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Half Cairngorm ski area may close if Forestry Commission plans get go ahead
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Cairngorm Piste Map
The proposed new owners of the Cairngorm winter sports area, The Forestry Commission, have published a consultation document that includes a plan to remove most of the winter sports infrastructure/uplift on the Coire na Ciste side of the of the mountain when they take full control. This would effectively almost halve the lift served ski area available, and remove some of the best pistes in Scotland for advanced skiers and boarders.
...What can be done:

1. Take 10 minutes to read and respond to the consultation document that the
Forestry Commission have on their website and e-mail your response back to them.

2. Write to the press, in particular the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, who are
already covering the issue, and vote in their poll (right of page) to show your
opposition to what is happening.

The proposal is inserted in paragraph 67 of the consultation document, under
"FUTURE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS", and in detail proposes:
*The removal of redundant skiing infrastructure (Chairlift No 10 - Coire-na-Ciste, Chairlift No 11 - West Wall, Ski Tow No 5 - Fieciell T-bar, Ski Tow No 12 - Aonach Poma, Foundations of former Ski Tow No 16)
*Demolition and removal of the former ticket office and toilets at the
Coire na Ciste car-park, and
*The scaling down of roading above the Coire Cas car

See:
Consultation on transfer of the Cairngorm estate to Forestry Commission Scotland:
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6sphq6

Strathspey and Badenoch Herald: Outcry over ski uplift removal plan
http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/411/Outcry_over_ski_uplift_removal_plan.html

Strathspey and Badenoch Herald: Letters
http://www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/categoryfront.php/id/47/Letters.html
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Thanks for posting this el Hen - am I the only person who sees a slight irony in this news being posted above a news story titled "Les Arcs Doubles its snow making capability"?

It seems that Scottish resorts, particularly Cairngorm, are crying out for this sort of industry standard kit, the problem over the last few years hasn't been lack of cold it's been lack of snow at the start of the season (and in 2006 there were massive dumps at the end, remember?), and with a bit of investment and commitment I'd say they could guarantee decent cover for much of the season and decent revenues as a result.

The first step though is to follow the links above, write in and voice concerns over these proposals, it doesn't take long, so hit those keyboards folks and support our home grown industry - you know it makes sense Smile
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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?

el Hen, Well spotted - I'm going to pass this around, I live locally and have a good few friends who ski cairngorm year in year out. Evil or Very Mad
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

But let us also be accurate about things - as half the ski area is not going to close. There are plans to remove the Ciste and West Wall Chairs and the Aonach poma. This will leave the area of the Aonach Bowl, Ciste Gulley and West Wall served only by the West Wall Poma. This is by no means ideal as it means any breakdowns of the WW poma will close the best area of advanced skiing until the poma can be fixed. It will lead to big queues if there is good snow earlier in the season than last year. Plus the location of the bottom of the WW poma is not ideal for exiting the Ciste Gulley or Gulleys 1 and 2 as the run in reality ends at the boardwalk that brings you out at the bottom of the WW Chair which starts a few metres lower than the poma. But the majority of the area will still be skiable.

I'm not happy about the proposals and have made my views clear to the FC in my submission, hopefully in a sensible and well reasoned response as was discussed here:
http://snowheads.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=17572&highlight=

and here:
http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,63114

But we need to be measured and reasoned in our arguments and we don't want to put people off visiting cairngorm as one of the reasons we are having these problems is a lack of money to invest in the ski area, and the other is that we are not getting as many skiers at the Scottish areas as in the past. We had very good snow last year at Cairngorm yet bar the first weekend that it arrived (first weekend in March?) when everyone and his dog turned up at Cairngorm and it took hours to get onto the hill, it was relatively quiet with no big queues on any of the lifts. Partly because the snow came for what many people consider to be late in the season. Yet I had good skiing at Cairngorm throughout March and April and into May.

Dave
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Half the skiable area is effectively under threat though Dave, it's not half the infrastructure but leaving just the West Wall Poma serving this side of the mountain leaves it out pon a liumb with no available back up lifts and I'd predict closed most of the season whatever the snow conditions may be. IMHO this is effectively closing almost half the mountain to lift served skiing and anyway the headline says "may" not "will".

I agree with most of what you say but to be honest the major reason for people to be put off skiing Cairngorm is not because of a headline or an article but rather because the company running things is running down snow sport operations as a matter of policy and sending the area into unnecessary further decline. I believe we're pointing out that there's no inevitability to any of this, unlike the company, so we're the positive ones in all this.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.

With cheap flights into Europe, how many people travel to Aviemeore?- lets face it, it's mainly used by locals (2 hour drive time) so the demand is never going to be massive. However, new competition is opening up in the nearby cities from Xscape for the 'practice' and convenience plus the new investment made at the Lecht. Cairngorm needs to find its significant difference, where it ads value - reducing the area is doing the exact opposite. Cairngorm has to find the benefit that will draw in the crowds. Variety of skiing, fewer ticket queues, wide use of snow cannons, quality facilities and summer activity - better promotion.

Lack of snow? So when you sit and watch the opening cross country events in Dusseldorf - ever wonder how they get the snow.
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