While being acutely aware that there are many competing needs for limited funding on CairnGorm Mountain it is our view that the reinstatement of the Coire na Ciste Chairlifts and the provision of basic base facilities for the Coire na Ciste Carpark should be of utmost priority.
Uplift capacity is now unbalanced with the highest lift density being on the lowest slopes of Coire Cas. Since the initiation of the ‘Core Lifts’ policy in the middle of the last decade effectively 50% of mid-mountain uplift capacity has been lost, while 100% of low level capacity has been maintained in Coire Cas. If the impact of climate change on the future viability of the snowsports operations is a concern, then the current altitudinal spread of uplift underlines the extent to which the present uplift situation has arisen out of accident rather than strategic management or development plan.
The current uplift situation leaves the mid-mountain terrain seriously under-utilised even in good snow cover. Lift queues become self-limiting to some extent because people will only tolerate so much queuing before moving to less appealing terrain in order to ski more and queue less.
It has been a regular feature of recent seasons to see several lines of queues for the M1 Poma, while the White Lady run has been offering excellent skiing but is completely deserted. A season with good cover on the middle and upper mountain, but limited cover on the lower slopes would cruelly reveal the true extent of the failure of the core lifts policy, especially if the renewed interest in Scottish snowsports is carried forwards into somewhat less favourable winters than the bumper 2010 season. Increasing mid-mountain uplift is therefore the highest and most pressing priority on CairnGorm Mountain and requires immediate action.
New lifts – even if funds were to become available – would take many years to take to fruition and it is unrealistic to imagine Coire na Ciste being prioritised for such a development. Thus at a minimum the reinstatement of the West Wall Chairlift is essential for season 2011. The West Wall Chairlift is quite simply the only game in town for the short to medium term.
Link to FAQ: Why not just the West Wall Chairlift?
Link to FAQ: Why not just the Coire na Ciste Chairlift as a first stage then?
Why CairnGorm Mountain needs the Coire na Ciste Chairlift more than ever?
While historically regarded as principally a low-level access lift, the Coire na Ciste Chairlift is now more important than ever for securing the full length of the main Coire na Ciste runs as lift-served terrain. The decommissioning of the Aonach Poma in 2010 has resulted in the Lower Aonach and Lower Ciste Gully runs no longer being part of the lift-served area (even with the West Wall Chairlift in operation), and these runs are now only accessible in the rare circumstance of there being skiable snow back to the Coire na Ciste Carpark.
Relatively minor alterations to the Coire na Ciste Chairlift given the 3 tower complex just below the Aonach Poma rig could provide for mid-line loading (both up and down), allowing the Coire na Ciste Chairlift to provide uplift for the full length of the Ciste Gully and Aonach Bowl, as well as to provide downloading for return to the Coire na Ciste Carpark from the foot of the Aonach. This would greatly increase the benefits of reinstating the Coire na Ciste Chairlift, and restore the full lift-served ski area. With the Coire na Ciste Chairlift in use to directly serve ski terrain it may well run on many more days than solely as an access lift for when the Cas carpark is full – this would encourage more regular use of Coire na Ciste as a means of accessing the mountain, encouraging more experienced riders and those with their own equipment to park in Coire na Ciste. This will free up more spaces in Coire Cas for Funicular visitors and for those requiring equipment hire and tuition.
The proposed introduction of parking charges to Coire Cas is likely to displace a proportion of vehicles belonging to other mountain users (climbers/walkers/ski-tourers) to the Coire na Ciste Carpark. Increased frequency of operation of the Coire na Ciste Chairlift would provide these people with the option of using mechanical uplift to access the upper mountain – an option not available in Coire Cas. This could turn a proportion of the displaced parking into paying customers, while the availability of uplift to all mountain users could encourage more climbers, walkers and ski-tourers to the Coire na Ciste Carpark, freeing up more space in the Coire Cas Carpark for those needing to use the services there. This would also further diminish the numbers requiring to be shuttled between the two carparks.
In good snow conditions the lower Coire na Ciste Chairlift lift-serves several long and good quality ski runs of some 2000ft in vertical. These runs can absorb significant numbers, resulting in people taking greater amounts of time to return to the main lift network than usual, and this in turn helps reduce pressure on the ski area infrastructure. The future viability of snowsports is as dependent on the ski area’s ability to function to it’s full potential in times of good cover just as much as it is dependent on its ability to remain viable during leaner times.
Maximising the benefits – A Manifesto for Coire na Ciste
Only the reinstatement of the Coire na Ciste Chairlift, West Wall Chairlift, and [a minimum of] basic base facilities in Coire na Ciste can allow for the full potential benefits (in terms of customer stratification and experience, plus financial gains for the operating company) to be maximised.
To best utilise the two Coire na Ciste Chairlifts and to receive the greatest return/benefit from investment in their reinstatement, the works should go beyond reinstating them to just an ‘as was’ state. A number of additional improvements could and should be made. This is our Manifesto for Coire na Ciste:
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- Reinstate both the Coire na Ciste and West Wall Chairlifts simultaneously, accepting that they are an inseparable and interdependent single entity reliant. Only the two-stage Chairlift system can enable full realisation of the potential benefits.
- Coire na Ciste Chairlift:
- Provide for mid-line loading (both up and down) on the Coire na Ciste Chairlift to replace the decommissioned Aonach Poma.
- Provide a good quality matted off-ramp (possible neve-plast) at the foot of the Coire na Ciste Chairlift allowing ski-off downloading irrespective of snow cover.
- Re-model the downline off-loading ramp on Coire na Ciste Chairlift to provide a flat area ( either before or after the ski-off ramp) to enable walk-off downloading.
- Completely remove the existing upline off-loading ramp on the Coire na Ciste Chairlift. Replace with a shallower off-loading ramp adjacent to the bullwheel to allow for bullwheel unloading.
- Chairlift Mid-Station:
- Changes on the Coire na Ciste Chairlift will result in its off-load point being brought closer to the load point of the West Wall Chairlift, and reduce required staffing levels.
- Provide a new unified lift shack at the Chairlift Mid-Station with dual controls and a view of both lifts. At quiet times with suitable procedures in place it would be possible for a single lift-attendant to manage both Chairlifts from the Chairlift Mid-Station.
- Re-model the Chairlift Mid-Station to improve lift interchange, reduce the steel superstructure and therefore also reduce the visual impact of these two Chairlifts.
- West Wall Chairlift:
- The West Wall Chairlift has always been fully capable of regular downloading, but the Chairlift Stations were never configured for it. Provide regular downloading on the West Wall Chairlift, and the main reasons for restricting access to more advanced abilities will be removed, as well as greatly increasing the appeal of accessing the mountain by the Coire na Ciste Chairlifts. This would also open up the potential of non-skier income.
- Except in limited snow cover, more confident skiers/boarders returning to the Coire na Ciste Carpark would ski the runs served by the West Wall Chairlift and download only on the Coire na Ciste Chairlift. The majority of downloads on the West Wall Chairlift would therefore be non-skiers or less confident/inexperienced skiers. It is therefore reasonable to provide solely walk-on/walk-off downloading on the West Wall Chairlift which is easier to do [than ski-off downloading] and requires much less work on the lift stations.
- Re-model the lower station of the West Wall Chairlift to enable walk-off downloading.
- Completely remove the existing off-ramp superstructure at the top station of the West Wall Chairlift. This ramp is excessively high and the steep gradient makes off-loading difficult.
- Build a shallower and shorter bullwheel unload ramp into the ground at the top of the West Wall Chairlift, again with sufficient flat lead-in to enable walk-off unloading.
- Build a new wooden deck top-station on the gully side of the West Wall Chairlift’s top drive station for downloading. Provide a new lift shack adjacent to the drive station.
- Catering and snow-fence improvements:
- Provide at least a basic refreshment facility in Base 4 (‘The Bothy’).
- Re-model the snow fences on the site of the old Link Lift Poma to reliably extend OverYonder to the West Wall Chairlift. Adjust the OverYonder approach to the Aonach Bowl to improve durability.
- From the West Wall Chairlift’s top station, create a new fenced run – the ‘Bynack Traverse’. This should take advantage of a series of natural ledges that would give a traverse round the hillside to provide direct access to the Aonach Bowl and much of the M2, without requiring the use of the Coire na Ciste T-Bar.
- The ‘Bynack Traverse’ will have mostly east/west fence alignments, catching snow on north winds and south winds drifting snow off the higher areas. The natural terrain ledges in this area provide scope for a run of not dissimilar profile and aspect to the snow-sure Coire Cas Traverse.
- The ‘Bynack Traverse’ and extended OverYonder in conjunction with the West Wall Chairlift will open up the M2/OverYonder to familes and intermediate snowboarders currently unwilling or unable to use the West Wall Poma.
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We are acutely aware that there are competing needs for funding on Cairngorm. We know that car parking and catering capacities are presently an issue, and we would encourage HIE/CML to address these areas. In addition, we are also aware that CML would like to purchase a new piste machine at a cost of approximately £300,000.
Even considering these factors, it is our view that the re-instatement of the Coire na Ciste and West Wall Chairlifts should be the number one priority. Benefits from their re-instatement will be positive for the operating company, its employees, its customers and also for the wider community (hotels, guest houses, B&B’s and other local businesses) who have much to gain from an increased number of users on CairnGorm Mountain. All stand to benefit from a re-expansion of the snow-sports business.
