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Running out of snow in Chicken Gully.
Hardwork turning, very slow glue like snow with the new snow thawing for the first time.
Drift at the top of Coire Cas.
Boarder in the Cas Boulderfield.
Boarder gets a slow turn in as we are still heading up.
Boarder and Skier on the Upper Cas, Loch Morlich beyond.
You could climb without skins, which is not so good when you try to turn going down...
Heading up the 105 was hard work, constantly being blown about.
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Clear overheard on CairnGorm Mountain and dry, in stark contrast to what the rain radar was showing to the West, but very high winds, over 100mph at the tunnel mouth.
However, with double digit temps at the Daylodge accompanying the wind, there was a chance that it was now or never for getting the November turns in on CairnGorm Mountain. The turns that would keep the sequence of consecutive months of having skied linked turns on the 'Gorm going into the start of the third year of the run with month 25.
It was a slow slog up with the buffeting from the wind, which one minute would be side on, then a headwind, then the next moment a tail wind. Initial idea of skinning up the Cas uptrack in the Gunbarrel was dropped in favour of walking up the 105, partly due to the manor in which the Cas haul rope was bouncing about on the towers somewhat ominously!
Met 4 others on the upper Cas two skiers and two boarders. Possible to ski from the top of the T-bar to the top of the Zig Zags just about, but the snow was extremely slow and heavy. Certainly it would have been a much better ski yesterday and might be again tomorrow if enough survives till cooler air arrives - but that was a big chance to take, with even stronger winds forecast meaning going up higher was unlikely to be an option.