Activities planned for big winter opening at Cairngorm

The Cairngorm Ski Club will be showing off their racing skills on a dual slalom course and the Cairngorm Snowboard club will be shredding in the mini park, with some elements of the new ‘High Five’ kids run equipment on display.

Three local ski schools Free Ski, Ski Norwest and School of Snowsports, will be instructing the under-fives on a riglet (mini taster session) in the car park.

Spud the Piper, Cairngorm Reindeer, Santa and Morag (the reindeer mascot), will also be attending, and nature photographer, Andy Howard, will be signing copies of his new book.

The team from Cairngorm Mountain Rescue will be showcasing their mountaineering expertise, and a representative from Glenmore Lodge will be promoting ski touring.
The hit movie, ‘Frozen’, will be shown in the base station.

The Cairngorm snow factory has been producing around 96 tonnes of snow a day since the end of October in preparation for the event.
Susan Smith, interim chief executive at Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited (CMSL), said:

“This is a big day for us, and we’re determined to make it a great one for everyone who comes along. There’s so much to do at Cairngorm Mountain and this is an excellent opportunity to celebrate what the centre has to offer.

“The snow factory has meant we are able to guarantee snow on the day and have an area of the lower hill open for snowsports.

The event takes place between 10am and 3pm. Snow sports tickets on the day are £10 for adults and £5 for juniors. Ski equipment hire will be available and some ex-rental equipment will be on sale.

With the funicular out of service, CMSL will be running nine surface lifts this year to enable up to 1,000 visitors a day to access the slopes when conditions are suitable. All surface lifts will be operational as and when snow cover and customer demand permits.

In busy periods up to 10 designated hosts will be working alongside the core operations team, meeting and greeting visitors, providing help when queues build up, communicating information, and providing cover during breaks.

The Cas Bar is providing hot food with customers able to enter and exit quickly. The café will have a dedicated winter menu and be the main throughput area for visitors on busy days.

“We are absolutely determined that visitors to Cairngorm this winter will see and feel a marked improvement in all areas of the business”, explained Susan.

“We are pulling out all the stops, with a heightened focus on customer service.”