Just a wee question, can anybody clarify who owns what at the 5 ski centres. Too tired to think about Cairngorm, but for example Glenshee Chairlift Company, who are owned by a Canadian (?) own the lifts and the base, but do they own the land? Who owns Nevis Range, I am sure some or all of the land is owned by Alcan

Ideal curiosity!

Graham

The Ski area operating companies all lease the land from other owners, though in the case of Glenshee and CairnGorm the landowners are involved in the operating company or own the infrastructure, confused yet?

Any more details or info or anything wrong here please post below!

Nevis Range:

The Land is owned by and leased from British Alcan, lifts and other infrastructure is owned by the Nevis Range Development Company PLC. It's funding was from a mix of private investment, enterprise agency investment and European funding.

Glenshee/Glencoe:

Infrastructure is owned and operated by the Glenshee Chairlift Company Ltd, which was set up in 1963 (possibly 62), by interested parties including the Invercauld estate who owns the land. It's not owned by a Canadian as has been reported, but one of the directors Hamish Sommervile now lives in Canada.

Glenshee also owns the Glenisla Golf Course. Glencoe's land is owned by Blackmount Estate.

The Lecht:

Land is leased from the Crown Estates, and is part of the Glenlivet Estates. Apart from that Tosh rules the roost at the Lecht! It's a family owned limited company, The Lecht Ski Company Ltd.

CairnGorm Mountain: (This is somewhat more complex....lol)

Originally CairnGorm Mountain itself was owned by the forestry commission, and was (still technically is) part of Glenmore forest park, in the late 1970s the land that makes up the Cairngorm Estate was handed over to the then HIDB, now HIE.

Today the Mountain is owned by two bodies, HIE and the RSPB. HIE estates is responsible for management of the entire Cairngorm Estate including all the Northern Corries, and this is carried out through CML with the ranger service.

CML owns the lifts and tows and some buildings, but HIE Owns the funicular, Base Station, Ptarmigan Centre and the Daylodge, and CML leases these back. The rent is somewhere in the region of £500,000 per year.

CML unlike the others is not directly owned by shareholders or private individuals. CML is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cairngorm Recreation Trust, which has no share holders only members and is a company limited by guarantee, it's a non-profit making trust who's purpose is basically to promote/enable participation in mountain sports. The recreation trust is chaired by Jamie Williamson, laird of Alvie Estate.

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Very impressive outline, Alan. When I worked on Cairngorm back in the 70s I remember tales of one of the pioneers, a very rich man - was it a Lord Fraser? - I'm really guessing now - being flown to the summit of Cairngorm by helicopter. Whoever it was (I'd love someone to check that) he certainly felt he owned the hill !

And then there was the famous (infamous?) Aviemore Centre. We're told that its architect was John Poulson, who was subsequently convicted in a major corruption scandal. I think Poulson was based in Leeds.

There must be a lot about the original development of Aviemore that has never been documented. Who owned that land? Who financed the construction - the big Scottish brewers were involved weren't they?

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Post Edited (10:09 hrs on Thu 05 Feb 04)

Well about all that will remain from the orginal phase of the Aviemore Centre is the Osprey Building, strange how a world class confrence facility can show Crofters on it's refurbished building layout plan..... :p

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That sounds rather complicated. No wonder the uplift companies struggle to make money/invest in the resorts if they have to pay bumper lease fees to this landowner or that landowner.

Ahem, here's my on-the-spot solution!

The government should order compulsary purchase orders of the lands and give them to the companies that run the uplift. This should only be allowed if the uplift companies agree to become non-profit (with controls on directors pay etc). Then all the revenue from the ski areas would be put back into lifts, maintenance and improving infrastucture and service (and not to name-less face-less 'landowners' who probably inherited their land anyway).

Anyway this raises a question, are the landowners money-grabbing-b*****ds or do they help the area? Presumably its different for each ski area, so do tell! The evil ones (if they exist) should be named and shamed!

Right let's make this clear, CML's lease is for the funicular and buildings, their not paying half a million in year lease for the mountainside, incase thats what people are reading into my post!

At Glenshee, the estate actually part owns the Chairlift Company, so no sense in screwing it then. As far as the Lecht and Nevis no idea. Glencoe pays a % of ticket revenue as lease to Blackmount Estate.

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David, I remember the then Lord Fraser coming skiing on the Gorm via helicopter between 72 and 74. The chopper used to land and stay on the area between the present Ptarmigan and the top of the Ciste T-bar. The Lord and his daughter then skied about the hill for a while ( probably intermediates ) whilst the pilot sat with a "look at me" expression. If that was now I have a sneaking suspicion that the machine might well be hi-jacked to explore the off-piste available on Cairn Toul or farther away ----- (west)!!!

Non profit making companies? Well one ski area is a non-profit making organization, that is CML, which area gets the most panning half the time?

Now only one ski area is a privately owned limited company (as opposed to a multiple share holder company) and that's the Lecht, and how often are people saying on here that they think the Lecht is wonderful, then go onto bash CML?

This arguement is far from as clear cut as it might at first seem!!

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I have a vague memory that Nevisport, were one of the original investors in Nevis Range (hence the gondola outside the shop in Fort William)

Had absolutely no idea that Poulsen was involved in the Aviemore Centre (kind of figures!)

Alan or any one else , any ideas who owns Nevis Range Development Company PLC?

Cheers

Graham

You can check out Companies House website for such information. I think HIE and Bank of Scotland are major share holders, may be wholly wrong on that though!

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With CML they must make a lot more than 500000 per year so where is all the cash going. I know the ski season eats in to the profit of the summer but the wages that are paid must be something to be looked at. I heard that some chiefs were being paid more than 50 grand per year, dont know how true that is.

chefs or chiefs? I wouldn't be surprised if the MD is on a tidy package, but I doubt the chefs are!