Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
 Getting narrow on the lower White Lady.
|  Looking up the middle section of the White Lady, great spring snow.
|
 June turns in the Sun on the famous White Lady, no bumps now though!
|  Looking over the last of the snow in the Gunbarrel and around the Zig Zags. Beyond, 0.5 gully looks promising.
|
 Hmmm.... Scariest part of the day!
|  Looking up the Ciste Gully from the Boardwalk.
|
 June turns in the Ciste Gully, nice spring snow once into the Ciste Bowl and below.
|  Slightly ominous cloudscapes, a few sharp showers, but Sunny spells between.
|
 Ciste Gully great and well worth the hoof, how long will it last for?
|  Ciste Bowl passable - bit of burn dodging just below Ptarmigan Tow drive, one short break.
|
 Can you put 50p in the meter please? (Is that really white snow what they call cosmetic...)
|  Looking down the Ptarmigan Tow.
|
 New launch cut out of the side of the big kicker. Snow at this level a bit sticky, Ciste Bowl down faster spring snow.
|  Heading up the Traverse, is it really Summer?
|
 Over 2m of snow at the Traverse / 105 corner.
|  The Ciste Gully looking splendid under a lovely blue summer sky! Cloud was not unwelcome on the upward hoofs though.
|
Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
Displayed: Images 1 to 16 of 16
|
Meteorological Summer dawned with a blue sky above a snow wreathed CairnGorm Mountain and the Ciste Gully still complete to the boardwalk level looked simply epic from the Ciste Carpark in bright morning Sunshine.
Alas the Sun brought about some convective showers, though none were particularly prolonged and it brightened up at times. The cloud cover at times wasn't particularly unwelcome on the hoof up, it's days like this that the old White Lady Chairlift and the open door at the top are missed the most.
From about 3870ft up the Marquis Well it was possible to keep skis on all the way to level with the boardwalks in the Ciste Gully. At the top of the Ptarmigan Tow a section of uptrack was used, then out through a gap into the terrain park area, before dropping into the steeper section of the Ptarmigan Bowl proper.
In the Ptarmigan Bowl the huge snow mounds from the Park are still in situ, and a new shorter launch ramp has been cut in the side of the large kicker that doesn't require as much speed. Snow in the Ptarmigan Bowl was softy and quite sticky.
Below the Ptarmigan Tow the snow started to speed up as you come down the Ciste Bowl, burn slalom just below the Ptarmigan Tow before the cover widens out. There is a short break in the Ciste Bowl lower down, but was possible to grass hop past it. From the lower Ciste Bowl into the Gully proper the snow becomes increasingly good quick granular spring snow as the Ciste Gully opens up below you.
The Ciste Gully is in fantastic shape and well worth the hike. Back on the Cas side the time of year is starting to slowly catch up with the White Lady, but from below the former elephant fence it's still skiable to the bottom. The snow was pretty good spring snow giving nice sport and the middle third is still pretty wide.
If you would like to bag some June turns with less hoofing, the Cas Gunbarrel is the one to pick for, head up to the top of the Zig Zags, then get your plank(s) on and head back down.
Forecast is fairly promising for the next few days, looks good for getting out for some well earned summer turns.
|