Letter to Season Pass Holders

March 8th, 2019.

Interim Chief Executive, Ross Harris introduces the new operating company, Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd to season pass holders to provide an update on events post administration.

Dear Season Pass Holder

Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited
Season Pass Holder Update

Firstly, please accept my apologies for the delay in writing to you to provide a formal update on the situation at Cairngorm Mountain.

As you may be aware, Blair Milne and Derek Forsyth were appointed as Joint Administrators of Cairngorm Mountain Ltd (“CML”) on 29 November 2018 and subsequently on 14 December 2018 Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited (“CMSL”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (“HIE”) bought the Business and assets of CML from the Joint Administrators.

It was necessary for HIE to take this action in order rescue the business of Cairngorm Mountain and to ensure that the resort will continue to provide economic benefits for the entire Strathspey area for years to come.

CMSL is therefore a new Company formed for the specific purpose of purchasing the Business and assets of CML from the Joint Administrators. Following 14 December 2018, the immediate priority for CMSL was to make sure that the key supplier contracts required for the Business to function were put in place to ensure that our customers would not experience any break in trading. This is a wide ranging and ongoing exercise which includes everything from implementing appropriate IT infrastructure to making sure milk is delivered to the restaurant.

The funicular railway was not operating when CMSL bought the Business of Cairngorm Mountain and at that time it was not clear how long it would remain out of operation. Plans were therefore put into place to manage the uplift available whilst as far as possible protecting our customers’ experience.

It has recently been announced that the funicular railway is to remain out of operation throughout the summer months of 2019 and possibly beyond. Engineers have concluded that the structure does not present an immediate danger to the public but that a series of measures should be put in place to address weaknesses before resumption of service.

CMSL has also had to address several Health and Safety issues which were inherited from the old Company. The Health and Safety Improvement Notices which were issued in December 2018 to CML were in respect of the West Wall Poma and Coire na Ciste T-Bar and also covered more robust scheduling of routine maintenance on site. The works to the drive station at the West Wall Poma have been completed and a new walkway at the Coire na Ciste tow is currently being installed. Both tows are now ready for operation when conditions allow. CMSL is also exploring the use of specialist software as a means to assist in planning routine maintenance across the whole resort.

From an operational perspective, it was immediately recognised that CMSL should honour all Season Passes which were purchased from CML before 14 December 2018. This is despite CMSL not receiving any of the money you paid for your season pass from CML or the Administrator.

We recognise the importance of our Season Pass holders to the Business going forward and therefore all 2018 / 2019 season ticket holders will qualify for a discount on their 2019/2020 ticket. This discount will be applicable whenever you may choose to buy your 2019 / 2020 Season Pass and may therefore be applied against early bird prices. The level of discount has still to be confirmed but will reflect the funicular railway being out of operation this season and the likely uplift available during the 2019 / 2020 season. The level of discount applicable will be confirmed as soon as possible but I didn’t want that issue alone to delay getting this letter to you.

Despite the difficulties and uncertainties that the staff have endured over the last few months, I have witnessed first-hand the level of commitment and dedication shown by the entire team at CMSL to getting the mountain open for snowsports. The weather conditions haven’t been particularly favourable for snowsports so far this winter however you can rest assured that we will continue to do everything we can to open as much of the mountain as possible as soon as conditions safely allow.

I will write to you again with further updates as soon as they become available however in the meantime please contact info@cairngormmountain.co.uk if you have any questions. You can also check online at www.cairngormmountain.co.uk for the latest updates on conditions.

Finally, I would like to thank you for your support and I hope that you will continue to enjoy Cairngorm Mountain for many seasons to come.

Yours sincerely,

Ross Harris
Interim Chief Executive