A site visit to the slopes of Creag Bhalg - location of the ambitious 1960s Mar Lodge Ski Centre.
The tows may be long gone (though one - the Cairnwell T-Bar - is still in operation at Glenshee), but the evidence of them is very apparent in the form of foundations and excavated channels on the hillside. The location of the pistes too are fairly obvious, with rocks and tree stumps collected in piles at the sides, and the odd fragment of snow fencing. An S-shaped avenue has been cleared through the 'Maple Leaf' forest, again betraying the location of this former piste.
Wooden supports run alongside the former T-Bar uptracks, and also elsewhere on the hillside - evidence of the extensive snowmaking operation. A reservoir part way up the hillside served as the water supply, as well as for Mar Lodge itself. At the foot of the slope, beneath the road, lies the biggest area of debris. Large concrete foundations and remnants of the base building, pump house, and of course the base of the Red T-Bar. Just watch out for the asbestos tiles..
This brief description and provision of only a few photographs are just a very basic insight into what remains of the development on the hillside.
