So we now know that the West Wall Chair won't spin any Saturday again.
Today the Ciste Carpark is fenced off as preparations for demolition and removal of the lifts and Ciste Base Station get underway - part of a hastily announced HIE funded £267,000 contract.
This thread is over 9 years old, the West Wall Chairlift has not carried public since spring 2004. The haul rope and last of the carriers were removed from the lift early summer this year. It is clear this has been a long since set agenda.
Back in 2004 the then CEO of CML Bob Kinnaird threatened me and this website with legal action over discussion of the 'core lift policy' and described the idea that it would lead to uplift being removed from the mountain as the stuff of 'fantasists and idiots'.
A good number of people have engaged CML and HIE over the years about Coire na Ciste, People who give a large amount of their time for free, companies that provided information and quotes and/or did research for free to seek to find a way to put Coire na Ciste back at the heart of CairnGorm Mountain were taken for a complete ride as CML / HIE played a long game to simply talk it out until the lifts were beyond shot.
it is now abundantly clear just how disgraceful and duplicitous CML and HIE have been in these dealings. The manor in which HIE and CML have behaved is beyond disgraceful. Yet CML is the organisation that seems to be immune to the financial consequences of it's actions and inactions, while other businesses in Strathspey have not been so fortunate.
Ownership of CairnGorm Mountain should be with the community, that will take time, so possibly the Forestry Commission could serve as interim land owner and manager. It is now clear that HIE's tenure as Landlord of the CairnGorm Estate since it's creation in 1992 has been an absolute disaster for Scottish Snowsports and for 12 month of the year tourism in Strathspey.
Edited 1 times. Last edit at 18.43hrs Mon 21 Aug 17 by alan.
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