More than 60 skiers took to the slopes at CairnGorm Mountain on the summer solstice on Monday 21st June 2010 to enjoy some midsummer skiing on the snow still lying there in the Ptarmigan bowl.

They were able to take advantage of the two rope tows which had been set up there by the resort’s operators CairnGorm Mountain Ltd. Skiers had travelled from as far away as the Isle of Mull in order to be able to say that they had skied at midsummer at CairnGorm.

The 21st was the 147th day of skiing at CairnGorm since the season started on 28 November 2009 and brings to 145,007 the total number of skier days at the resort in what by any account has been an extraordinary season. There were 23 days when skiing was not possible due to high winds or access blocked by snow.

Last year 65,000 skiers visited the resort and only three years ago they had their worst season ever with only 38,000 skiers.

CairnGorm Mountain chief executive Ian Whitaker commented:

“Our idea of a good winter is most people’s idea of a bad winter and the prolonged and heavy snowfall in many parts of the country was good news for us, focusing public attention on snow and heightening public awareness throughout the UK of the skiing which can be enjoyed at Scotland’s five ski resorts. The local economy has also seen considerable benefits from so many skiing visitors coming to the area”

“Being able to provide mechanized uplift for skiing at midsummer has created a grand finale to this season. Some of our more intrepid skiers have walked up the hill in previous years to find patches of snow on which to ski during the summer, but this is the first time in living memory that we have skied with the benefit of mechanized uplift at CairnGorm at midsummer and our customers have relished that opportunity.”

www.cairngormmountain.org