Tributes as skiing 'pioneer' dies at 86

Scotland's top snowsports athletes have paid tribute to the inspirational "pioneer of skiing" who has died at the age of 86.

Among those paying tribute to May Baxter, 86, was her snowboarding grand-daughter, Lesley McKenna.

Mrs Baxter was also grandmother to Aviemore skiing brothers Alain and Noel Baxter, the UK's top alpine skiers over the past decade.

Alain Baxter famously had an Olympic bronze medal stripped from him in 2002 for being tested positive for a banned substance after using the wrong type of nasal decongestant.

He was later cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the medal was not returned.

Mrs Baxter and her husband of 67 years, Chic, were described as the inspiration for the three sporting heroes.

She died at her home in Strathspey Avenue in Aviemore on Monday, with Chic by her side.

Miss McKenna, 36, said: "May and Chic were real pioneers of skiing before the ski-lifts were there. They came up to the area at weekends and camped at Glenmore. They used to walk up to the top of the Cairngorms and managed two runs a day.

"My gran was a real action lady and was into all sorts of sports. Both my grandparents were ice skaters and my grandfather was an ice hockey player."