CairnGorm Mountain (www.cairngormmountain.org) above Aviemore has just announced that Scotland's 2012-13 ski season will kick off tomorrow, Saturday 1st December, when skiing and boarding will be available on the upper part of the mountain. The Lecht is also opening.
At Cairngorm The Ciste and Polar Express tows will be operating and the funicular making middle station stops. About 30cm of snow has consolidated in the pistes with runs available in the Ciste fairway, on the traverse, the 105 and the zig-zags.
At the Lecht there are four runs with good cover on the upper and middle sections. Thin cover on the last section towards the lift access. Buzzard, Eagle1, Wren and Magic carpet has the best cover Grouse and Snowyowl thin cover on steep face.
Cairngorm has also been deploying the four snow guns it is trialling this year in these areas to build up a base in the areas which get the heaviest use.
Other Scottish areas seem to be close to opening. Nevis Range reports all slopes covered and one groomed but not quite enough snow yet to open. Glenshee and Glencoe are also looking white on the webcams but have not updated conditions reporting.
Last year Cairngorm opened 10 days later than this and two years ago it opened two weeks earlier so the resort's marketing manager Colin Kirkwood reckons this year they are bang on target.
Lifts will start running at 9am on Saturday and in view of the limited number of runs available special day ticket prices of £25 adult, £18 Student and Senior and £15 Junior will apply. Weather permitting the resort will remain open daily for snowsports from now on.
The funicular will also be running for visitors to CairnGorm Mountain's Christmas market in the Ptarmigan top station which has already attracted over 6000 visitors.
Cairngorm was included in a list of ski resorts in Europe published by Tripadvisor this week of the 15 resorts providing, "the best value for snowsports."