 Poster: A snowHead
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This can only be good news IMO.
http://www.naturalretreats.com/uk/cairngormmountain/press-release/
NATURAL RETREATS ARE OFFICIAL OPERATORS OF CAIRNGORM MOUNTAIN
June 2014
Natural Retreats, a specialist leisure and travel company, are delighted to officially take over operations at Cairngorm Mountain today, marking the beginning a 25-year long-term lease.
Renowned for offering customers and guests high quality tourism based experiences in some of the most dramatic natural locations around the world, Natural Retreats have been operating since 2004, when the company was founded by Matthew Spence.
Spence, Chief Executive Officer at Natural Retreats, said: “Today is a fantastic day for both Natural Retreats and Cairngorm Mountain. We have a highly ambitious vision for the next 25 years, and want to elevate this incredible destination.
It’s the most remarkable natural landscape, located in one of the world’s most beautiful countries, and provides the ultimate playground for mountain bikers, triathletes, skiers, hikers, and snowboarders.
We will build the best Terrain Park in the world here, and my long-term goal is to host the summer and winter X Games at Cairngorm Mountain. This is a world-class destination and Natural Retreats want to build a stable of winter and summer sports athletes from this spectacular base.
We will nurture, develop and create future British Olympians at Cairngorm Mountain. These athletes will win gold medals at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and the Summer Olympics in 2020 – we want to bring a true sense of pride and place to one of Scotland’s most incredible assets.
Natural Retreats strives to enable people to enjoy a way of life in a natural world, and we want to deliver world-class experiences at Cairngorm Mountain for everybody. We are big believers in access for all, and this remarkable landscape, thanks to the funicular, can be enjoyed by everyone, despite age or ability.
This is what makes Cairngorm Mountain so special to me. I have a sincere belief that we have an obligation to expose ourselves and future generations to the true beauty of nature, to enjoy experiences that build lifelong memories.
As a child, my father, who I lost at a very young age, took me to Yellowstone National Park. That experience left a lasting impression on me. It exposed me to the richness of the outdoors and it is this feeling, those childhood memories, which drive Natural Retreats.
We want to mobilise the public and help them enjoy the natural world. To enjoy that feeling when you watch a sunset from a mountain top, that feeling when you’re exploring a National Park for the first time, that feeling when you watch your youngest daughter take to the slopes. If only I could bottle up and sell that feeling – that is the lifeblood that runs through the company.
We recognise the challenges at Cairngorm Mountain and we know we need to improve the facilities here, but we have a long-term vision that will be realised over time.
We will improve all aspects of the Resort – building a leading nursery slope for beginners who will enjoy world-class lessons. The current Day Lodge will be replaced with a Centre of Excellence for athletes, and it is from here that we will develop future gold medal winners. It will also provide a Centre of Activity for children and a Centre of Experience for all.
We want to work hand-in-hand with local businesses and the community – this is integral, and together we will elevate ideas and ambition. We want Cairngorm Mountain and Aviemore to compete with Mont-Blanc and Chamonix, with Vail Resort and Boulder. Aviemore has all the assets to become the Adventure Capital of Europe, and the wider area offers some of the best experiences around.”
In April, Natural Retreats revealed a £6.2m five-year investment plan that will secure the future of Cairngorm Resort for the next 25 years. Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) is supporting the development with a £4m loan to replace the current Day Lodge.
Natural Retreats’ business plan is to further develop snowsports and diversify the business into a high quality, year-round attraction. Key objectives are to provide more activities at the Resort, offer a diverse snowsports destination, create a full day of summer activities, create a higher quality product offering, increase new and repeat visitation, increase food & beverage outlets, range and quality of offerings, expand retail offering and improve quality and profitability of retail lines, create a new Activity Centre and a new Education Centre.
HIE will continue to own Cairngorm Estate, including the funicular and associated infrastructure on the mountain. The new arrangement has seen the ownership of current operator Cairngorm Mountain Ltd transfer from HIE to Natural Retreats. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Never mind the gold medal winners.....what about queues and lift pass prices
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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?
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Looking forward to the "Speyside Powder" and stable days of sunshine that Scotland offers
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Well, you've got to admire his chutzpah although I must confess to a degree of scepticism about the 'best terrain park in the world'. Anyway, you've got to dream 'big', so best of luck to them. Who knows they might even get me to come and try it one day.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I believe 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Better get your broadband sorted out now 'Call of Duty' is an ExGames event.
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Is the guy mental? In what respect is Boulder, a funky university town in what is nearly a satellite of Denver comparable to a barren mountain plateau? OK so they have climbing and airsports opportunities on the edge of town but it's not a ski town.
And what does running a holiday cottage booking site have to do with running a day recreational area? Would you think Foxtons were a goodbet for running Legoland?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Dave of the Marmottes, I found Aviemore to be a fantastic little town for Apres - have you been there?
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Haggis_Trap, although, one could argue, if one were so inclined, that "Rule #1 of running a Scottish Ski Resort : Don't pretend to be something you are not" has been followed by a number of operators with predictable results.
If you aren't happy with the outcome of your actions... 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Dave of the Marmottes,
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what does running a holiday cottage booking site have to do with running a day recreational area?
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THat is sadly what I wondered as well, + where did the financing come from? as the Natural Retreats site didn't give one the impression of an immense cash reserve. Who knows though??
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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.
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| Shimmy Alcott wrote: |
| Dave of the Marmottes, I found Aviemore to be a fantastic little town for Apres - have you been there? |
Many times though not recently. Nice enough little town ( if AIUI they've replaced the brutality Avimore Centre ) but not world beating.
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Do you think he knows that all the Non US winter X Games were cancelled last year by ESPN. I don't think there are plans to continue with the idea.
Andy
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You know it makes sense.
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That press release is a total embarrassment...
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Is the guy mental?
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Agreed. I love Cairngorm Mountain - and Scottish skiing in general - but this is all just completely beyond belief. Deluded fantasist comes to mind. Wonder if he's ever been to Cairngorm - or whether he thinks they have actually taken over Vail or Chamonix?
I'm going to contact them and ask them to make sure that they offer cat and heliskiing too. And maybe the heli could take off from an Abramovich-style super yacht on Loch Morlich?
Staggering. Just staggering. 
Still, I could be wrong and be eating my words as I board Scotland's first detachable six pack in the Ciste next winter......
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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+1
He could start with a modest ambition of establishing them as best day skiing experience in Scotland then extend it to putting in reliable enough snowmaking to attract more business from their nearest foreign neighbours.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You're a bunch of cynics.
A succesful holiday co makes a lateral expansion to buy a mountain resort? I wish them well.
Surely the introduction of a succesful commercial group has to be a good step forward?
Take a look at Snowdonia: lots of activities and constantly developing. You can be sure I will visit all year round.
Hopefully Natural Retreats manage to create a more stable annual cash flow and develop facilities, that doesn't rely upon the support of a bunch of somewhat wayward and selective skiiers, but I notice its a 25 year plan, meaning I will be 70+ by the time the new stuff is running!
Nonetheless his comparison with Yellowstone is unfortunate, even if I agree with his enthusiasm for the Scottish scenery.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| You're a bunch of cynics. |
^ There is a lot of history regarding the Cairngorm funicular so the cynicism is well founded.
Basically they spent a lot of public / EU money building it - at the expense of the other Scottish ski areas and arguably also the ski operations on Cairngorm. Anyone who has skied in Scotland for a long time will be aware how the Cairngorm ski area has been marginalised over the last decade at the expense of running the funicular as a "year round" tourist attraction for non-skiers / tourist buses / cake hunters.
Some of the most snow sure terrain on Cairngorm is situated in the ciste gully - these runs used to be open into April and May and BASI ran their end of season exams there. It is notable that HIE / Natural Retreats have no longer term plans to reinstate the West Wall / Coire Na Ciste chairlifts or White Lady T-Bar.... And this is why most scottish snowsports folk have little enthusiasm for their plans. Over the last decade 6 lifts have been removed from Cairngorm and not been replaced. Despite very strong skier numbers and plenty of snow the ski area simply can't cope with busy weekends anymore.
X-Games in Scotland ma @rse 
They should focus on getting the basics right first before putting such obvious pish in a press release
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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?
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Well said (again) Haggis_Trap.
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| You're a bunch of cynics |
Good luck to the new operators. To re-iterate, I love the skiing at Cairngorm (and elsewhere in Scotland) - and make the 550-600 mile round trip about 10 times each season. That, coupled with 26 years of skiing in Scotland means I (and others are) am not being cynical - just entirely realistic.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Is building an incredible terrain park that unrealistic? Make snow, push it around, give athletes incentives to train there and Facebook/instagram about it... Given how man-made everything about park skiing is, surely it's more 'controllable' and easier to maintain in unpredictable Scottish weather?
Whether that's likely to increase revenue is obviously a very different matter...
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^ for sure : build a fun wee terrain park in the spring...
it is what the kids want these days and most Scottish resorts have one at the end of season when conditions allow.
however the idea that they can build the "worlds best terrain park" at Cairngorm which could host the winter x-games is laughable.
Scotland simply doesn't have the weather / resources <etc> nor the demand - all 5 resorts have much more basic issues to worry about.
pretending to be something they are not is just plain dumb.
the press release from NR shows just how clueless and removed from reality the "buisness men" at the top actually are - its a classic
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Let's not forget a world class terrain park means up to a mile long run, dedicated lift, up to 4 lines at different standards, constant maintenance by a skilled crew.
Taking a huge publicly funded loan and investing it in a glorified caff which will be your prime source of marginal income is hardly serving the needs of skiers or other mountain recreators. I' d imagine part of the vision includes a Highlands Discovery Centre, some zip wire bollux and a big gift shop.
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