Despite record amounts of snow this winter, Scotland’s top ski resort has seen its numbers go steeply downhill.
Skiers and snowboarders using CairnGorm Mountain fell by more than a third by 35,000 to less than 77,500.
Ironically CairnGorm Mountain had its earliest start in four years and also attracted a record number of snowsports enthusiasts on a single day when 3,382 hit the slopes on February 19.
But persistent strong winds badly affected the number of days on which skiers and boarders were able to access the slopes.
There were only 108 operational days during the season while 26 were stormed off when the mountain railway and other uplift did not run.
And on 18 of the days when the resort near Aviemore was open, the mountain railway was again not able to run which limited activities.
The overall number of skier days for the season was 77,430 – a figure which the company says was close to its budget.
Last year CairnGorm Mountain attracted 113,000, but it recorded just 66,463 snowsports enthusiasts during its 50th anniversary season 2011-12, suffering losses of over £440,000.
However it made pre-tax profits of nearly £240,000 last year thanks to the bumper winter sports season.
Next month a leisure business is to take over the running of CairnGorm Mountain, which usually accounts for more than a third of the total number of skier days in Scotland’s entire winter sports season.
Wilmslow-based Natural Retreats UK was named in February as the preferred bidder for the centre, which includes Scotland’s only funicular railway and the UK’s highest restaurant, the Ptarmigan.
CairnGorm Mountain marketing manager Colin Kirkwood said: “It was undoubtedly an unusual and challenging season.
“Our average number of stormed off days in a season was 19. To have had this plus a further 18 days without the funicular during such a snowy winter was very frustrating, not only for our customers but for all the staff who worked so hard to try to get and keep the facilities open.”
A survey of customers showed that in all areas at least 70% rated CairnGorm good or excellent.
“During the summer we are expecting to be busy with visitors going up on the funicular to do our guided ‘Walk at the Top’ to the summit of Cairn Gorm and our guided mountain bike descents,” added Mr Kirkwood.