Friday, November 22, 2002
CairnGorm Mountain re-opens for visitors tomorrow (Saturday, 23rd November) but it will be strictly for non-skiers only as the dusting of snow at present around Coire Cas and at the Ptarmigan is insufficient to allow skiing to begin right away.
After a surprise temporary opening for skiers last month, thanks to an unseasonably heavy fall of snow, CairnGorm Mountain then closed on 4th November for its annual pre-season maintenance programme which, this year for the first time, included the CairnGorm Funicular railway among the resort's numerous uphill lifting facilities. Because of the critical role that the funicular plays throughout the year in taking non-skiing visitors to the Ptarmigan, everything else at CairnGorm was also closed to visitors but it will be "all systems go" on Saturday morning when the first train is expected to leave the Coire Cas Base Station at 09.30 hrs..
Said Bob Kinnaird, CairnGorm's Chief Executive:
"It has been a pretty hectic three weeks for everyone as it was not just a case of servicing the various uphill lifts, including the funicular, in preparation for the new skiing season but also re-stocking and refreshing other parts of our operation. It has also made time to let us distribute various leaflets and winter brochures to other visitor destinations throughout the area as well as fine-tuning what we expect to be a very popular programme of Christmas activities."
Among these pre-Christmas activities has been arranging for delivery to The Ptarmigan of what will undoubtedly be the highest Christmas tree on show anywhere in the UK. CairnGorm Mountain will also welcome Santa Claus to The Ptarmigan on Saturday, 7th December when he will forsake his traditional sledge and reindeer for the country's only high-speed funicular!
Said Bob Kinnaird, "Our winter season opens officially on 1st December and the best present that Santa Claus could bring our winter customers would be a heavy fall of snow to kick-start skiing."
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