Ok I'll start number 1 conspiracy theory:

Natural Rejects/CML/HIE/etc etc did not control Winterhighland cameras and they knew there was a problem with funicular. So in order to try and safeguard early bird season tickets for 2018/2019 season they removed them for the 2017/2018 season.

This could have been done because some eyebrows may have been raised if WH cameras displayed surveyors in big yellow jackets checking the funicular out after November 2017.Or some lawyer told them to get rid of them to reduce culpability due to deteriorating condition of concrete.

If surveyors were shown on WH there would have been talk in forums and people thinking about early bird tickets for Gorm may have decided to go elsewhere!

Just saying ;-)

It's amazing what a few drams can do for the imagination.

Also due to silence of the above NR/CML/HIE there can be only speculation and imagination to fill the gaps.

I got this from Save the Ciste Facebook,

Cairngorm Mountain Snow School

Due to the impact of the current closure of the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, it has with been decided that whilst we are awaiting the technical report on the status of the Funicular, we will not be operating a snow school this 2018/2019 winter season.

I know that this will maybe difficult for you and we hope that by informing you at the earliest possible opportunity, this will allow you to seek other instructing roles.

As the winter progresses we will be continually assessing the situation and we will keep you all informed.

Should we be in a position to offer you other roles within the company over the winter then we will also keep you informed.

We would like to thank you for all of your commitment and hard work in the past and wish you well.


Kind regards

Ooooh I could believe this!

P&J today
[www.pressandjournal.co.uk]



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 19.38hrs Sat 27 Oct 18 by EMCD11.

Occams Razor - the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

Just didn't want cameras viewing their commercial operation that they had no control over.

BBC News - Problems affecting Cairngorms funicular hits ski school
[www.bbc.co.uk]

A lack of snow????? It's f*cking October

It is very charitable for NR to close their own snowsports school to allow other local businesses a bigger slice of the pie...

Really good to see the farce has reached the national press. Alan B had a good interview on STV news.

Susan Smith done a great job of throwing NR under the bus (or Funicular, if it worked). And even said HIE are supportive of snowsports on CG. I almost choked on my spoonful of peas....

Can anyone explain this "lack of snow" comment to me. Is he just trying to think of something to say and blame climate change on it rather than their utter negligence? It's baffling. Or is it a dig at the counci/planning authority for denying planning permission for the dry slope. Whatever it is he and NR/HIE need holding accountable for this continuous blatant lying to the public.

I have emailed the BBC to ask them to correct this @ [www.bbc.co.uk]

Please add the URL where relevant
[www.bbc.co.uk]
Comments
The mention of "Lack of snow" in this report is inaccurate and misleading. It is the last week in October. No ski resort in Scotland has yet opened for skiing. The decision to cancel the snowsport school is due to the inability to access the snow that will fall during the winter, as the main ski uplift is closed, not because there won't be any snow.

The entire debacle of what is happening at Cairngorm is well worthy of a BBC Investigation. A very rich seam to mine.

Further to My post on 24 October, I received a reply from Cairngorm on Friday 26 October. I have now replied to the reply. The Bold thing doesn't work here however...

"Dear Janette,

Thank you for your reply. I note that you have not answered the questions in my initial email. For the sake of clarity, I have highlighted my questions in bold in this email.

At the time of sending my initial email I had read your updates issued on 1 October and 11 October. I have since read a further update issued by HIE on 23 October. I note from the HIE update that the anticipated date of completion for the latest Engineer's Report has slipped from; "The findings of the detailed investigations are expected in November." (Cairngorm website, 1 October 2018)

to; "A report of the investigation is expected in early December." (HIE website, 23 October 2018)

Is this an official change, or simply a different interpretation of the same information by two different parties? If the latter, which is correct?

I have also read a number of press reports, including from both the BBC and the P&J.

The BBC report regarding the closure of the Snowsports School dated 29 October states;

"A lack of snow for the school's lessons has also played a part in the decision to cancel it this season."

I have challenged the BBC on this as this is simply an unknown at the current time - maybe the journalist has simply got the wrong end of the stick, not understanding that normally the majority of lessons take place in the Ptarmigan Bowl, and my experience of the last 25 years has shown that this area is very snowsure. Ergo, the issue isn't the lack of snow, but the lack of access to the snow.

In the same article Ewan Kearney is quoted as saying "Given the uncertainty surrounding the funicular and the likely knock-on effects to CairnGorm Mountain's carrying capacity, coupled with limited snow cover for lessons, we have made the decision not to operate our own Snow School this winter..."

I note that as of tonight, all of the pages regarding the Snowsports School are still live on your website. I would urge you to remove these at the earliest opportunity.

I share Ewan's concerns, especially regarding uncertainty over the funicular, the capacity of the mountain to function without the funicular, and the nature of natural low-level snow cover.

In my last email I asked;
I note from your press release dated 11/10/18 that you state:
“A key component of the plan will be the potential to utilise snow making equipment at lower levels, making the mountainside accessible for beginners, and reducing congestion in other high traffic areas.”

How many Snow Factories do you anticipate installing to guarantee uplift on the Lower Slopes?

If uplift remains restricted come the commencement of the snowsports season, will overall ticket sales be restricted to compensate for lack of uplift capacity?
My personal observation would be that the single Snow Factory was very effective in the immediate area in which it was deployed last session, ironically, providing an area for beginner lessons adjacent to the main carpark. I would also note that if the Ptarmigan Restaurant and Toilets are closed (P&J website, 6 October 2018) this winter season, this area would also be the closest to a very limited catering service, and the only available toilets on the Mountain.

Can you please clarify whether the Ptarmigan building will be open this winter, regardless of the operation of the funicular?

Have the team discussed servicing the building using access other than the funicular?

I would also like an answer to the final question I asked in my initial email;

If Season Ticket holders feel that the service that they have purchased is not being provided, will Cairngorm Mountain refund the cost of the tickets?
I would note that the deadline for purchasing an Early Bird Season Pass at Glencoe is 31 October at 12pm.

Regards,

It's worth noting that all but 2 of Cairngorms own webcams have been offline since 19/9/2018. The two remaining cameras are of little use for anybody wanting to monitor the state of the funicular or work being done on it.

Personally, I wouldn't have taken the presence of people checking out the funicular as suspicious per-se, I would have expected a thorough annual check regardless. I suspect they are more interested in hiding a significant increase in such activity compared to the historical average.

I think the lack of hi-vis clad people checking the funicular is what caused this debacle in the first place.
That and the fact they appear to have bought the thing from the same guy who sold Springfield and Shelbyville their monorails.
I would expect daily, weekly & monthly checks during the season and monthly and annual surveys using a level from proper datums to establish if movement or deformation has occurred all logged and detailed. With the monthly and annual surveys checking the piers for movement and condition. This deterioration does not happen overnight. It should have been caught by the maintenance and monitoring program in its early stages so that remedial actions could take place in the off season prior to it reaching the point of endangering patrons or having a major impact on business operations.
I believe they (CML, HIE, NAIL) are simply half-arsed and ignorant and the thing they are trying to cover up is their own ineptitude and astounding arrogance.

I think this has come from the fact that without the train, they'll have no way of getting beginners up to the more reliable snow cover at the top of the mountain. Hence they anticipate "lack of snow cover" being a problem before it actually is.

If only they had had one of those old fashioned "chairlift" thingies, eh?

HIE are to purchase £1m of snow making equipment for use by CML this season.