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 Looking up the White Lady from the mid-station platform area of the Funicular.
|  Getting turns in some fresh snow on the Fiacaill.
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 Helen on month 43 heads for the White Lady via the old T-bar line.
|  Still digging...
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 Looking down the still wide and deep White Lady.
|  A few brief sunny spell between the snow showers.
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 Obligatory top of the Ptarmigan Tow photo, didn't feel very spring like here!
|  Looking up the Ciste Tow. Bowl wide, with rider cross course to skiers left.
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 One of the easier features in the Ptarmigan Park, advanced flat-down rail on the crest of the bowl beyond.
|  Ride onto flat-down box in the Ptarmigan Park.
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 Tyre jib in the Ptarmigan Park.
|  Skier heading for home via the old Fiacaill T-bar line, then onto the Fiacaill Crossover to the Ridge Poma track.
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 Even the lower Zig Zags still good, looking up to the upper M1 RaceTrack from 3rd corner.
|  Looking down the last leg of the Zig Zags from 3rd corner, links to Cas and Mid platform still complete.
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 Gunbarrel still flat, fresh snow got a bit sticky below about 2800ft late in the afternoon.
|  Looking down the Sheiling area of the Carpark Run, walking required on Burnside - but can get more than halfway down.
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A day of contrasting weather and snow conditions, if you didn't like the snow conditions, wait 10 minutes - it was that sort of day! Being May it marked the 43rd consecutive month of turns on CairnGorm Mountain by Alan and Helen!
A clear start with relatively light winds, but the wind was on an upwards trajectory through the day with snow showers setting in by lunchtime - fairly persistent for a time. Wind was down the line in the Top Basin, but put the M1 Poma off around 2pm.
Pisted snow started firm and grippy mid-mountain, then got a bit of fresh. As the wind picked up the smooth pisted areas got blown clear and got polished, while the unpisted sides of the Lady were rougher, but catching fresh snow and much nicer to ski on. After lunch the Sun came out for a bit, though hazy was enough to slightly loosen the mid-mountain base and the snow showers stuck to all off it.
The White Lady was fantastic early afternoon, by later afternoon the fresh snow was a bit sticky below 2800ft, but higher up that had got slick was spring snow. Coire Cas was sublime from mid-afternoon, hero snow with big fast turns easily cranked up with the strong tail wind!
Top Basin runs are all in good shape in terms of cover, but it wasn't very late spring like in the Top Basin!
Could ski all the way to the Daylodge via the Fiacaill Traverse, Fiacaill Crossover and the Ridge Poma. Can also ski Sheiling to halfway down the Slot, then walk part of Burnside. Train is doing down stops. Ridge Poma can run for access if demand requires it - don't ski the uptrack while it's open!
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