Cairngorm (Aviemore)
Scotland's Highland skiing above Aviemore
A real mountain ski area on Cairn Gorm above Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, one of Scotland's principal ski centres and home to its only mountain railway.
- 655 m Base
- 747 m Top lift
- 92 m Vertical
- 23 Pistes mapped
- 18 Lifts
Best known for
Après & vibe
The bustling resort town of Aviemore below has pubs, restaurants and outdoor shops, a Highland hub year-round.
The snow centre
Cairngorm Mountain is a genuine Scottish ski area on the slopes of Cairn Gorm, rising from Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. It is one of the country's main snowsports centres, with a spread of runs across open, rugged mountainside and a funicular railway, Scotland's only mountain railway, which returned to service in 2025 after a lengthy closure. Scottish skiing is famously changeable: conditions swing from superb powder days to closures when wind and thaw strip the snow, so the season is short and unpredictable. When it is on, the sweeping high-plateau terrain and Highland scenery are hard to beat. Come for adventurous, weather-driven mountain skiing with a lively resort town at its foot.
The slope
Nursery slopes and easier runs for learning when conditions allow.
A good spread of blue and red runs across the mountainside.
Steeper gullies and off-piste lines appear in a good snow year.
Serious, exposed backcountry terrain across the Cairngorm plateau for the experienced.
The Cairngorm funicular
Scotland's only mountain railway, a Doppelmayr funicular, carries visitors to a high station near the plateau; it returned to service in 2025 after a long closure.
Cairngorms National Park
The area sits within Britain's largest national park, a wild expanse of high plateau, forest and rare mountain wildlife.
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay near Cairngorm (Aviemore)
Base in the busy town of Aviemore below the mountain, which has hotels, hostels and self-catering, or nearby Highland villages.
A base in town — the snow centre is a day trip, not a resort stay.
Self-catering flexibility for a family visit or a longer city break.
Handy if the centre is a stopover between flights.
Book access to Cairngorm (Aviemore)
Snow sessions, lessons and slope passes for Cairngorm (Aviemore).
Online access tickets for Cairngorm (Aviemore) will be bookable here shortly. In the meantime, book direct on the venue's own site.
How to get there
Inverness Airport is the nearest gateway, around an hour's drive; Aviemore also has direct rail links to Inverness and Edinburgh.
A short drive up the ski road from Aviemore into the Cairngorms.
Best time: Best from January to March in a good snow year, though conditions vary greatly week to week.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Faces east © Craig Wallace / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) The Lecht
- Vertical
- 195 m
- Lifts
- 11
Nevis Range
- Vertical
- 556 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 39
- Lifts
- 13
Midlothian Snowsports Centre (Hillend Dry Slope)
- Vertical
- 104 m
- Lifts
- 3
Lowther Hills
- Vertical
- 160 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 5
- Lifts
- 0
Chill Factore
Getting to Cairngorm (Aviemore)
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at EDI — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.