 Poster: A snowHead
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29444673
IMO the new name is a bit naff, to say the least - it'll never catch on. What's wrong with Ptarmigan anyway? Nothing wrong with leaving it at that with the bird's close association with the Cairngorms.
Whatever next? Why not 're-brand' the Ptarmigan Tow and Ptarmigan Bowl? Or how about sponsorship......
- The Pepsi Max Draglift?
- The Totally Awesome Learners' Zone: Sponsored by Starbucks?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-29444673
IMO the new name is a bit naff, to say the least - it'll never catch on. What's wrong with Ptarmigan anyway? Nothing wrong with leaving it at that with the bird's close association with the Cairngorms.
Whatever next? Why not 're-brand' the Ptarmigan Tow and Ptarmigan Bowl? Or how about sponsorship......
- The Pepsi Max Draglift?
- The Totally Awesome Learners' Zone: Sponsored by Starbucks? |
I don't see the problem with the cafe name change and I think I am chancing my luck by saying I wouldn't have a problem with the name changes you suggested!! If it meant an improvement in facilities and more investment on the mountain then go for it, it seems they are removing uplift from Cairngorm mountain so if selling out to some large brands meant cash coming in then I think it would be a broadly a positive move.
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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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Have to agree mountainaddict, everyone knows it as Ptarmigan cafe and will still call it that, certainly can't see them saying meet you at the 1097. New owners are not making a very good impression with their regular customers especially season ticket holders as they have decided season tickets will not cover the train all year round as they previously had.
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... apparently the marketing gurus at Natural Retreats thought "Ptarmigan" was too hard to pronounce.
I kid you not 
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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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Just be glad they didn't call it a stupid gastropub name "The Pleasured Pig", "The Rampant Reindeer" "Organic Ocelot".
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Haggis_Trap, lol.
ten seventynine or one thousand and seventynine just rolls off the tongue though eh, unlike ptarmigan 
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| Just be glad they didn't call it a stupid gastropub name "The Pleasured Pig", "The Rampant Reindeer" "Organic Ocelot". |
or the Ptolemaic ptarmigan
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I agree with the pricing in Scottish resorts - it's not on to charge full prices for an incomplete set of uplift but that's the freemarket eh? Just saying that change is not a bad thing and if it's simply the name of a cafe then where's the harm it's not like the name change will make your cup of tea taste any worse.
Judging by your break down of my comments (the second quote is a little out of context, it was a hypothetical point) you seem very attached to the Ptarmigan name so I have a simple solution which might work for you.....Never EVER call it the 1097 cafe, always refer to it as the Ptarmigan cafe when speaking about the cafe and refuse to acknowledge the existence of anyone who calls it 1097.
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Let's hope the food improves with the name change!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Can't see how the quote is out of context - though that wasn't my intention. Just that you think it could all lead to improvements on the hill - and I don't. As I said, it's all about opinions and you are entitled (of course) to your view.
Thanks for the very handy tips concerning the name change
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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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Changing the name is a cheap, pathetic marketing gimmick, presumeably intended to con the public into thinking there is something wholly new being created.
The issue is the loss of Scottish skiing heritage. The Ptarmigan is a piece of UK snowsports history and the highest building in the country. It has all sorts of powerful memories for thousands of people and its name is entirely fitting for its modern context, high in the Cairngorms National Park.
The excuse that 'Ptarmigan' is too difficult to pronounce says everything you need to know about this level of corporate marketing 
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You're right, Peter. I'm not clear as to the motives of Natural Retreats running Cairngorm, but they don't come across as Natural Skiers. Maybe they will beat a Hasty Retreat.
Yes, it was the Ptarmigan when I worked on Cairngorm for the first time in December 1974 (i.e. 40 years) ago, when the original dome-shaped cafe up there was going strong, and it'll always be called the Ptarmigan by Cairngorm's skiers.
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You know it makes sense.
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Have to agree with Peter. And what kind of marketing genius knowing (presumably) that Cairngorm is competing for business against the Alps in these days of cheap flights, would draw attention to it's relatively low altitude?
Of course many of us know to take latitude into account, but a huge slice of the market just looks at the highest figure when searching for snow.
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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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The Scottish highlands have a big tourist base from outside the UK. Keeping Cairngorm financially viable depends on year round tourism not just skiers, and the most profitable of these (presumably as the costs are low) are the summer tourists who pay to go for a train ride to get some food. Using a name that they can easily market makes much more business sense.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Good point Elizabeth B, I hadn't thought about non-skiers. It's still heritage vandalism though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
| Using a name that they can easily market makes much more business sense. |
Er, why can't they market the name Ptarmigan? So at the moment it goes something like this?....Summer tourist sees one of the Cairngorm promo leaflets that are widely available throughout Scotland and thinks: 'That train ride up a mountain looks good - let's go there. Hang on...what's that restaurant at the top called?.....Forget it!'
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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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I was at Newcastle Uni from 1974. The main bar was called The Men's Bar. At some point some pressure group got it renamed The People's Bar.
No-one liked that name apart from no doubt those who forced through the name change. So we all kept calling it The Men's Bar.
And I have just checked and 40 years on it is officially The Men's Bar.
So lets just keep referring to the Ptarmigan as Comedy Goldsmith says.
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I prefer "Ten Ninety Seven".
Never knew how to say Pertarmigan.
Now it's back as a county, I think there's a few dodgy looking place names up there that should be sorted out.
Consultancy fees well spent!
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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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Just calling it the 'tarmigan whould have kept everybody happy, shirley.
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Happens all the time on the continent when Brits rename runs like 'the happy valley' or 'the hidden valley'. The locals still call them by their own language original names. I reckon that is exactly what will happen here too. I know it'll always be the ptarmigan to me and my mates.
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| altis wrote: |
| Just calling it the 'tarmigan whould have kept everybody happy, shirley. |
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| MCL wrote: |
| Let's hope the food improves with the name change! |
I had a great chilli in there - its just the plastic canteen ambience that lets it down. Needs to be decked out in tongue in groove 
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| ... narrow minded and ignorant British nationalism at its very best. |
Switch off the irony filter on yer pc
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If they've changed the name of the restaurant because punters can't pronounce the name of it, surely the next logical step will be to change the name of the unpronounceable cutlery in the unpronounceable restaurant!
New name for knives, anyone? 
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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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I've not yet had the pleasure of skiing the cairngorm, so not coming at this with any pre-conceived notions of what the restaurant should be called, or if either name suits the character.
Speaking objectively, if I was in the area and heard there was a restaurant called 1079 ,which indicated it was the highest building in the country, I'd be more likely to visit. If I heard there was a restaurant named Ptarmigan, I doubt I'd carry on listening, as I'm not particularly interested in ornithology. I wonder if you said to my kids 'do you want to go to a restaurant that's on top of a mountain and is the highest building in Britain, or one that's named after a bird' does anyone think they'd choose the latter?
I suspect that would be the reason for the name change
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You know it makes sense.
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As you cannot drive to the restaurant (you need to take the funicular) I don't think many tourists visit the ptarmigan bowl primarily to use the restaurant. They are usually there for walking, skiing etc.
There isn't a plethora of other eateries to choose from on the hill that it has to compete with.
It may attract a few visitors on novelty value regarding height, doubt that many, and not enough IMV to warrant a name change.
Out of interest how many English premiership fans still call the stadiums by their old (non-sponsor) names??
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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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The CairnGormJock restaurant? pop my consultancy fees in the post
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The height is comparable to scandinavian resorts, so thats not an issue....the tree line in scotland doesn't go much past 600m due to weather extremes. Rather than rename the cafe, they should improve the other million things which make skiing there a right pain in the bahookie!.
Meanwhile at Glenshee they're getting on with important things, like building/replacing chairlifts.
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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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| AndyG wrote: |
| Meanwhile at Glenshee they're getting on with important things, like building/replacing chairlifts. |
..and getting rid of the decrepit Spittal of Glenshee Hotel in a fire!
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RIP the spittal!...used to quite like it many years ago (about 20 years ago) but it really needed upgraded, esp in the last few years of it's life. These electrical fires seem to happen a lot in failing hotels!
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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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It's not even 1097 according to the OS 1:50k map - more like 1080.
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| dode wrote: |
I don't think many tourists visit the ptarmigan bowl primarily to use the restaurant.
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Yes they do! On account of not being allowed to do anything else  Outwith the ski season all they can do is eat, drink, shop and hope to spot a 'tarmigan if they've bought their 'bins' with them.
They cannot leave the restaurant to explore the protected realm of the snow fences and bulldozed pistes in their summer glory.
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Tourists hoping to spot a ptarmigan eh?
Surely they must now be being told to look out for a 1097?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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"Out of interest how many English premiership fans still call the stadiums by their old (non-sponsor) names??"
The answer is none - as there are no premier league grounds that have changed name.
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Bergmeister, is man c not the etihad, and arsenal the emirates???
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FAQ
