Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
One of the usual suspects on the Upper White Lady. Good width for the most part, slightly narrow just below the middle.
Daylodge run is slowly filling up, windblown fresh snow. Uptrack there or there abouts.
View up the M2 from top of Daylodge Poma. Some bits remain wind scoured. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow's snow will stick - this is preventing the WWP opening.
Ptarmigan Bowl has been widening out as snow has drifted in over the week. Good nursery areas at the top when the weather behaves.
Kassbohrer getting stuck into the intial stages of getting the Ptarmigan terrain park up and running for 2009.
Upward bound Funicular Carriage heads over the link to the White Lady from the M1 Poma.
Top of the Traverse looking towards the Ptarmigan Restaurant. Traverse and 105 in good shape, but still a head wind on the Traverse!
Some more of the usual suspects taking a breather on the White Lady as dusk comes in on the 'Gorm.
M1 Poma doing it's thing as dusk falls on CairnGorm Mountain to end an excellent Saturday. M1 Poma run for over 8 hours Sat!
The M1 Race Track still not quite complete, but has improved. Maybe a chance of wind direction will help tonight Snow last weekend to powdery for wind speed!
Piste Basher taming the Gunbarrel in preparation for Sunday. Coire Cas T-bar offloading slightly below the top due to wind scouring early last week.
A long exposure shot of CairnGorm Mountain taken from the foot bridge over the Allt a' Choire Chais at the foot of the Lower Slopes.
Heading for home via the Carpark Runs. Burnside has icy patches and is a bit scrapped higher up. Now best to cut back to the T-bar at the split.
The road no-one else took on Saturday. H11lly finds a personal stash of perfect packed powder corduroy on the Fiacaill Traverse.
Looking down the freshly pisted fenced run on the Fiacaill. Good cover all the way now, but a bit of a hoof or skate needed from the Traverse to reach it.
Ciste Gully has a firm promising base. Crusty wind packed snow wasn't a great surface today. M2 needs to fill in to allow machines to get to the WWP for it to open.
Click on Thumbnail to view larger images. Click on Title for Image Index.
Displayed: Images 1 to 16 of 16
Report
A chilly but largely blue sky day with long sunny spells on the 'Gorm with some fantastic riding on offer, with plenty for all abilities. As with recent days the pick of the bunch remains the White Lady.
Small moguls starting to take shape on the Lady today and while bits of the M1 SideTrack got a bit polished with use and the wind, any loose stuff was blowing over to the Lady which kept a near perfect snow texture all day. Easy access back to the M1 Poma or mid-station from where it was possible to head down the bottom via Burnside and nip in the back door of the Base Station to get the Funicular direct to the Top. It really does make a HUGE difference there is enough snow to not middle stop.
For those looking for easier greens the Top Basin runs are in good nick with machine packed powder, Fairway and Bowl still not all that wide but nice surfaces. Ptarmigan Bowl is continuing to widen out with the drifting from a South quarter.
A long easy going cruise on greens and gentler blues is via the Traverse and 105 down on to the Cas. Gunbarrel is much improved from a week or so ago, but the Zig Zags and Chicken Gully provide alternative routes to the middle.
Skiable to the Daylodge via the Carpark Run with the various options available, Burnside is a bit polished with heavier traffic, the cut back through the Slot to the T-bar line was better late afternoon.
FRP uptrack and Daylodge Run filling slowly, not much more would enable these to go. The broken M2 is preventing machines getting to the WWP, so that's whats needed to open the Ciste. Thus not that much snow is needed to significantly expand the open terrain. Photos by Winterhighland with additional pix from H11lly.