Well, it was about time Cairngorm Mountain joined the party – huh?

From their newsletter:

Future development plans are also in the pipeline. CML is looking at proposals that will improve the winter operation but allow us to get a year-round return on the investment that is made. With the success of the past winter we are a position to progress with a feasibility study on redevelopment of the lower Ciste area. The scope of the project would include: refurbishing and extending the lower Ciste chairlift, installation of a maintenance access track along the length of the lower Ciste chair and the installation of a novice mountain biking route and zip wire in this area, construct a mountain bike features park at the bottom of the lower Ciste and construct an energy efficient new reception building on the existing Ciste site to accommodate the proposed activities. The project is underway and we hope to have indicative project costs together with drawings and detailed trail design by the end of this year with a view to submitting a detailed planning application in the early part of 2011. The timescale on a project of this nature is a moveable feast and is indicative only.

As a winter sports enthusiast I'm certainly up for anything that will help preserve ski uplift in Coire na Ciste.

Oh and for all you Innerleithen chairlift petitioners – you might pick up some useful tips here:

http://savetheciste.com/campaign/

I'd rather the development was on a different mountain but the infrastructure is there now – might as well concentrate everything in one area. To my mind it makes sense for the ski resorts to do this. As in the Glenshee case tho they need to get the tracks right. a masss market granny trail descent might give them a USP as well as some more interesting trails

Is a lift served "granny trail" a good idea though. I believe one of the main reason the Nevis Red route was made quite technical was because the people the run the Nevis Range didn't really want to encourage total amateurs to go up the mountain and get themselves into trouble.

oh and for all the innerleithen haterz the local community want the chairlift NOW! so it will definitely happen. I'm slightly concerned that the glentress multiplier is reaching exponential levels – 400K visitors a year? Really?

Source: peebles rag.

so it will definitely happen.

Yeah right.

maybe my sarcasm was a bit too subtle there tj 😉

TJ, rather worringly I seem to be agreeing with you on quite a lot at the moment. Is there any cure for this condition?

CaptainMainwaring – Member
TJ, rather worringly I seem to be agreeing with you on quite a lot at the moment. Is there any cure for this condition?

Wear a helmet. But not if you're only going to the shops. It's a well known fact that the pavements are softer when 'you're going to the shops', so if you fall off you won't suffer any impact injuries. Or rotational ones either.

Off topic a bit but from that article you davidrussell linked:

The Whistler resort in Canada, who this year hosted the Winter Olympics, sent over some of their managers to see the Tweed Valley – they said they were incredibly envious of the potential we have here.

The Tweed Valley is good and all, but really? I might believe that from anywhere else but I suspect these representatives might have been being polite…

davidrussell – Member

maybe my sarcasm was a bit too subtle there tj

Woosh 😳

When they say 'potential' – its probably in Canadian terms that means the close proximity of Glentress to large centres of population.