UKC

With such fantastic skiable gullies and an enviably long season why doesn't someone stick a ski lift up the NF of the Ben and bring a bit of commerce to the area. Here are the advantages:

-Jobs for local people operating the lifts;

-Climbers could come down on the lifts so they don't clog up the good descents;

-Could get a nice bar at the bottom with patio heater on the terrace, pizzas, tartiflette, jupiler, la chouffe, leffe and all those nice euro brews;

-Above bar could provide jobs for locals and a room for people to stay who aren't old hairy Scottish men who like to spend their evenings bemoaning the passing Sassenachs and eating haggis/comparing beards;

-The lift could go over tower ridge and stop to pick up those out of their depth before they get benighted/call mountain rescue.

Any objections?

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

Sounds like a plan. How about flood lighting the mountain as well to facilitate night climbing and skiing?

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

How about a choo choo train with steam and stuff, it could go up through tower ridge like the eiger train .

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:
Wouldn't it spoil the views for people on the proposed Tower Ridge Via Ferrata, and get in the way of the Number Four Gully zipline?

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:
Wouldn't this impact on the wilderness experience of those nice chaps in the CIC Hut? The "nice bar at the bottom" is bound to be in full view of the windows. I don't think you've really thought this through.

In reply to paul-1970:

You need a green angle, hydro power to run the bar (nighclub?) ski lif etc. So how about a dam created reservior from the base of Observertory Ridge to the CMD on the other side?

In reply to paul-1970:


Bloody tree-huggers. Someone comes up with a business proposition for what is, frankly, an underdeveloped area, and how long is it before we hear the usual pious waffle about "wilderness"?

If you cut down all those trees in the Leanachan forest you could get a retail park and loads of new housing in there, too.

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

How about a auto belay on .5 with fund crash pads at the bottom.

A magic carpet from the NF car park would be good too

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

Some wonderful suggestions on this thread which goes to show that the spirit of adventure amongst climbers and skiers is alive and kicking

In reply to Trangia:

And what about the quarrying potential of the north side of Ben Nevis? Think how many jobs that would create.

This one shouldn't meet with any objections from climbers, unless they're just being hypocritical--don't climbers love climbing in quarries?

In reply to Simon Wells: Good point get some trees on the go, glade skiing, less avalanches, imagine climbing tower scoop surrounded by pines, or belaying off a nice sturdy spruce on Orion face.

In reply to Chateauneuf du Boeuf:

And with carefully managed quarrying, new routes can be set whenever climbers want them.

Why has no one suggested this before? I suspect it's because the climbing establishment is entirely composed of pompous, bumbling, crusty fools. Who rejected my bribes