Original subtitles

This is the Cairngorm National Park, Scotland's greatest winter wilderness,

where snow is a way of life.

Yeah, snow's amazing. We love snow.

Through the depths of winter, we'll be following the lives of the people

who depend on Cairngorm for their very survival.

We can't see where we're going, but we just go anyway.

We'll witness their battles to keep the mountain open, whatever the weather.

Every day's different. So some days we'll come here and you could use a leaf blower to get rid of it,

and then the next time you come back it's like digging concrete.

Hi, guys. We'll get to know the struggles of the businesses of Aviemore,

serving thousands of tourists attracted by the snow and the stunning landscape.

If there's snow up there and it's good snow,

I mean, there's thousands and thousands of people can turn up.

And we'll meet the remarkable people who inhabit this very special world.

Everybody's always hardy.

And may all your children be as cute as the piper.

LAUGHTER

You've just got to try and be as hardy as you can.

Welcome to winter on The Mountain.

You're a good dog. You are!

Put the fire on last night to get you dry.

You were cold, weren't you? Weren't you? Come on.

It's 6am on a cold November morning

and Colin Matthew is heading up the mountain road as he has done every day for the past 30 years.

As Operations boss of CairnGorm Mountain Ski Resort,

it's his job to be first there whatever the weather,

accompanied as always by his black Lab, Coirre.

The weather forecast makes Colin hopeful that he might get the slopes open early in the season.

Last night's forecast was for heavy snow and high winds up the mountain.

And skiers, they've got the bug now.

It's winter, they want to get skiing and boarding,

so we'll do what we can.

I think if you're from this area, the snow is just part of your life.

And the mountain's part of your life, really.

And to actually work up there and be part of the whole history of the place is pretty special, really.

A mountain man all his life, it's Colin who decides when this,

the UK's leading ski resort, is safe to open to the public.

So far November has been unseasonably mild,

but the forecast is for a good winter.

The pressure's on Colin to get the punters through the gates as soon as possible.

Minus four at the top.

Yeah, it's looking probable we could open this weekend.

But until you get up there and get out and look physically

and you know what the machines can do,

there might not be much snow and big drifts.

But you know the machines can patch all that and make a good run.

As the rest of his team make their morning commute to work,

Colin asks Head of Ski Patrol, Iain Cornfoot,

to get out on the slopes and check conditions.

New season, new boots.

Like Colin, Iain has spent most of his working life on the hill.

He knows there may be snow on the ground, but that's not the same as good skiing.

Going to get out today, have a wee look around and see what's ski-able for the weekend.

It's early-season conditions so there's no base to the snow,

so you just hear people going, "Ooooh!"

Then you get a couple turns of powder and then...

HE MAKES CRUNCHING SOUND ..as they hit the granite.

Boots on, teams are dispatched

to check if the conditions will allow them to open the resort.

Among them, ski patroller Ruari MacDonald.

Forecast is today high winds and heavy snow,

so we'll just keep an eye on it.

Yeah, we're going up the traverse now.

This is our key main ski run.

There's a fair bit of snow and there's a fair bit of wind as well.

Expectations will be high for skiing at the weekend.

We're just going to have to wait and see what this weather does.

There's Ian and Jonny getting some of the padding out.

They're just getting all the padding on the towers

in case we do open at the weekend.

ENGINE RUNS

It's a challenge.

We'll certainly try our best to get something running.

But sometimes Mother Nature just says, "Uh-uh, you're not doing it!"

The pressure to get open early in the season

is not just because it means good business for the ski resort,

but because of the impact it will have on a profitable winter season

for the village that nestles in the valley below.

For the past 50 years, Aviemore has been at the heart of the Scottish ski industry.

In 1964 the Aviemore Centre was built,

a hotel complex complete with ice rink, swimming pool and Santa Claus Land.

It was all part of an audacious plan to transform this sleepy Highland village

into a snowsport mecca, the St Moritz of Scotland!

Bus-loads of Scottish teenagers got their first taste of the high life

in the bars and restaurants of Aviemore.

Almost the first building you come to as you enter the village is La Taverna.

It was started over 35 years ago by Nando Vastano,

a young Italian who moved from Naples with his family

to take advantage of the expanding tourist industry.

It's still very much a family business

and Nando Senior has now passed control on to his sons,

Nando Junior and Toni.

I did my part, now is their time.

You need younger people, you know, you need younger people to take over,

to run a business, to run a...

You know, otherwise you... you never move forward.

We had our time,

we did it well and now it's their time.

And they are doing very well, really.

As well as running the business with his brother,

Toni is also head chef. Guys, remember that.

And he's taking advantage of the pre-season lull to make a few changes.

It's November, and normally in November, the last three weeks are the quietest time of the year.

And that's when we try and do renovations

and try and tidy the whole place up

and prepare for the busy winter season.

Among the changes, Toni's ripping out the bar that's been a fixture of the restaurant since it opened.

It's quite hard to take because there's a lot of history here.

Don't look, Toni. "Don't look, Toni." But it's just seeing something

that is so familiar to you, just being broken up like that, you know.

Because obviously this bar's been here for around 30 years

and there's a lot of history here. So, yeah, it's a tricky one to see. Hey!

Hi, Dad!

And Dad can't resist a wee peek

to see what's being done as his old bar makes way for a new buffet.

There's flooring to be put down, there's painting and decorating to be done.

The floor in the kitchen's been lifted and we're putting a new floor down there as well.

We're on a really tight schedule. I'm kind of nervous. HE LAUGHS

But we'll do it!

Working out of the mountain's Base Station,

Colin Matthew is responsible for a team of 40 workers.

You look happy. Well, I've got my skis.

Give outside squad a shout with the forklift.

Mechanics, fitters, drivers and safety experts.

I've got the heaters on for you. Oh, aye. Let's get inside.

Sarah Monro runs the ski hire team,

and she's taking delivery of some new gear ahead of the winter season.

This is the first of two pallets. That's exciting.

Always nice to have new gifts near Christmas, isn't it?

LAUGHTER

New skis and boots, but also a complete refit of the systems

to get the resort ready for the public,

something that Sarah believes is long overdue.

These are going to be our new ski racks.

And really easy to get into.

Before we just had metal racks and you just slot them in,

where here it's a lot neater.

We have the heated bit down at the bottom there,

so it sprays out the hot air, which will dry them.

And it'll dry them properly, which also means the boot will last longer.

To come into the 21st century is amazing.

We're also going online,

so we're going to be able to book hire online, which will be fantastic on your tickets.

Sarah's keen to have it all working well before the season officially opens.

We need to make sure it's right, we don't want it to be wrong.

And we don't want people coming in to a half-done job.

Oh, I can't wait.

It will be so exciting.

And then I'll finally see the back of P-Man, you know.

Yay! SARAH LAUGHS

We're testing the haul rope and the counter rope

for the train...for any defects.

P-Man is Iain Pentland, one of Cairngorm's team of fitters,

jacks-of-all-trades experienced in fixing virtually anything mechanical.

Today he's supervising the annual safety inspection of the funicular railway.

If you can just send this car up to the top at about one metre a second.

It's the only one in Scotland

and carries up to 200,000 skiers and tourists each year from Base Station,

2km up the mountain to the Ptarmigan Visitor Centre.

This year, they want every single haul rope on the tows checked,

so we've got a busy day ahead of us.

Plenty of tea and bacon rolls. HE LAUGHS

After checking the train, P-Man and fellow fitter Brian Fishpool

are off to get the ski-lifts, or pomas, ready for the public.

Heading over to the Fiacaill Ridge poma

to put the barrels and springs on.

It's all done by hand, so just that's what takes the time pulling 'em up, putting 'em on.

There are 10 lifts and tows spread out across the mountain,

each of which has to be fitted with the T-bars

that haul the skiers and snowboarders to the ski runs.

80 go on this tow, 80 on the Day Lodge.

And we put on yesterday 115 on the M1.

And the West Wall can take up to 190.

Get some of that lovely, lovely free soup. Nosebag. Top quality carrot.

And that sets you up for an afternoon of heartburn.

BOTH LAUGH

Higher up the mountain, Iain's team has spent the summer

installing 4km of new snow fences.

They're designed to trap large drifts of snow

that can then be bulldozed to build lasting depth on the ski runs.

It's the first time they've used this system,

so they're working hard to get it finished before the snow arrives in earnest.

Today, we are just kind of catching up with a wee bit of fencing.

The guys have been doing a lot over the summer,

so this'll be our last sort of week maybe to do any of this sort of stuff,

so we have to be...to get going,

although there's two people working and four of us standing about.

Honest, we've been grafting.

And even though there's not much snow yet,

the weather is constantly on their minds.

The last couple of days has just turned a little bit warmer

so there's been a wee thaw on.

It gets moisture into the snow-pack

and that freezes up and sets really hard, so it gives us a good base.

The wind is constantly just buffeting you about,

so I'm looking forward to a nice hearty lunch.

Hey, you guys coming up as well? Yeah?

Cool. Lunchtime!

I'll just go and have a look and see who's about.

The bar of choice for the skiing fraternity is The Ski-ing Doo, AKA The Doo.

That's yours. There we go. An Aviemore institution,

it's run by Sandra Neck, a former finance controller from Blackpool.

It means long hours, but she's looking forward to a busy season ahead.

From November, normally it's that quiet time leading up to Christmas.

Come next week, next weekend the weekends are fantastic.

Quieter nights we can get little bits and pieces done,

so, hopefully, tonight we're going to try

and do the decorating whilst it's quiet.

I just love that the people here are so, so friendly.

And, actually, in Aviemore

it's a fantastic place for getting out and about and meeting people.

And you've also got the winter, which is the skiing.

And if you're into skiing, sadly I'm not. Tried it, didn't really like it and it didn't like me.

Probably one of the best ski runs I've had was on the back of a Red Cross wagon

when I fell and dislocated my knee.

So that put paid to my skiing really, I suppose.

I'm just going to check on the bar, Jane, OK?

As a non-skier, Sandra is a rare breed in Aviemore.

Most of her staff come from the transient population of young skiers and boarders

who need an income to pay for their obsession.

Barman Brett Drummond paid for it in other ways too.

We've got Brett back, he's been off for about nine months.

He unfortunately had an accident skiing last year,

so he's been off with broken ankles.

I severed a tendon in my finger and got...

I think it was about six weeks off.

Then I got back from that.

And then this year I unfortunately went too fast off a jump

and broke both my ankles,

and this is me back after eight months.

So, yeah, I'm slightly clumsy, some might say!

Brett's back just in time.

Sandra's hit on a cheap and cheerful way

of getting her renovations done before the season starts.

We're actually doing our in-house paint party.

There's probably about five or six of us.

We just need the restaurant doing,

and actually we can't do it while the restaurant's busy

or while there's people in,

so I've just asked a couple of people to come in

and give us a hand.

Basically, they're going to have a drink in hand

while they've got a paintbrush in the other.

Painting the town red, so to speak! LAUGHTER

I'll clear those away for you. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, indeed. Thank you.

Sandra is like the Mother Goose of the "Doo," I would say.

Emma, what did you ask for?

We had our first staff night out last Christmas

and she just seemed to mother everyone and look after us

and try feeding us water, as all we wanted to do was drink shots.

I think that's done?

Don't know.

I don't think I've ever really properly varnished anything before.

OK, on you go, girls.

Let's go. Oh, well, have a mouthful of your drink first.

You doing a good job, Brett?

Aye, a fantastic job, Sandra. Excellent!

I certainly wouldn't pay me to do this, put it that way.

SANDRA LAUGHS Why do you think I'm not paying you?!

SANDRA AND BRETT LAUGH

It's 6am, and Colin's once again on the road,

still hoping to get the resort open to the public.

But the weather has other ideas.

The first big storm of November has blown in.

Oochaa! See the lightning there?

First time I've seen lightning in a storm like this.

Wheelie bin.

It's doing 100mph at the tunnel mouth, which is...

Big storm.

Just got to make a decision about whether it's safe

to let the staff up to the car park.

Not cos of snow conditions but the wind, the hurricane force winds.

So we'll just wait and see.

Once he reaches Base Station,

Colin takes stock and decides that it's just too unsafe

to open for the day.

We'll probably just go back down to the gates

and just don't let any staff up.

He drives back down the ice-covered road

to the snow gates at the bottom of the hill

to give the bad news to his staff.

Colin understands the mountain's moods only too well.

Born and bred in this area,

the mountain's been part of everybody's lives

since they learned to walk, learned to ski.

My father first took me up skiing here when I was five years old,

so I've been skiing for a few years!

Hello.

Ten minutes it just went sheet ice.

It's going cold, isn't it?

Just going to bin it for the day.

Put staff home and try again tomorrow.

Another day, another closure.

Despite all the efforts of his team,

Colin hasn't managed the early-season opening

he was hoping for.

No point in getting disappointed, it's just part of your life up here.

It happens every year, and you know it's going to happen.

So we just deal with it, move on.

I wonder what I did with the car keys.

I need to check all my parts on my pipes are there

in case my son's taken a wee part out of the box

during the night or whatever, but...

One Aviemore resident who keeps working whatever the weather

is Callum Fraser -

universally known as Spud the Piper.

He's played for Madonna and tours the world with his pipes.

He lives in the valley with his wife Karen and son Euan.

Bye, Dad! Push, Daddy. Push.

Bye, Euan. Bye, Mummy.

On the mountain it may be blowing a gale,

but down here in the glen it's unseasonably warm.

You know, it's +7 just now, and that's not heard of.

In May, it's normal for the temperature to be below 7,

so, you know, this is December.

That's mental.

Spud's off to provide a proper Highland backdrop for a wedding.

This venue that we're going to today has been used

for Monarch of the Glen and also part of Harry Potter was filmed here.

You know, you just come round the corner and here you are.

You know, you've got this absolutely stunning castle in front of you

that's in the absolute middle of nowhere.

Here we go!

I'll just run in with my hat, cos I don't want it getting wet.

So we'll just put the sporran on.

Originally, a sporran would have been made

for carrying the Highlander's valuables.

Also, it would have been used for carrying food in.

Porridge, cos you can eat porridge when it's cold.

But nowadays, you know, it's really just decoration.

So there's no pocket on the back of mine,

cos I don't really eat porridge through the day.

BAGPIPES PLAY

While the bride and groom say "I do,"

the mountain team is taking stock.

Having been defeated in their attempts

to get the resort open so far,

they still have to keep the ski runs in top condition

in case the weather improves and the public can be allowed

on the hill.

Adam McInnes is the Winch Cat King -

a world-class expert in driving the enormous machines

that impact the snow, to build up lasting depth

on the resort's pistes, or ski runs.

Look after the technical maintenance team,

make sure that they're all right.

In the winter time, mainly the snow grooming -

looking after that, running the Winch Cat

and making sure that we can get enough snow on to the slopes

by spending a few nights pushing it about here and there,

get it all nice and flat for the skiers.

So we're usually the guys that are up here through the night

and then going home in the morning

when yous are just coming up to go skiing.

But before he can start

on flattening the overnight snow on the ski runs,

Adam uses the massive Winch Cat to bulldoze a route

through the mountain drifts for the rest of the team.

As you can see we're only climbing a few hundred feet

but the weather's totally different up here.

It's nice to be back on the snow again.

Iain Cornfoot, having supervised the installation of the snow fences,

is off to see if they are working as they should -

catching enough snow to get depth on the ski runs

and to cover any exposed rocks and heather.

There was virtually nothing here

before the storm last night and yesterday.

You'll see there's probably about a 15-metre drift

of about a metre and half, two metres?

So that's perfect.

Something as simple as a fence can make a huge difference

on our skiing operation.

Without snow fencing in Scotland, you just wouldn't have any skiing.

The fences are there to create massive banks of snow,

which Adam and his Winch Cat can shift to the parts of the resort

where it's most needed - the runs the public will use.

What we've got on the front there is a snow-grab,

so we can actually come in and pick up the snow

and carry it to where we need it.

We're just going to cover up the rocks that are in front of us,

and then, once we've put enough depth on there,

we'll get it packed down and then we'll groom it out for the skiers.

But as he shifts and flattens the snow,

Adam notices some worrying damage caused by last night's storm.

He calls the fitters to report what he can see.

You've got ropes off in the west wall poma, Ormy.

Towers one and two down line.

The storm has blown the ski lift cable right off its drive wheel

on two of the towers, so Ormy and Rory are summoned

to get it back in operation, if they can find it.

This is what we call, we use "The Force."

We can't see where we're going but we just go anyway!

We call it using the Force.

Just watch yourself if it pings up!

It's all part of the continuing battle against the elements,

and hard as they work, the fitters know that if the storms don't abate,

they'll be out tomorrow doing it all over again.

We get this quite frequent,

just cos the way when the storms come in

and we're at the top of the hill.

These top tows, they get the brunt of the weather.

Knowing the storm was on its way,

Ormy had even tied the cable to the wheel the night before,

but it was still not enough to defeat the fury of the wind.

That's the rope I tied it in with. There's just nothing left of it.

It's just been frayed.

You want to roll that up, eh? I'll roll that up for you.

You can roll it up better than me.

As a long day draws to a close, Colin's only too well aware

of how hard his teams have been working to get the resort open.

But yet again the weather's got the better of him.

Yeah, it was a pretty tough day for the operations guys

out on the hill, especially after that storm,

the hurricane-force winds.

So we're not going to make an opening season starter

from this weekend.

Just give it a go tomorrow, see what happens.

BAGPIPES PLAY

After the fairy tale castle,

the wedding party has moved to Aviemore's Cairngorm Hotel.

Spud has been a big hit with the newly-weds.

Today exceeded everything I expected.

I knew it would be good,

but it's even better than I thought it would be.

'And because he's so relaxed and so informal, but he gets the job done.

'And he looks fantastic. Everyone said how amazing he looks.'

The full rig, everything was brilliant.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's tradition in the Highlands of Scotland

for the bride and groom to give the piper a drink.

I'm absolutely delighted to say they have done.

In return, I'll say... "Slainte mhor, a' chairdean,

"agus bidh oidhche mhath a-nochd agaibh."

If you're no sure of the Gaelic, this means,

"May all your children be as cute as the piper!"

LAUGHTER

It really means "A special good health to you, my friends.

"Enjoy yourselves tonight." Cheers!

Cheers!

BAGPIPES PLAY

Finally the weeks of hard work on the mountain pay off,

the wind subsides and there's enough snow on the runs

to allow the resort to open.

The tows are working - the funicular is running,

and the paying customers are flocking in.

Right, in you come, sweetheart. Cheers.

You'll no get lost today, will you? Nah, I don't think so.

No with that colours on!

The conditions may not quite be St Moritz,

but there's still plenty of folk desperate to give it go.

But by lunchtime, the wind at the top of the mountain is rising.

Yeah, Brendan, unfortunately it's too windy for the car park tow now.

The visibility is dropping fast.

At two o'clock the ski patrollers close the runs.

The wind's been steadily rising all afternoon

and that's the forecast, so that'll be it for the day. Over.

Lift's closed now! Excuse me. Oi! Excuse me! Stop!

Down the hill in Aviemore,

not everyone's unhappy with the early closure of the mountain.

At La Taverna, Toni has completed his restaurant renovations

just in time to welcome the frustrated skiers.

It's been amazing. It's worked out really well for us.

The old buffet was great, but it was outdated, and it was too small.

So by opening it right up, and giving people different ports to head to,

you can see it operating - it's just going really well.

The crowds are flocking to his buffet bar

and the kitchen is buzzing.

So many people are dining.

We've got a queue right down here now, so we just have to keep going.

Excuse me!

Finally, pre-season is officially over

and winter on Cairngorm has begun.

Next time on The Mountain, Colin gets a new toy to play with.

This is our brand-new snow gun.

Hopefully, produce lots of the white stuff for us.

So...very exciting!

Santa's reindeer are preparing for their busiest day of the year.

Special reindeer fee, must only be opened on Christmas Eve.

The ski patrol gets a helping hand from the RAF.

Amazing.

I can't talk but it's amazing.

And the New Year is welcomed in with a bang!

That's just mad! That's mental!