Or a short rope tow from the col (between tops of Cairnwell chair and Cairnwell T) to the top of the Cairnwell T. The easy way off the top of the chair already exists.

That won't help. The problem is the drop from the Cairnwell chair to the col is a red run in of itself. You might be perfectly capable of tackling the bunny run for example but have not a hope in hell of getting from the top of the Cairnwell chair to the col safely. Sometimes you just forget what it means to be a beginner, and because it is quite short you don't actually clock how steep it actually is. I freely admit I thought the same and had to go back and actually ski it while thinking about is this suitable for a green run skier before deciding it was not.

As I said short of breaking out the dynamite and blasting the mountain top that is not going to change. Therefore the only viable solution is to replace an aging T-bar that a large percentage of the skiing public for good or ill despise with a quad chair. Really what is not to like?

you could extend the area boundary slightly and snake a run back and forth along the line of the MTB track, which might improve things a bit for beginners? like mini cairngorm zigzags?

But i guess the optimum for that side is to replace the cairnwell t and carn aosda t with chairs, then happy days for everyone

any update on the Glencoe new chair? Is the road now finished? presumably unlikely chair will be finished for the upcoming season?

looking at instagram, it looks like the road is finished and a artic lorry had made it to the top of the access chair! all go at Glencoe!

In the video of the mid-summer ski, foundation work at the top and bottom of the new chairlift was visible. I would anticipate that foundation work and possibly pylon installation will get done this year with its completion being realized in 2019. (this is just speculation)

Unlike other chairs, I'm in the belief that this chair has a loading carpet and an underground machine room, with the tension ballast being at the valley station, thus it will be more complex to build.

Having inspected the components of the chairlift at Glencoe in January of this year, I would expect the chairlift to resemble something similar to the Schlegeis chairlift in Hintertux, Austria:

[www.lift-world.info]

01cookjk,

Great speculation. We expect work on the drive of the chair to begin in the next couple of weeks once the new Access Track is complete. It would be great if we could complete this year but more likely as you suggested that we will get the drive in and make a start on the towers this summer and complete in 2019.

Its not JUST speculation Andy, I think you told me a little about your plans in the phone conversation we had in January and ive been filling in the gaps ever since. Am I correct about the design of the chair?

Regards,
Jonathan Cook.

Hi
Just wondering if the access road will be permanent??

Presumably there's still no news on the Glenshee quad? It's notable that the webcam hasn't updated since 9th June, so if there is anything happening, it's being hidden from public view.

On a side note, I agree with jabuzzard, you can't put beginners on the existing Cairnwell chair, the run down is too steep. The Cairnwell T-bar uptrack itself is also quite steep and off putting for a beginner so providing easy access to the Bunny run wit the new chair will take some pressure of the Bucharts access lift by spreading out the beginners a bit more while making the whole sector more appealing. I'd like to think a Carn Aosda chair will follow, but I suspect that might be some way in the future.

Not building the chair this year needn't be bad news. It should mean that they can concentrate on other projects such as the refurbishment of the Caenlochan. They should also have some money in the bank to buffer against a poor season and still keep their ticket price competitive.

Their planning permission will remain extant for three years so they have time to consider the real world pattern of customer demand. Unlike Cairngorm they are not suffering from years of inadequate uplift and unlike Glencoe they may decide that they do not have enough to gain from more capacity ?

Indeed even if you go outside the ski existing ski area to try and get a green run in off the top of the Cairnwell chair to the coll, you would still need to break out the dynamite to blast a path into the back of the Cairnwell.

I would also like to see a Carn Aosda chair as that would make the Cairnwell side of Glenshee fit for the 21st century. Throw in some snow making and replace the fencing with the post and rail stuff and it would be perfect. I guess the Cairnwell cafe could probably do with a refurbishment too.

I guess that is the one thing that Cairngorm are doing right, replacing the chestnut pailing fencing with post and rail LOL.

I also noticed that Nevis Range are installing a lot of the post and rail fencing, but it is configured differently. Certainly very effective from what I could tell this season just gone. Could perhaps do with a bit more by the Gouse T-Bar drive and Quad drive.

Lots of piles of timber were half-buried by the quad chair this year, so I suspect they are installing lots of new fencing there this summer.

I think one of the main benefits of post & rail is that is is less susceptible to damage caused by pisten bully's, and by gosh it looks a lot neater.

The entire length of the Fairway underneath the Quad Chair at Nevis is being re-fenced with rail fencing. The Rabbit Run has also completed and there is working ongoing on the summit.





Edited 1 times. Last edit at 09.47hrs Sat 28 Jul 18 by alan.

Attachments: quadfence.jpg (105kB)  

Thats great news Alan! I wonder if NR have any other projects in the pipeline they are not going public about?

After the on-off on-off performance of the summit button this year, noted on 3 seperate days, doubling it up would be a smart move, especially if it was a poma with a curve station so it could double up the gouse T-bar halfway or all the way down as well...