Car Park t-bar now finally open full length.

Sounds like time to test out my creaky knees.

Neil.

Cairngorm Mountain are still saying that the Carpark T-bar is only about 350 metres long, both on their website and by e-mail. N.

People have begun riding the full length this afternoon as seen on webcam. Whether they are supposed to be though !

Lots of pistebashing going on today below the middle station.
I was told that the Carpark T bar would be open full length tomorrow, ( I'd check the website though).
I didn't see the Snow Factory working but the snow canons were adding to the natural stuff falling most of the day creating runs as wide as I have ever seen on the lower slopes.
N.

How long before there is enough snow to complete the M1 or Cas T bar? I know other people will be thinking the same as me. Surely they could have pushed enough snow down track by now.

I travelled up from Newcastle late on Saturday the long way around to get to the Lecht for a Sunday ski with my daughter. I then had to come back the long way as the road was shut. That’s 11 hours travel for 6 hours of skiing. There did seem to be a lot of snow in highlands with the roads virtually impassible in places with drifting snow. I know it doesn’t allways stick where it’s meant to but I haven’t seen the hill so white with no mid mountain lifts spinning.

This isn’t CairnGorm bashing as I’m desperate to come up and ski with family and Aviemore is easiest that’s all. I have booked mid feb and hopping I don’t have to drive all the way lecht to get skiing

People skied down the Traverse, mid-Cas and Zig Zags on a mostly groomed line several days ago, it was however often only one machine wide but it has been filling out and the M1 catching more, With SE gales forecast later tomorrow there will be a substantial increase in snow on the Cas and Gunbarrel.

If the Funicular was running it would probably have been top to Daylodge today, if the Funicular was running possibly even the M1 Poma would have been on already!

Why? With the M1 Poma the only lift, everyone is going to be trying to use it, including people who really shouldn't be frankly. Lots more families with small kids are going to be attempting it too, that all means to minimise the risk of stoppages and potential damage the uptrack needs to be immaculate and have a reasonable depth on it.

I hesitate to use the phrase 'cosmetic snow' given CML's history, but much of the snow came in on strong North winds and that is not a good direction for CairnGorm with a lot of snow tending to end up over the back. Plenty of snow will blow the other way with SE winds, however CairnGorm just hasn't had the snowfall hills a bit further North and more exposed to the Moray Firth like the Lecht has had.

Thanks for the detailed reply it’s kind of what I though.

I think they have put in a brilliant effort on the lower slopes for beginners but haven’t for more experienced skiers which is a shame. I do realise all sorts of idiots will be trying to go on the m1 who really shouldn’t as it’s the only way currently to the top but that just punishes everyone.

I’m really hoping all the working lifts will be on in a couple of weeks or I can see the carnage that might commence. I have decided to try and ski Sunday Monday instead of Saturday as I can see it being manic on the hill and at least that way I might get some skiing on the Monday.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 21.50hrs Mon 4 Feb 19 by Jcsb36.

Something to consider for half term is that Highland Schools only have a long weekend plus a day of in-staff training this year. When Highland Schools have a full week, lots of skiing families go on Holiday so it actually removes some of the pressure from the local slopes, but when it is a long weekend those mid-week days local schools are off are even busier.

Highland Schools are Mon 18th / Tue 19th Feb + in-staff training on Wed 20th Feb.

Ahhh cheers that’s the few days I’m going. It’s booked now so will be coming up anyway. There was hotel more hotel availability, more than any year I have tried to book in half term this late so hopefully it means less people like me are coming up.

First day of season ticket for me at Cairngorm. Pretty good morning on lower slopes. As wide as I have seen in many years, particularly Cottam's Way. Best route however was through Slot beside car park tow. Wind picked up by lunchtime with ground drifting down to car park. Can only help Gun Barrel which is very narrow. Same with White Lady. Machines were pushing snow wherever possible. Good job guys. Look to have pisted a track down M1 fence line - at least 1 machine wide - all way down to Cas cross over. Some guys were skiing down M1 tow path which they hope to open tomorrow. Doesn't look like it would take much to get Ridge Poma going. Upper mountain skiing is going to depend on wind / temperatures over the next few days.

Ron C Praising the PB Ops ?.....Has it dawned on you that YOU are paying their....and the rest of the "team's"...... wages ? HIE are footing the Wage bill up there now.....and that means it's more PUBLIC MONEY...ie YOURS !!

^^^ OK...they're doing a $h1t job then!

Surely praise is due for the staff efforts regardless of who's paying them? The Cairngorm debacle is hardly the fault of the operational staff!

This obsession with Cairngorm bashing just goes too far.

And God forbid that any jobs funded from the public purse should receive public praise...

I mind some times they just cleared the road or got a run open and hero tears and praise was flowing here for folk just doing their job.. The staff should be getting discounts at other places that hero worship now they are real public heroes, that hero discount police and mercenaries get, why no bin men discount on the slopes, hmmmm ??

This thread gets boring wi nae pics!

Sorry but the operational team do have to shoulder at least some responsibility for the decrepit state of just about everything on the mountain. Too long CML had a can’t / won’t do culture, strengthened by them feeling bombproof because no matter what happened the wages for ‘the team’ would always keep coming no matter what.

We can see the effects of that on CairnGorm when you compare to the can do attitude at the other four who have to make it work and get customers on the hill to get money in the till if there is to be a pay cheque and food on the table at the end of the week.

CML has had more public support, more bailouts, better snow record, the longest and most reliable season of the Scottish areas yet ‘the team’ couldn’t make it work and we’ve now only half the 1994 installed uplift capacity in operation.

The business has shrunk to the point it can’t trade its way out of this mess because it hasn’t got the uplift or catering capacity to get numbers on the hill when conditions are good. Scottish snowsports will always be opportunistic and that’s why Glenshee and Glencoe are actively increasing uplift capacity and improving flow around the mountain, the Lecht and Nevis have maintained their capacity and the Lecht has improved its beginner offering even further.

CML alone pursued a core lift policy, CML alone deliberately slashed its mid-mountain capacity, it’s the one that’s seen market share collapse and a downward spiral of decline. Yup, managed decline leads to decline, who knew?

No matter what happens now, even if the ski area was removed, big sums of public funds will be required to sort out the toxic legacy of HIE and CMLs control of the mountain. Better to invest in something that will give good returns for Strathspey, but that will require radical change and most definitely not fix the funicular at any cost and carry on as before!