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pix from the slopes // cairngorm mountain
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Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
 The M2 has a complete line down to the DLP - option for skinning up.
|  OverYonder with a partial base through the Aonach Bowl. Lack of double fence line on parts of M2 obvious.
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 Coire Cas has a narrow base, Traverse and upper 105 decent cover.
|  M1 uptrack overview from car park level.
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 One of several areas where pailing fencing has been removed and only partially replaced by rail fences. Leaving big gaps or only single lines - notice critical gap to 105 link.
|  Cluster of TR8 guns that have seen a brief bit of usage recently, but disjointed from other areas.
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 Small terrain park currently laid out to skiers right of the beginner area on a section of Burnside.
|  Park features accessible from the magic carpets
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 Around the Fiacaill pump house and top of the Shelling Run there is a cluster of 5 snow guns, only the T40 to the left of the Cas gantry has had semi regular use recently.
|  Zig Zags and 2 (possibly 3 ) idle T40 fan guns by the Fiacaill pump house.
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 CairnGorm from a partially frozen Loch Morlich.
|  Overview of Coire na Caste.
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 Note condition and lack of fencing on the Daylodge Run, on a slope that faces into the worst of the prevailing weather it doesn't stand a chance like this.
|  Dusting of snow persisting in the mountain garden, shows up the protection offered by the vegetation vs the adjacent ground around the Daylodge Poma.
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 Looking down the Daylodge beginner area.
|  Though not running at the time, these tow TR8s have considerably improved the beginner area for half term and allowed the mini park to be setup.
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Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
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A selection of photos showing general snow cover across the Northern side of CairnGorm. Unfortunately lift served snowsports remains restricted to just the two beginner carpets outside the Daylodge, despite the snow cover in the Top Basin and the M1 uptrack being complete.
There has been some seemingly random and intermittent use of other snow guns dotted in clusters around parts of the Carpark Run. What there does not seem to be is any coherent strategy or objective, such as trying to create an additional beginner area or as has been done in the past build up the cover in the lower half of the Gunbarrel.
If the M1 RaceTrack fencing and the link to the 105 did not have significant gaps at present this would be or could be got complete. to the Gunbarrel.
If the snow making effort that so far has been too disjointed and seemingly random to have achieved anything useful away from the beginner area had been focussed on the Gunbarrel where a number of the T40s have been used in the past, there would be a viable route for at least confident skiers and boarders the majority, if not the whole way from the top back to the M1 Poma.
Even if it could not quite provide a fully complete run, it would at least provide for access to/from the Top Basin via the M1 Poma for experienced skiers and snowboarders.
Perhaps if the individuals making the operational decisions needed to get coin into the tills to get paid at the end of the month, more effort would be made to open the mountain and it would be a different story. Season pass holders have very good reason to be furious with the lies told by HIE about the funicular pre-season and it's compounded by a can't do / won't do attitude that leaves the mountain shut even with skiable snow - because the wages get paid anyway.
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