Ski centre appeal hits target after 'dire' snow season

A ski centre fundraising appeal, launched so it could stay open despite a lack of snow, has reached its target.

The operators of the Lecht Ski Centre, which was established in the 1970s, turned to crowdfunding after a "dire" season.

It aimed to raise £35,000 through lift pass sales in a bid to open for 2025.

The ski centre - which sits on the A939 between Cockbridge and Tomintoul - has thanked the public for their support.

The Lecht Ski Centre is on the eastern side of the Cairngorms, on the Aberdeenshire and Moray border.

The owners of the popular ski venue had said it may have had to shut down due to a shortage of snow.

Chairman Pieter du Pon made the appeal on an online crowdfunding page.

He wrote: "We'd like to be able to continue for many years to come but we need to ask for your support to do this.

"We do not want to be forced to shut down the centre and so I would like to ask if you could help by just buying one lift pass, or more, as a donation, so we can continue into 2025."

In an update, the centre said in a statement: "A heartfelt thank you to our amazing community for coming together with support, kind messages, and donations during our funding appeal.

"We are delighted to say that with the high community spirit, additional funding has now been achieved and therefore the funding appeal is closed."

Scotland's ski resorts had enjoyed a strong start to the previous season (2022/2023) while resorts elsewhere in Europe struggled for snow.

Relatively warm conditions across the continent impacted resorts in countries such as France and Switzerland.

However at venues such as the Lecht, business was said to be booming.

Good skiing conditions on 2 January last year saw the centre so busy they had to stop selling tickets for only the second time in 45 years.

But 2023/2024 proved a different story and prompted organisers to launch the appeal.