AVIEMORE and the Cairngorms are definitely open for business this winter.
That was the defiant message sent out from the Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust (AGCT) late on Thursday night after its packed annual general meeting – the trust’s first – in the town that is the beating heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
READ MORE: Cairngorm ski school closure 'another bitter blow' to community
More than 120 people made it standing room only the Cairngorm Hotel in Aviemore, many of them very concerned about the ongoing crisis caused by the hopefully temporary closure of the crucial funicular railway on Cairn Gorm.
Operators CairnGorm Mountain Ltd and Natural Retreats recently announced the closure of the railway and its Ptarmigan complex at the top of the railway to allow structural engineers to prepare a report on the structure and its safety.
Ewan Kearney, chief operating officer at CairnGorm Mountain, said at the time: “The investigative works will last until at least the end of November, during which time the funicular will remain closed. The work will include excavation to enable the inspection of foundations and ongoing monitoring of the structure.
“While this is placing the operating business in an extremely challenging situation, rest assured we are also very mindful of the significance of this situation to the entire local area and are working to resolve this situation quickly and safely.”
In turn the Cairngorm Snow School announced that it would not be opening, with the jobs of 50 instructors lost.
The school’s closure was revealed on Facebook: “Due to the impact of the current closure of the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, it has been decided that while we are awaiting the technical report on the status of the funicular, we will not be operating a snow school this 2018/19 winter season.”
A campaign was immediately started on Facebook called “Save the Ciste” which refers to Coire na Ciste at the base of the railway which is the only one of its type in Scotland, built for £20 million and opened in 2001.
Local MSP Kate Forbes and MP Drew Hendry have involved Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy Fergus Ewing in monitoring the situation.
The engineers are due to report early next month, but some local people feel the damage has already been done for the snow season on which the economy of Aviemore and surrounding areas is dependent.
“It’s been a public relations disaster for the area,” one local businessman told The National. “The impression has been given that the whole of Aviemore and Glenmore is closing down, and that is just not true.”
There is anger in Aviemore at CairnGorm Mountain Ltd, Natural Retreats and the mountain’s owners, Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE), despite the latter’s announcement on the day before the AGCT meeting that a £27m investment plan for Cairn Gorm and its surroundings could transform the fortunes of the entire area.
Many local people voiced their concerns at what was described as an “interesting” meeting not least because it was attended by staff who work on Cairn Gorm.
Mike Dearman, a director of the trust, told The National: “There were groups representing the hill staff and groups representing the more vocal critics so it was a bit tense at times, but it was good to get them in the room together so they could hear what each other had to say.”
The result was a determination on the part of AGCT to find a positive way forward, said Dearman.
He explained: “We are trying to get everyone behind a positive vision for the future. The trust is very optimistic about our improving relationship with HIE and they are looking to get us involved in the plans for the future of the mountain.
“It is up to the politicians to get involved and sort out the current problems, and what we want as a trust is to help out in any way we can.
“There are clearly questions for the current operators to answer and we wait to see what those answers are.
“In the meantime we must get the message across that Aviemore and Glenmore and this whole area is open for business.”
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