Q: What do you do when you and your mates are staying in wet Fort William and the morning dawn's bright and frosty...
A: You jump in the rusty old van and you all head to Aviemore...

This trip was a reprieve of Dr. Al's world famous in Macclesfield Wierdos of Telemark film from the last days of 2005 - though this time we had an extended crew:

Dr. Al - filmmaker and slalom skier on ebay skis from the lounge
Nobbski - slalom skier on his own skis
Dr Mike - slalom skier on hire skis from the red squirrel bacon sarney house at Loch Morlich
Dr Lindsay - telemark skier on the waaaaaaay-too long green lounge skis and ebay plastic telemark boots
Dr Emily - learner slalom skier on the hire skis from the bacon sarney house
Me - on waaaaay too short red lounge telemark skis

After having a beautiful cold blue sky journey complete with icy skids on Loch Laggan-side and almost head on with the psycho truck drivers of Kinguisie, the bacon sarney man informed us that the ski centre was shutting lift sales due to capacity being reached - that didnt matter - we would be walking up of course - if we factored in the usual faff time we might get some skiing done before sundown, in October 2354 - so this time we had to limit faffing to a mere 45 minutes - just enough for me to realise that I'd left my rucksac back at base - that didnt matter - I'd just empty the festering undergarments, damp swimming towel and other souvenirs out of a random sports bag and carry that up instead

It took us about an hour and a half to trudge up through the icy and gravelly zig zags - and about another 20 minutes was wander up the footpath to the summit of Cairngorm - following the new year crowds of train passengers past the sign telling them not to proceed beyond this point?

After battering a few strolling families and invading hordes of aliens out of the way, we all assembled just off the summit - before donning the skis and sliding off down the hill into oblivion

Wipe out the day went to Dr Al for leaving the skis behind him after not realising that snow is generaly accepted to be a variant of the colour white, and gravel is usually the colour of gravel and Dr Al skin layers

Ski instructor manouver of the day has to to go to Nobbski for his ski backwards - teach Emily to wipe out technique

Yee - ha 2008 skiing season has started!