on the Cairnwell side of its range.
The ground
The hill's slopes are a ski area, with tows, fences and runs. In the ski season the centre asks walkers to stay outside its snow fences and off the tow tracks, and allows no dogs on its runs. Invercauld Estate counts the ski centre as on its ground: check for stalking before you go.
Summit
Grid reference NO 133 791, at a cairn
Car park
Glenshee Snowsports Centre's, on the A93, sat nav postcode AB35 5XU. In 2026 it was free for the first 50 minutes (the first hour, by the centre's summer page) or with a chairlift ticket, then £4 for the day, paid by the QR code on its signs or at the café.
The road
The councils work snow gates on the A93 at the Spittal of Glenshee and at Braemar. After heavy snow the centre warns of delays at them while the road is cleared.
Toilets and food
The centre's toilets are open at all hours. Its café, Tea@TheShee, is at the car park; outside the ski season the centre's pages disagree on whether it opens every day or only Wednesday to Sunday.
On the hill today
0° to 5°Drizzle on the summit, 915 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.

West wind to 11 mph, gusting 24
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.47am to 6.10pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud−2° to 5° on top · 8 mph, gusts 20
Sun 18Clear−2° to 5° on top · 9 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 6° on top · 9 mph, gusts 18

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Carn Aosda, Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecast.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

Photographs by Simon Robb and DL, via Google

Our operations are 24/7 during the winter period and on many of our runs we make use of steel winching cables during snow preparation.Glenshee Snowsports Centre, whose tows and runs are on the hill
Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NO 133 791
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: The Cairnwell, Carn a' Gheoidh, Glas Maol, Carn an Tuirc. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Glenshee Snowsports Centre's and Invercauld Estate's, and the hill's name is as the Cairngorms National Park Authority gives it; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.