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 Aonach Bowl is one of the picks of the last couple of days for experts.
|  Looking over the Lady from the M1 poma
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 Looking down to the daylodge , the sky begins to colour
|  First tracks on the M1
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 First light
|  F R Poma at 8.40 am
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 corduroy Fairway as the sun lights up Meall a Buchaille
|  Still freshies on the Ciste side of the Daylodge at
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 Boarder hucks a cliff drop on the crags above the Home Road, far far out on the East Lady. This is a boulderfield with lumps the size of small cars, today it's one big powder field.
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Superb overhead, no wind on Friday, same expected Saturday.
Surface conditions are sweet with machine packed powder corduroy on the pisted stuff, mix of fresh, windblown, windpacked, skier tracked and skier packed powder off-piste.
Excellent visibility meant it was possible to be a bit more expansive in hunting out the powder stashes, but do bear in mind the still considerable avalanche risk if venturing beyond the open marked trails.
There is fantastic riding for all ability levels on CairnGorm Mountain just now, with over 155cm of fresh falling in relatively light winds since Christmas is true ride anywhere cover in Coire Cas. Early intermediates an knock up several km's and 1650ft of vertical from the top of the Ptarmigan Tow to the Daylodge utilising the Funicular for uplift from the bottom.
If your looking for groomers, there's plenty of these too. For more experienced intermediates upwards, hit the Fiacaill Traverse, M2 or wait for it, the Aonach Ridge which is now a pisted and marked trail to the Ciste Carpark. For more red level terrain, the M1 RaceTrack is being pisted regularly and the White Lady is part pisted.
If you want to try out your off piste legs without getting onto anything to steep or committed, try the Cas Boulder Field area, then move onto the upper most reaches of the East Lady by Lady Luck - here the snow is now skier packed powder.
Both the Cas and Ciste Carparks were full before lunchtime on Friday. Arrive early on Saturday to avoid disappointment. If your travelling alone and meeting people on the hill, please consider meeting up at Aviemore or Glenmore and car sharing up the ski road to ease pressure on the parking, or use the bus. Experts experienced in off-piste who know the area can ski to Glenmore.
Photos by H11lly, dusk huck by StevieMcK.
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