Snow and working funicular boost Cairngorm resort's turnover

Cairngorm Mountain says a strong winter sports season and the return of its funicular railway helped it to increase its annual turnover to almost £6m.

It also reduced its reliance on revenue funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), with the support falling from more than £2.5m in 2024-25 to £531,000 in 2025-26.

Public body HIE owns the resort, near Aviemore, which is operated by Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited.

Last winter was described as one of the best in six years for snowsports, while the funicular returned to service in February 2025 following an extensive programme of work.

Mark Tate, chairman of Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Limited, said: "These results demonstrate real progress.

"Increasing turnover to £5.7m while substantially reducing the level of revenue support required from HIE is an important step towards our ambition of creating a financially sustainable Cairngorm Mountain.

"There is more work to do, and we remain clear about the challenges ahead, but the direction of travel is encouraging."

The Cairngorm funicular opened in 2001 at a cost of £19.5m but in recent years it has been closed for lengthy periods of time with the Scottish government providing £16m towards the £25m total cost of repairs.

The railway carries visitors from a base station with a restaurant and a ski area 1,097m (3,599ft) up Cairn Gorm - the UK's sixth highest mountain.