With the Summer Solstice been and gone, that means the days are shortening, the nights drawing in and the countdown to winter 2007 is on!!So what better way to mark what's officially the first weekend of Summer than to go skiing....

A fine morning for the hike up the 'Gorm; with part cloudy skies giving some pleasant sunny spells without it being to warm. With only the tiniest of snow patches on the Headwall visible from Coire Cas a few strange looks, some pointing and plenty of waves were coming from the direction of the Funicular as it trundled past while we wondered up the Home Road.

This year didn't have to go far to find snow (there's still a tiny patch in the Ptarmigan Bowl) with our destination being the main snow field of the Ciste Mhearaidh, just a few hundred yards from the top of the Ptarmigan Tow.

Once some Summer turns were had we turned our attentions to building a Kicker for the afternoon, which subsequently provided entertainment to passing hill-walkers who stopped off and sat on nearby rocks to watch ! The fine morning gave way to a few short and light passing showers but nothing that amounted to much until around 4pm when a the Heavens opened and a full on Monsoon hit, resulting in a quick retreat to the Ptarmigan! All in all a great day though and for some it may not be the last day of the 2006 season. With July less than a week away and some sizeable snow patches hanging on across the Plateau, there is certainly scope for some July Snowsports for the ultra-keen.

Photos from Winterhighland and Helen Rennie. Additional photos and more Kicker Action can be found on Highland Instinct.