Indeed, back in the day no one seemed interested in following due process when executives had easy access to the public purse to promote their vanity projects.

Roost to coming chickens home?

You mean like this:

[jwalker.ch]

Still need the platforms on the back for kids/tourists, but have those T bars behind also...double the capacity on a piste bully...& if others in EU & Canada can do this then a precedent has been set & Health & safety can get stuffed...

That's it folks the pair of us have sorted out how to get around the train....with minimal expenditure whilst at the same time providing a "unique" experience that no one else does in UK...

& the both of us will be expecting free season passes….CGM Ltd/NR as I know you are watching this...


---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---

I have ridden the Les Deux Alpes -> La Grave one. It is not the easiest to use, and this is partly by design. If you can't cope with the uplift, THERE IS NO WAY YOU SHOULD BE SKIING AT LA GRAVE.
They use heavy hemp ropes - like those in a school gym hall, and they sag a lot between riders and from the back of the machine. It would be very easy to be knocked off by someone falling in front of you - the spacing is much closer than on t-bar upline.
Ideally you'd load in a competency based order, with the weakest skiers/boarders at the back to reduce the risk of collateral dislodging if they fell.

Here we are talking about accessing the snow-sure beginner areas on the mountain. There is no way a five year old or novice would manage it, and as an uplift method to reach the Ptarmigan bowl it is unsuitable.

Thats why I posted about the platforms on the piste bullys…& why I also said in the above post to use both.....

So have a piste bully with platform mounted on rear deck with high side rails/ladder to take kids beginners...& pulling a couple of tow rope behind to take the advanced lot...huge amount in one go for up the traverse...

---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---

I see CM lost over 1 million last year and now have net assets of over 2 million negative. The holding company lost 5 million and has net assets of 34 million negative. Surely David Gorton as rich and nice as he is is going to say enough enough sooner rather than later. Which makes this whole debate a bit a academic.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 18.25hrs Sat 20 Oct 18 by JollyDee.

This is how we do it on Lowther Hill :-)

[rossofmoffat.com]

Nice. Drop me a message when you're in town next if you have time to meet for a cuppa :-)

Hi all, long time lurker first time poster here.

Don't know if anyone heard it but there was a piece on the Cairngorm fiasco this morning on out of doors on radio Scotland. Starts about 10 minutes in.

A HIE representative waffled and blustered for a few minutes without really saying anything. In his words they're "very content" with the decision to remove the Ciste chairlift! Disclaimer: it'll probably make you angry.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

Cheers

You can walk up the path to the Sunkid tow and have a look for yourselves at what's happening with the supporting pillars. Just look across and it's instantly noticeable. What struck me is that every single pillar that runs along the site of that mad mental Shieling destructive dig from a few years back is now misaligned.

There are others above the mid station too but the concentration along the side of the Sunkid is astonishing.

Perhaps others who have the knowledge can tell me why that would be the case? Go up and see for yourself. Drop in and buy a coffee, CML need your pennies right now.

Hi Moffat Ross,
Message in your in box
Paraffin

HIE FAQ on the Funicular - though numerous points are of the well it's CMLs problem so ask them!

[www.hie.co.uk]

Now it could just be badly written by someone who didn't grasp the difference between Funicular sightseers and snowsports customers, but it does suggest that the facilities at the Ptarmigan will be closed this coming season.

That's just a copout, Nevis, Glencoe and Glenshee manage to operate catering facilities that can only be serviced via over snow transport. There is no good reason for the Ptarmigan Restaurant not opening when the tows are running to the upper mountain.

Indeed if the Ptarmigan were to be closed for winter, the lack of space in the Daylodge would only serve as another disincentive to visit CairnGorm this coming winter.

Given sightseeing visitors won't be able to go up the mountain without the Funicular and ski schools won't be able to get beginners to the Top Basin, facilities would already be stretched at the Daylodge.

There is a clear need if the Funicular is unlikely to run to sell off a large portion of the stock in the Mountain Shop and restore the Cas Bar before the start of the season.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 21.14hrs Tue 23 Oct 18 by alan.

Not to mention that the Ptarmigan area is very exposed and a quick cuppa in the cafe is often very welcome to warm up. It would be a real shame if they did not open the Ptarmigan this winter. Ticket holders aside, it is always popular with walkers and tourers.

HIE needs to be asked why they are stating in that link that these problems first came to light in summer this year...I thought that engineers report that you got re the problems was dated in 2016?....

Have I got my facts wrong or are HIE telling lies??


Secondly, NAIL last accounts describes the nature of the business (as all accounts do) & what its plans are..."holiday lettings, land ownership property development, the provision of retail & guiding services, and the provisions of all year round tourist attractions providing mountain railway experiences, retail, catering, and winter recreational activities.


The actual whole point & reason for CGML which makes up a big part of NAIL is mentions last...behind the "guiding services & retail, & mountain railway experience"...which it isn't...it's nothing like a railway..like Snowdon has...


When NAIL list all the 18 companies which are subsidiaries of NAIL, it describes CGML as "Tourist attraction provision"....

one of the other companies listed is "Natural Outfitters Ltd"...which is retail services which was started in 2012 will a net worth of "0"...& has fallen continually to a minus -£1.5million....so that's an asset stripping company...


That's what NR/NAIL reduced CGML too.... & HIE think that's OK?...bunch of feckwits..!!!

---That was not a fall, I intended to do that!---

An update from HIE:

[news.hie.co.uk]

This doesn't have dates but I believe an associated press release which isn't yet on the website says preliminary report by engineers on 3rd December, with discussions with various parties involved with a more final report by Christmas.

The above statement states that the Ptarmigan will be closed until the Funicular is fixed. If Natural Retreats doesn't have the gumption to operate the Ptarmigan Restaurant by over snow transport then remove them and put it an operating entity that does.

Could there be scope for a community interest company made up of local businesses, community and a consortium interest of the the other Scottish Ski Areas to salvage something from this mess for the sake not just of Strathspey but the well being of Scottish snowsports as a whole?