Potentially doing it over a long timescale might reduce the cost and make reinstatement of the ground simpler. It also depends on where the most complex problems are - could the Funicular being shortened with a new classic ballast track passing loop built half way up the White Lady with the Sheiling the terminus be done for a fraction of the full refit with a new lift to mid-station level?

The bottom section could then be gradually nibbled away at when ground conditions were favourable, without the pressure of the Section 50 conditions.

HIE needs to be transparent here and provide clarity of whether it is some beams, some piers, or a systemic system wide issue with the entire viaduct structure.

Regardless of who puts it in, if they have any sense they should be looking now for at two chairs, aka Car Park and White Lady, ideally fixed grip quads. Relatively cheap and quick to install and potentially re-relocatable to the Ciste if the long term plan for the Cas makes them redundant.

That solves the immediate crisis, will provide some summer revenue and give a breathing space to formulate proper long term plans. What worries me is that we'll get a rushed grand plan, which might see the surface only uplift for several years while the bureaucrats dither.

It'll be interesting to see if any planning applications pop up in the next few months.

Have Glencoe got another chair installed ?

If they are sharing knowledge cairngorms can show them how tae make snow......

Only the Rannoch Chair.

I thought so but that hero quote threw me and they had installed one awready..

There's a chair at Nevis that could and should get put tae better use.

The weather and the train being out is a boot in the baws that Cairngorm needed, lets hope they see the point of more snowmaking along with decent lifts, cant have one withoot the other..

Be interesting tae see how fast they move and in what direction.....

growwild, Sharing knowledge with Cairngorm is great but it's just a lack of cannons that's preventing decent snowmaking at Glencoe. Our one working cannon and snowfactory have been running day and night when conditions permit. If we had 8 nice new shiny TR8's I'm sure we could put down a pretty good base on the mountain as well.

I'm sure HIE will be happy to help....

Maybe you need to buy an old train and claim that it has broken down, voila £1M of snowmaking equipment.

I wonder how the income is looking for this season at Cairn Gorm?

Worthwhile bringing this thread back to the fore because £25.6m of repairs and 5 years 2 months on we are in exactly the same situation as end of September 2018.

Over that 5 years the snowfactory has not been relocated from it's temporary location blocking the view from the Cas Bar and Daylodge Cafe!

Over 5 years on there is still an imbalance between potential out of base capacity with three tows and only 1 that can get you to the Ptarmigan Restaurant and into Coire na Ciste from mid-station level in Coire Cas.

There has been no attempt to spread out the snow guns purchased at public expense at the end of 2018 to give a reasonably uniform coverage of the Carpark Tow track and run, or put in sufficient power points to run them all off mains power simultaneously.

Where they had previously carried out ground works to smooth out a beginner slope for use with the snow factory and magic carpets, they've built big bike track berms which have made the ground profile far rougher than before the 'smoothing' work.

Prior to any expenditure in 2023 or the subsidy checks during the later part of 2022 from HIE, the total HIE expenditure on CairnGorm Mountain either on behalf of or funding to CairnGorm Mountain Ltd since the announcement of Natural Retreats as preferred bidder in 2013 stood at £51 million.

What is there to show for it?