The condition attached to the EU grants were 25 years, not sure if it was from date of opening or start of construction. It doesn't though prevent further modifications to the Section 50 agreement though.

A transitional period when snowsports has formally ended and there is still considerable snow cover in the Top Basin area that allows egress would be progress and would deal with a real specific problem which is people being able to see snow outside the window, but be barred from going out to play in it. At this stage of spring the majority that go out would go no further than the nearest snow, skiers will go further, but they will go were there is snow.

The really stupid thing about the closed system is that the Summit Path from the Ptarmigan to the Summit is quite possibly the most robust and heavily engineered mountain path in Scotland! The vast majority who'd leave the building would not venture more than a 100m's or so from the door, of those who go further the vast majority would go no further than the Summit nor leave the footpaths.

It is actually doubtful that the Funicular would lead to more people going beyond the Summit Path and the official ski area than was the case with the Chairlifts and with the improved path network in Coire Cas, tourist walkers are even less likely to venture from the good quality path network within the ski area than was the case in the past.

Objective 1 Funding was about jobs and not conservation. I quote:-

Objective 1 of the Structural Funds is the main priority of the European Union's cohesion policy. In accordance with the treaty, the Union works to "promote harmonious development" and aims particularly to "narrow the gap between the development levels of the various regions". This is why more than 2/3 of the appropriations of the Structural Funds (more than EUR 135 billion) are allocated to helping areas lagging behind in their development ("Objective 1") where the gross domestic product (GDP) is below 75% of the Community average.

All these regions have a number of economic signals/indicators "in the red":
• low level of investment;
• a higher than average unemployment rate;
• lack of services for businesses and individuals;
• poor basic infrastructure

Why did those involved agree 100 FTE jobs for only 5 years and a closed system for 25 years? As for the EU funding of 32.5 million for various projects in the nineties, a number of the Objective One projects, including the Funicular, were investigated by the EU and the Scottish Government repaid £9.47 million in 2009 to curtail any further investigations. I therefore think it is up to both local and national politicians to get a grip and get these restrictions removed.

Some Sunday observations ...

We arrived at 8am and found that nobody was selling tickets, that there were no notices advising when ticket sales would start or where tickets would be sold from (the previous Sunday they were sold from ski hire/ski school offices).

The notice on the Cas restaurant door advised 10 am opening whilst lots of people were hanging around from 8 am who would probably have loved a cup of coffee or a bacon roll.

I have an all-area pass but the fella I was skiing with yesterday has a Nevis season pass that should allow him to get a 30% discount off day tickets at the other 4 Scottish ski centres. Yesterday morning this was refused under the pretext that Cairngorm were only charging a 1/2 day rate ... I didn't know that 1/2 day tickets didn't qualify for the season pass holders discount.

We only used a single uplift yesterday (the M1 poma) and from there we immediately skinned to the summit and left the ski area. In retrospect, having already hiked 15 minutes from base to M1, the extra 20 or so to the Ptarmigan would have been much quicker all around saving both queuing and hard cash. But, had it been offered by CML, a tourer's uplift ticket via the M1 would have been entirely appropriate.

Once ticket sales started (sometime around 8.45 I think), folk needed to queue for up to 1/2 hour to buy their ticket and then either go and requeue for another 1/2 hour or more for the funicular or walk for 15 minutes up to the M1 poma where they then faced a 4 line 10-15 minute queue again.

The Coire Cas drag lift which would have relieved some of the load on the M1 and the upper Ciste and therefore allowed more folk to disperse from the mid station area more quickly, wasn't running.

That's all.



Edited 3 times. Last edit at 15.40hrs Mon 30 Apr 12 by moffatross.

moffatross - someone is listening from CML front page today

Ski mountaineering tickets are available, however, there is a walk up to use the M1 poma. They are not valid for use on the Funicular railway.






Edited 1 times. Last edit at 14.37hrs Tue 1 May 12 by daveski.

I was maybe lucky but on sat the place seemed quite organised. Arrived 8.45ish, was directed where to park. Went in to the ticket office and got a ticket within 5 mins and then made the first train at 9ish.
We then had 2 or 3 runs down the east wall - on fresh tracks every time and then a few on the cas side. M1 was busy but moved quickly . By 12 we were tired so I left the wife practicing tele turns on the polar lift and hiked to the summit, then skied from there back to the car park.
Great day and the first time i've skied there without any hassle!

On Saturday I asked at the ticket office about buying touring tickets and was told by both of the staff there that these were not being sold this weekend, 'because the resort is open'. Selling cheap one way tickets for our group heading for Big Mac would have gained a bit of much needed income for the company and got us an earlier start. Oh well...

Good stuff ... I'm sure CML will also appreciate that it's actually at their very busiest times that a one-way uplift ticket is at its most desirable for tourers too.

My mind boggles. You can now buy a ski touring ticket to access the hill, providing you walk up beside a £26 million funicular railway to the M1. Is there nobody out there with enough influence to stop this stupidity.

I emphasise that I am not criticising CML, just the politicians who allowed this to happen and those in power today who do nothing about it.

I think they need to take every opportunity to earn a buck after such a poor period earlier in the year. I know some will disagree but I think they have got the balance right with pricing and lift opening. When the restarted 15 quid was a bargain, 21 at the moment seems brilliant value compared with somewhere like a snow dome.
Everyone would like to see the Cas running, longer opening times etc but you can't blame them from being cautious over taking on extra staff - if they can find anyone current with h&s. Plus who would want to work in these conditions.

Let's hope the extra cash this spell gives them enough to turn some profit.

Cas Tow is now ready to run from the top of the Gunbarrel if required and the Upper Cas and Fiacaill Traverse and Fiacaill were pisted this evening.

That makes sense, pisting will hopefully help preserve the snow for longer and based on recent numbers must be confident on getting a good turn out can have the cas running to help with queues.

Sadly, family stuff is stopping me make the long drive north, but I just wanted to say how great it is to read the reports of people that are making the most of these great May conditions.The photos are fantastic.
I'm hoping CML can make up some of money lost in that dreadful March period.
And let's hope the hire shops/ instructors etc can make up some lost cash too. We need these people, and the poor winter must have hit them badly.
A few years ago I skied with some "silver skiers" in La Plagne, all of whom used to ski on Cairngorm in the 1970's. They told us tales of driving up for the May Band Holiday and then making plans to meet up again for more skiing on the "Whit" Bank holiday in late May, so good was the snow and so consistent were the conditions. Maybe we'll see that this year.

Avalanche control capability, or lack of, was an issue today.

There was clearly a risk, demonstrated by the avalanche on the rocky bit of the headwall this morning. Some people had their tickets confiscated.

But ticket confiscation doesn't make the traverse safe if someone decides to hike up and sets off an avalanche. Imagine if Coronation Wall had released and buried a family. The deterrent didn't stop many, many lines appearing by the end of the day.

So I beg as an improvement for next season - get an explosives store or an on call capability and make the areas of high risk to all mountain users, such as the Coronation Wall over the traverse, safe every single day there is a perceived risk.



Edited 3 times. Last edit at 20.53hrs Sat 12 May 12 by andytb.

Yes it was right to stop skiing on that area. And yes the real hazard was if coronation had slid onto the traverse. Could have caught many Innocent folk.

Before buyIng explosives etc, something easier could be done... Stop announcements on the train saying, I quote "avalanche risk,,,, although you can try it if you like"

Was that sarcastic , flippant or what? - either way it gave some chancers the idea that they were ok to hike it at their own risk.

Why give reckless people an excuse with this stupid announcement on the train. ?