Cairngorm was quiet today and the run from top to bottom is now broken in 4 places from the bottom of Lower Slopes down to the base station and very narrow below Sheiling Station. The top runs are still either full width or close to it. White Lady is in excellent condition but M1 and Side Track are narrow in many places. Cas and Gunbarrel are still pretty good but the M1 tow track is down to around 1 inch depth about 50 metres from the top.
The snow was more springy than sticky today compared with Sunday and although slow going it wasn't too heavy. With a cold snap forecast for the weekend I would expect snowsports to continue from the top to half way station for at least a couple more weeks.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
dont think patching up bits and pieces of tow track will be much of a problem for a reasonable time to come, depth at the top station still decent
moffatross, Look forward to seeing you again, and maybe having a longer chat!
firstracks, that is all looking just sooo cool
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks all - hopefully will get a chance to put some faces to names at the May weekend
In other news, I wonder if anybody remembers this sign?
Phase 1 saw replacement of all the individual chair carriers in 1998. Phases 2 and 3 were shelved following construction of the funicular.
4 years after completion of Phase 1 the Ciste Chair carried its last public passengers. 2 years later the West Wall Chair did likewise. 1 year later and it was announced that the lifts were to be decommissioned.
Ironic, considering that their plans in the late 1990s were to do anything but.
Yesterday, I took this picture. As an open question, which lift - the West Wall Chair or the West Wall Poma - would snowheads consider to be best placed to serve the natural snowfields in Coire na Ciste?
[img]http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/file.php?2,file=6504[/img]
If you think the Ciste Chairlifts are better placed than the West Wall Poma, I'd ask that you add your voice to the on-line petition calling for their reinstatement: www.savetheciste.com.
Last time I was there (friday last week, with fresh powder) I gave up on the traverse over to the WWP, skied to the board walk, skied the snow on the board walk, then walked upto the WWP. Gave a much better ski and the walk up to the WWP from the chair was no worse than the high traverse (which was already broken).
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Dave Horsley, Good to know ... will look out for those issues next weekend!
After all it is free
After all it is free
Question is though whether the WWP will be running - are there not 'issues'?
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roga, Ooh! - i certainly hope so.
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DOwn as "closed" on the cairngorm website when I checked earlier
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
WWP probably won't run - bottom of the track was already getting thin and with no working big KB to move snow down to patch the track my guess is the bottom of the track will have been lost in the warm and wet weather this week. Will have to ski Gulley 1 or 2 and skin out, which probably means saving it as the last run of the day.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
^ or ski/walk down and get someone to pick up from the Ciste car park.
Yet another reason to reinstate the chair!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
1/2 an hour to hoof it out back to the cas car park.Maybe 5 mins longer now as some of the skiing was down the burn on tenuous snow bridges.
Worth it though as no2 gully had the best snow at the weekend, quiet too.
This was the end of the snow in the ciste on saturday -
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Overheard last night in the curry house in Aviemore that Roga had achieved top to bottom skiing (some commando style ) on his last run down the Cas side at Cairngorm on Saturday.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
what i never realised is how much snow must be needed to cover everything at cairngorm. its rock and heather by the looks of it. never noticed that before!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
There is still some good snow at Cairngorm if you know were to look for it. It's just a shame the piste bashers are bust otherwise there would have been a whole host more today....
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Ricklovesthepowder wrote:
what i never realised is how much snow must be needed to cover everything at cairngorm. its rock and heather by the looks of it. never noticed that before!
I wonder if all the dark heather and rocks in Scotland accelerate the melting of snow.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
From the BBC
Quote:
Skiers enjoy bank holiday snow on Cairngorm
A spokeswoman for CairnGorm Mountain said the winter sports facilities would stay open for weekends in May if demand remained high.
This was the end of the snow in the ciste on saturday
By sunday that snow bridge had gone, most of us skiied the right hand bank but Ledge chose the bolder line to the left
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
rikochet wrote:
Overheard last night in the curry house in Aviemore
Were you in there Saturday? You should have come over and said hello
Quote:
that Roga had achieved top to bottom skiing (some commando style ) on his last run down the Cas side at Cairngorm on Saturday.
It wasn't just me, Easiski, andytb and ledge were there too as I recall - it wasn't too taxing to be honest and was good fun (at least IMHO).
Sunday was the best one though, skiing down the Ciste gully then combat skiing down to the car park - I can confirm that easiski managed to keep her skis on the most and I'm very impressed with her heather skiing and rock hopping, far better than me (far braver) - the run down the Ciste was probably the highlight of the weekend for me, some great snow further up and great fun getting down the rest and avoiding a dunking in the stream. I have some photos and will post tonight if I don't crash out early.
Oh and a quick read of Winterhighland and I spotted the followoing: "Amazingly despite the fact its May the models are really firming up on a prologned cold spell now with Northerly winds ... Expect a fair bit of snow to fall this month with sking right through the month if it comes off ..."
Well wow (if true)!
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 4-05-10 9:15; edited 1 time in total
On the BBC telly this morning suggesting skiing till June
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
david@mediacopy wrote:
On the BBC telly this morning suggesting skiing till June
Can't see the Cas bowl lasting that long but Ptarmigan bowl, certainly
After all it is free
After all it is free
^ Was that on BBC breakfast?
Missed it but must take a look online.
I'm slightly pessimistic about the tows staying open every weekend into June though I'm afraid, this from a new BBC article suggests to me pessimism might be the most sensible approach:
Quote:
Tania Alliod, marketing manager, said the snow was still 9ft (3m) in places and could last into June.
"As long as there is demand - at least 300 skiers and snowboarders each day - we will continue to offer skiing each weekend in May," she said.
I live in hope but I fear that 300 is a rather high number so lets hope Ms Alliod is not representing a company policy that's set in stone.
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roga, Yep, BBC Breakfast. Just a short clip.
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Lets hope they count season ticket holders who turn up aswell.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Dave Horsley, Nice to meet you on sunday. It certainly looked to me as though the Ptarmigan bowl and the Cas could go on for a long while, especially if the weather stays cool. There must be at least 3m in the gunbarrel. That gully is seriously deep when you see it in summer. I will post a TR tomorrow with all the photos I took.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
The Beeb also reports that:
"Ms Alliod said some investment projects on the mountain were being considered, but she added: "All of [the Scottish ski centres] are reeling from the worst skiing season on record three years ago, so we are going to keep our feet on the ground because we don't know what next year holds."
So they are using a poor winter 3 years ago to make the case as to why the millions they have raked in this winter will not be spent on upgrading infrastructure/facilities for skiers and boarders
Quote:
"As long as there is demand - at least 300 skiers and snowboarders each day - we will continue to offer skiing each weekend in May,"
I'm no businessman, but does Cairngorm - which would have the train running anyway for cake and souvenir hunters - really need to take £6k (ie 300 skiers x £20 reduced lift pass) to make snowsports viable? The train plus Ciste and Cas tows would probably do for end of season uplift. So, the train running anyway plus 2 lifts for £6k??
I have skied Cairngorm on several end of season weekends when there has been virtually no-one there - so 300 seems a very high number.....
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
mountainaddict, raking in millions? I seriously doubt it.....
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
kitenski, >100k skier days @ £20 a day... millions
In reality most people pay more than £20 a day but I am guessing some of those numbers are season ticket holders.
BTW, at a guess, 300 a day is the kind of number that Glencoe would love in peak season and they would run 7 lifts to service the area. As Cairngorm's train is going to run anyway and they'd only be running 4 drags, it seems strange to consider ending the season while there are still customers.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
arv wrote:
kitenski, >100k skier days @ £20 a day... millions
In reality most people pay more than £20 a day but I am guessing some of those numbers are season ticket holders.
Would be interesting to see the real figures.
revenue in the millions - yes, profit - surely not?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
kitenski, any comment would be total guess work. Winterhighland would probably be the best bet for an estimate, maybe he could comment?
moffatross, still plenty snow! Looks fantastic. Terrible music
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Quote:
raking in millions? I seriously doubt it.....
I think I'm correct in saying that it's quite some time since Cairngorm announced 200,000 skier visits this season. A full price day ticket actually cost £30 this season (currently reduced to £20) - so even at the reduced cost this would = £4m.
Not to mention that every time that I have visited Cairngorm in the past few years the funicular has been busy on every run with sightseers - at £9 per return trip. And then there's the cafes, equipment hire and lessons.
So yes, they've raked in multi-millions this season. All excellent for Scottish skiing of course - and surely reason enough to spend a few quid to improve the customer experience.
kitenski, any comment would be total guess work. Winterhighland would probably be the best bet for an estimate, maybe he could comment?
Indeed......
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
If they ran the Ptarmigan and Ciste tows and stopped for people at the mid station of the funi every time I would have thought that would be viable. They could actually do without the M1 and Cas if the funi stopped. thus, skiing would be possible on the top but also Fiacal, Cas, Coronation and Headwall, White Lady etc. All with only 2 drags going.
Of course they also need lifties, ski patrol, mechanics etc. on the mountain ....
Tania was on the radio on Monday or Tuesday morning (5live wake up to money) and said skier numbers so far this year were 141k (that may or may not include season ticket holders who are added at the end at a rate of 12 skier days per season ticket holder (info from a thread on winterhighland). That probably means revenue of around 3 million on ticket sales plus ski hire and cafe spend.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Dave Horsley, and I got the feeling that the ski hire & cafe revenues could be improved somewhat.
brian
brian Guest
Dave Horsley, istr Cairngorm stating at some point their break even figure is around 55000 skier days, so that's a really encouraging number.
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david@mediacopy,
Possibly,
On busy days there isn't enough cafe capacity - with massive queues in both the Cas bar/T bar and the Ptarmigan. Shame the Sheiling has been allowed to fall into disrepair - would make a fine place for a weekend only cafe serving a limited range of hot and cold drinks and snacks, plus allowing packed lunches, to take the pressure off the Ptarmigan. I'd also get rid of the shop in the daylodge (move it elsewhere in the daylodge?) and extend the Cas bar (at least over the winter when the Cas is busier). Can't comment on the hire as I've never used it.
brian,
Yep target skier numbers is 55 or 56K, I think they actually make a small paper profit on those numbers. HIE will take more of the revenue this year (when CML was independant the rental fee for the ski area was reduced from £500k to £100k, but if revenue was above a set figure a % of the additional revenue was paid to HIE) as I think a similar arrangement will be in force. Hopefully some of this years additional profit will be ploughed back into the ski infrastructure (perhaps literally).
A lot of replacement fence work is lined up - they were taking the rolls of fencing out whilst there was still snow to allow access by kb. They are also replacing all the bars on the Cas T bar with oil boxes so there should be less stoppages when people throw the bars away.
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Here are two super views from the weekend. The full report is on my blog at www.easiski.com/blog1 .
Conditions were absolutely fine TBH. There was no slush worse than I've skied in the alps at this time of year, and the hard snow was no harder ditto. The alps often has skiing in the spaces between the rocks at this time of year too. In fact, at a distance, it was hard to see the difference between Cairngorm and a couple of the pix I took in LDA last June! Only the sky gives it away
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