A much better day than expected!

A much better, less windy and less snowy day than expected from looking at ALL the weather forecasts!
It was totally calm this morning and milder than expected so we all headed up towards Coire Laogh Mor to dig, avalanche pits, emergency shelters and  look at snow belays.
The wind and snow did pick up a bit by late morning but it wasn't unmanageable and was good test for goggles.
We headed down to another completely sheltered snowdrift as the winds veered to the NW and spent the afternoon digging snow belays and looking at basic winter ropework.
The afternoon turned out quite pleasant though we didn't notice any cars on the ski road. We found out later that the snowgates were closed!
The Cairngorms are looking slightly more snowy on sheltered aspects though west facing areas are very much scoured.