Troubled Cairngorm Mountain Lodges Plans For Rope Lift At Base Of White Lady

Cairngorm Mountain, the ski area which is rarely referenced with the word 'troubled' has lodged plans for a short rope lift to be installed at the base of the historic White Lady. The lift is to be installed close to the Scottish Ski Club hut and would appear to be intended for club use, being described as "Scottish Ski Club rope tow - movable"

The rope lift will run parallel to the track of the now removed White Lady T bar, but it will only cover a short section of the length of the former lift.

Alan Brattey, Save the Ciste spokesman, told the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald: “The planning application does not have anything to say about the purpose of such a short rope tow here on what is relatively steep ground. It simply seems like yet another ad hoc planning application for something that was not included in the Cairngorm masterplan. We assume that the Scottish Ski Club is financing the cost. But this is a considerable scaling back of their proposal to construct a new White Lady tow when Natural Retreats were the leaseholders.”

The White Lady T Bar last saw skiers in the 2006 season. The lift had not operated durng the 2007 season due to poor snow cover. On 3rd February 2007 the lift suffered a catastrophic failure when being run for maintenance.

These developments might represent a very dim light at the end of a very dark tunnel, or that light might be extinguised by the oncoming train that is the still broken funicular. The lift remains closed with questions as to the propsed re opening dates. 

During FMQs in the Scottish Parliament, the amusingly named Edward Mountain MSP asked: “First Minister, we now know the Scottish Government have decided to make HIE fund the additional repairs of the Cairngorm Funicular Railway. This will have to come from HIE’s annual £64m budget.

“We know the repair bill will be well in excess of £20m. When the Scottish Government made this decision they knew that as a consequence, some Highland businesses would lose their financial support from HIE.

“Will the Government review this decision which I believe will cripple HIE and Highland businesses?”

SIN has been told that prevailing ground conditions make re opning the lift a risky proposition due to gound conditions. "It is built on what is basically a mud slide which hasn’t slipped YET!"

As this is perhaps becoming too depressing we ought to save the saga of the resort's operation by Natural Retreats. Let's let the BBC do the work shall we? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47638092

In addition and on less snowy matters, plans have been lodged for mountainbike trails. Cairngorms National Park Authority Planning Committee have approved plans submitted by resort operator Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd (CMSL) to establish just under 3km of trails and a conveyor belt uplift system on the lower slopes of the mountain.

The three trails will be located between the day lodge and the mid-station of the Cairngorm funicular railway and are designed to cater for beginners and learners as well as intermediate cyclists.

Introducing mountain biking is an early step in delivering the 25-year Cairngorm masterplan, published last year by estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Cairngorm Estate owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise plans to invest £691,000 to create the trails and install the uplift system.

Susan Smith, Cairngorm Mountain chief executive, said: “Mountain biking is a hugely popular family activity and will provide a great new way for people to access Cairngorm, get exercise and experience our wonderful natural environment.”

“We already offer much more than snowsports here, including excellent networks of paths and trails, ranger services, and fun facilities like our popular tubing slide and adventure play area for children.”

“Mountain biking will be a great addition to the mix of healthy, fun outdoor activities that whole families can now enjoy at Cairngorm in every season of the year.”

Dave Macleod of HIE said: “We’re delighted with today’s approval from the Cairngorms National Park Authority Planning Committee.”

“Cairngorm is a perfect setting for the kind of family-oriented biking we’re proposing, and it’s an idea that was put forward by many local people who took part in our masterplan consultation.”

“The plans were developed with a lot of input from Development for Mountain Biking Scotland and other stakeholder organisations who have been really helpful and supportive.”

“This is really the first step in delivering the long-term masterplan which ultimately aims to unlock the full potential of Cairngorm Mountain estate as both an environmental asset for the area and a key driver of the local economy, where tourism is so important.”