There were blue skies in the morning, which were unforecast, which gave way to winds and cloud later. The Hogmanay storms delivered the snow, and the winds drove it from most angles of the compass into gullies and burns. All over the hill, there were a few rocks and lower down the cover was quite thin. The Ptarmigan Bowl was mostly complete, with the steep section of the Ptarmigan run still rocky, perhaps the best run in the bowl was the Ciste Fairway which was narrow near the bottom. The queues at both tows involved a wait of around 10-15mins, a tip is to go into the queue on your own, so that if and when the liftie shouts for single people to come forward, you can bypass the queue!
The Traverse was filled in more than it was on the 30th December 2003, and it wasn't as rocky, but slightly thin in places. This time though, if you cut off early then you would find yourself in a boulder field! The 105 is however more doable and is kinder on the bases. Beside the Coire Cas T-Bar, we would recommend going on the Fiacaill Ridge side first close to the tow, then cross over and head down the Gunbarrel or the Zig Zags. The snow was pretty scraped and icy in places, but it softened slightly as the day worn on. The Gunbarrel was as usual congested and often resembled a field of crippled penguins! With the ice and the crowds, if you aren't too confident a skier/boarder/blader then it may be worth a miss, and instead head down the Zig Zags which were slightly rocky at the corners but otherwise good pisted snow. The Home Road wasn't officially open, but people were doing it even though it is very scraped just below the garages. A better option is to head down the Carpark Runs, The Slot and then Burnside.
The M2 was in good condition, with nearly full width the full way down. Rocky and icy at the sides, but otherwise uncrowded and offered good, packed powdery snow. When we attempted it, the winds had picked up and spindrift was blowing over the piste. The M1 Poma was being worked on at the end of the day, so should open tomorrow. The tow track has a good cover of thick drifted snow, although the piste itself looks thin in places so will need alot of pisting. A better option than the M1 is the White Lady, although the T-Bar isn't opening and the piste is only half-width most of the way, it had some of the best snow on the mountain. The snow was ungroomed and offered alot of purchase, and was beginning to mogul in places. It was a pleasure to ride, with the snow light and effortlessly easy to carve through. Near the bottom, it was slightly scraped so this is where to cut through the pylons, past the M1 Poma, and onto the lower Gunbarrel, although it was possible to ride to the bottom.
