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View up from the M1 Timing Hut.
Foot of the M1 Poma, filling well on upper 2/3rds but more needed lower down.
Mist rolling in again to the Ciste Bowl.
Snow has been drifting well into the M1 fences, but more crust than a stale loaf, should help reduce scouring though.
The Top of the Traverse is well pisted and full width, but the cover runs out on the Zig Zags, need the snow level to lower.
Ciste Fairway is well loaded with machine packed drifted snow.
Sun attempts to make a brief appearance over the Ciste Fairway.
Looking down the full width Ciste Fairway.
Brighter spells at times came and went as inversion layer mist rose and fell.
Ptarmigan Tow doing it's thing for the first lift served turns of the 2009/10 season.
Piste Basher outside the Ptarmigan. Fantastic snow for first turns were pisted, but the mist and freezing temperature combining to give a crust off the prepared area.
View up the 'Gorm from the Funicular. Quite a few tourers skining up, but breakable crust beyond the groomed lift served terrain up top.
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CairnGorm Mountain opened up the 2010 Scottish Snowsports Season on Saturday with some sweet groomed snow, if often misty overhead, with the first lift served riding off the Ptarmigan and Coire Na Ciste T-bars in the Top Basin.
The Ptarmigan Tow was on from the start with the Ciste Tow opening at Lunchtime giving over 600ft of vertical off both tows,
All Top Basin runs are complete and open, good machine packed fresh snow on both the direct line into the Ptarmigan Bowl and via the Ptarmigan Traverse. Though the Bowl has some narrow areas, there's plenty snow and the Ciste Bowl is also open but unpisted.
The pick of the day though has to be the Ciste Fairway which is in fantastic condition for opening day with an excellent cover of machine packed powder. The fence lines here really loaded up with big drifts which have been bashed out to give full width cover.
Lift served sport is limited to the Top Basin, middle runs are filling promisingly on the upper 2/3rds, but the snow level last week wasn't quite low enough. The Traverse and 105 are pisted and provide a good route up for touers. It wouldn't take much snow to get riding to the middle and light snow was starting to fall this afternoon, but the promised snow bearing front rather stalled over the Moray Firth, so will have to wait to see if brings snow overnight.