Dear David and Julie

Back in the 40s Aviemore was only the Cairngorm hotel and the Station with a little wooden
cafe at the side. No traffic. Pencilled postcard home reads 'Two cars passed us today, neither
gave us a lift' I was walking from Fort Augustus to Inverness. Bread was rationed same holiday,
spent my first BUs (?) in Fort William co-op.

  Won Pam in a bet 1950. so took her up to see my favourite Bens Burns and Bothies.
No lifts those days ,so we walked.    By 1960s The lift went up so I shot up one night, skied all day,
stopped at first hotel on way down. Coylumbridge. Absolutely wonderful. Skied the following day
and straight back home.  Took Pam up for Easter for the next few years. It was a Rank hotel.
Cabaret straight from the telly. Own ski shop and school. Clay pigeon shooting. Pony trekking.
Own ice rink.  Dancing, cinema, whisky tasting, treasure hunt. And the food was out of this world.
In the foyer were chickens hatching out, all in different bright colours and rabbits all colours.

Easter Monday was a Buffet. The guests queued to get in and then spent ages just circling
round looking. A Fisherman sculpted out of ice, rod bent in strain and a full salmon caught in a
frozen wave. Chocolate chickens and bunny rabbits of all shapes and sizes. Meats fish fowl. 
The cooks begging us to eat. "We haven't gone to all this trouble just to look at!! EAT!!

Kiddies going back to tables with arms full of chocolate fancies and eyes like saucers.

The most fabulous hotel we have ever stayed in.  Bit costly mind you, We extended Easter
to a week once and the bill was £666.00 which in those days was a bit much.

  The Queue on the ski road was a bit thronged . climb up to the ptarmigan one day and
down the drift the next. Moguls on the white lady five feet tall, if you hit one it took five
minutes to get your breath back. Feeling for the bumps in a white out I gingerly reached down
to see how fast I was travelling, and fell over, I was stood still. Another voice laughing its head
off said it had met a similar fate. Lots of memories of Aviemore skiing, all happy.  Stayed at the
Cairngorm for a few years also Nethy Bridge and Carr Bridge. Coylumbridge priced themselves out.
We got a fortnight on the continent for less than the Easter weekend. Not the same now of course,
it's just another hotel.

  The RAC Rally used to pass that way each year and as I was into motor sport, I did something
on the RAC for 25 years on the trot. 1972 was the year of the big blizzard. Some youngsters died
on the way to a hut. It really was bad. Shoulder high snow banks on the A9. Worst snow
conditions I have ever driven. Scandinavians refused to run the stages because they hadn't been
ploughed. Everybody running late. Lots of re-routeing.  A marshal following asked me to slow down
as he couldn't keep up over 90 and was completely lost.  Not long after midnight, we'd swapped
sides and I leaned in the back for maps, happened to look out of the back and saw the most
wonderful Xmas card scene. Every pine needle glittered in the moonlight and the whole lot was
reflected in the loch. Breathtaking! I leaned across the car took the wheel and said "Look at that
NOW!!!" He said "I didn't used to believe in God, but I've felt his finger on the boot a couple of
times and I think He must be out spectating. I had to agree.

Aviemore has the record for best meal and best view.

Peter Todd