Snow sports enthusiasts have been heading for Cairn Gorm since the late 1800s.
The mountain’s popularity, along with its ideal conditions and stunning surroundings meant it was the perfect destination for Scottish skiers.
So the Cairngorm Mountain Resort was born, first taking shape and opening as a proper alpine destination in 1961.
Since then its success has gone up like a chairlift and down like a slalom, but with the relaunch of the funicular planned for early this year, change is coming.
Take a look back at Cairngorm Mountain Resort through the decades before looking forward to what the future holds.
1961
Cairngorm Sports Development Fund was set up in the 1950s to establish commercial skiing in the Coire Cas.
In 1961, the first slopes opened on Cairn Gorm along with the White Lady chairlift – which opened on December 23 that year as the first lift to directly serve a piste.
The lift was opened by Cairngorm Chairlift Company and, at this time, Cairngorm Estate was owned by the Forestry Commission for Scotland.
1965
As interest in Cairngorm Mountain Resort grew, nearby Aviemore needed to adapt to the increase in people flocking to the area.
Coylumbridge Hotel opened in 1965, a 175-bed hotel on a 60-acre site by the River Druie, close to the road leading to the ski slopes.
The years that followed would prove to be turbulent for the hotel, swapping hands and earning itself a “once-loved” tag.
Cairngorm Chairlift Company opened the car park chairlift, and the 0.6-mile long Coire Cas t-bar also opened at the resort this year.
1968
The original Ptarmigan restaurant, around 500ft from the summit of Cairn Gorm, opened in 1968.
It was much smaller than the one there now and was removed in 2001 to make way for the new building.
1970
Cairngorm Mountain’s lift offerings expanded in 1970 with the addition of the car park t-bar and Ptarmigan t-bar. Both are still in use.
1971
In 1971, the Scottish Secretary ordered ownership of Cairngorm Estate to be transferred to the Highlands and Islands Development Board, a precursor of HIE, as the land was no longer required for forestry.
1973
The Coire Na Ciste t-bar opened in 1973 and still runs today.
1974
The Ciste chairlift and West Wall chairlift opened in 1974, both serving the Coire na Ciste area of the resort.
Both lifts have since been taken out of action, much to the distaste of loyal Cairngorm Mountain fans.
1979
The Fiacaill Ridge poma and M1 poma are both still in use today after being installed in 1979.
1983
The Day Lodge at Cairngorm Mountain’s base station partially opened in 1983 before fully opening in 1984.
Today, it contains the mountain shop, equipment rental, Cas Bar and Cairngorm Cafe.
1986
The West Wall poma, which was built in 1986, is the resort’s longest at around one mile long.
Works were required at both the West Wall poma completed, and at the Coire na Ciste t-bar in 2019 after an inspection flagged safety concerns.
1988
The Day Lodge poma opened in 1988, taking skiers and snowboarders from the Day Lodge and base station over to the Coire na Ciste side of the resort.
2001
Arguably one of Cairngorm Mountain Resort’s most famous – and infamous – attributes is the funicular.
The UK’s highest railway opened in 2001, built by Morrison Construction to a cost of around £26.75million.
A new version of the Ptarmigan restaurant also opened at the top of the funicular this year.
Cairngorm Chairlift Company also became Cairngorm Mountain Ltd (CML) this year.
2006
The Polar Express poma opened in 2006 as the resort’s shortest lift at only 400ft.
2008
With CML in financial difficulty, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) took the company into public ownership as a wholly-owned subsidiary.
2014
HIE sold CML to Natural Assets Investment Ltd (NAIL) which contracted Natural Retreats Ltd to run operations.
2015
Shieling Sunkid is a rope tow on the lower slopes at Cairngorm Mountain and was installed in 2015.
2018
In 2018, the funicular closed due to safety concerns.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which owns the funicular, commissioned specialists to look into the condition of the structure after it closed.
Investigations led it to have “serious concerns” over the failure of key parts of its infrastructure after less than 17 years of operation.
As a result, HIE is suing original builders, Morrison Construction, for £14.5m over defects found after the railway’s closure and breaches of contract.
Easy access to the Ptarmigan was cut off with the funicular closure.
Also in 2018, CML went into administration and HIE bought the business and assets of the company from administrators. HIE then established Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd which still operates the resort now.
2019
A £1m Snowfactory machine was installed at Cairngorm Mountain in March 2019 to help with resort through winter seasons with little or inconsistent snow.
2022
Two new magic carpet lifts have been installed at Cairngorm to take skiers and snowboarders up towards the beginner slopes for the 2022/23 winter season.
2023
2023 promises to be a big year for Cairngorm Mountain Resort, with the reopening of the newly refurbished Ptarmigan restaurant and plans for mountain bike trails moving forward.
The biggest update is the long-awaited reopening of the funicular, which is scheduled for early in the year, within the winter season.
Looking back
Christine Butchart is marketing manager at Cairngorm Mountain, which she said has under gone a lot of change since opening back in 1961.
She said: “Cairngorm Mountain has seen an extensive transformation since the first chairlift – the White Lady chairlift – was launched in 1961 by the Cairngorm Chairlift Company, a subsidiary of the Cairngorm Recreational Trust. To attract winter tourists to the area and secure a year-round economy, the ski roads were built leading up to the resort.
“Serving the slopes, we have 12 surface lifts, 18 miles of piste runs, plus freestyle terrain. The first Ptarmigan restaurant was opened in 1968, and was replaced with a more modern building complete with a viewing platform in 2001, this has seen extensive refurbishment this year.
“We look forward to opening our first mountain biking trails in 2023. Our snow factory and snowmaking now allows us a guaranteed opening date whatever the weather.”
Looking forward
The funicular project is estimated to be completed around £9m over budget, but Ms Butchart believes it will attract more people to the resort.
“As Scotland’s only mountain railway, it will attract customers not just nationally but also from across the world in every season of the year,” she said.
“It’s not just a popular uplift for getting to the top of the slopes in winter, it’s a stunning journey at other times of the year, allowing people of all abilities and interests to reach the highest restaurant in the UK with unrivalled views.”
Some say the resort has declined in popularity through the years, especially with budget airlines making holidays abroad more accessible.
Considering this, Ms Butchart said she feels the plans for 2023 and beyond at the resort will help towards the team’s aim to make it a “world class visitor attraction”.
She said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard on major refurbishment projects which are only the beginning for a total facelift of our resort – with more exciting news to come.
“For the beginning of the snow sports season, we will have two new conveyor uplift for beginners taking them from the Day Lodge to 650ft up the slopes. These new additions are integral to our mountain biking in summer and Snowfactory for snow sports in winter.
“Our aim is to become a world class visitor attraction and 2023 will see major projects come to completion, including the reinstatement of the mountain railway, a highly improved sense of arrival and upgraded car park, refurbished Ptarmigan restaurant together with an immersive 270-degree exhibition.”
Conversation