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pix from the slopes // southern cairngorms
Southern Cairngorms // Tuesday 21st July 2009
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Snow making pipe supports being reclaimed by the heather.

On the piste, tree skiing in Highland Scotland.

View up the Red T-bar tow track from just above the bottom station.

A pair of many snow making pipe supports. The wedge lifts up and swivels to open, then gets screwed tight to hold the pipes in place.

Looking horizontally across a pair of tower founds just below the public road.

View towards the west along a cut traverse from the Red Tow to the short Blue Tow.

View down the T-bar line, found is on RHS of lift line looking down.

Unusual.....

Inspecting the founds of a portal tower (as found today on the Cairnwell T-bar at Glenshee).

Helen at the top of the line of the red T-bar, a prospective ski descent in the trees across the Glen!

Someone had an eye for a line, a potentially fantastic if narrow and steep descent on an S-curve through the plantation. Steeper than the White Lady by some margin.

Looking out from the old T-bars Top Station.

The base of the short trainer tow sat at just 380m (1245ft), but still well above the main T-bar.

Inspecting the bottom of the old blue tow.

Looking over the 1960s wooden foot bridge to the T-bar base.

Inspecting the old T-bar bottom Station, Helen is standing where the old drive sat on the tensioning rails, the LHS rail support has been removed.

Preparing to set off for a day's ski archaeology with the splendid backdrop of Mar Lodge.

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Report
A day of fascinating ski archaeology in the Southern Cairngorms with Dr Adam Watson (Chionophile), Helen (H11lly), Alan and Jamie on the slopes of Creag Bhalg, home to the short lived and ultimately unsuccessful Mar Lodge Ski Centre.

More information on the Mar Lodge Ski Area can be found on Highland Instinct's Ski Area section.

The tows long gone from the South facing slopes behind Mar Lodge are not entirely forgotten, the main T-bar still serves Scottish Snowsports today as the Cairnwell T-Bar.

Wooden supports that carried the air and water pipes for snow making mark the up-tracks and some of the pistes and are numerous across the slopes.

We found much more than expected and you could in places imagine the tows and the skiers long gone from these slopes. The descent through the forest, would be a beautiful line on modern kit - it would have been in a different league of intimidation on early 60's planks!

Have you skied Mar Lodge? Do you have memories, stories or photos, we would love to hear from your, please email pix2009@winterhighland.info and/or history@highland-instinct.co.uk .
Pix from the Slopes for the 2009 Season
CairnGorm Mountain

Yad Moss

Glenshee

Southern Cairngorms

Nevis Range

The Lecht

Glencoe

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