Cairngorm Mountain resort managers admitted a staffing crisis was so bad it relied on Ukrainian refugee workers to keep operating, The Press and Journal can reveal.
Bosses revealed their concerns in records of talks about the pressures facing the major Speyside attraction by Aviemore.
In one note, seen by the P&J, Cairngorm Mountain chief executive Susan Smith said the resort “couldn’t have survived” without support from Ukrainian workers.
The records show a local housing shortage was a “major problem” for the resort with staff regularly having to commute from Inverness.
Among the documents, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) chief Stuart Black noted staff had been housed at Aviemore’s Macdonald resort.
But this had to be shelved when redevelopment works were being carried out.
On-site winter accommodation for 20 staff was also no longer available, the notes show.
HIE told the P&J eight of the mountain resort’s 79 staff in August 2023 were Ukrainian refugees, more than 10%.
Towns across the Highlands such as Aviemore are affected by a much wider housing problem.
Last year it was reported the region needs to build 24,000 homes in the next 10 years to meet current and future accommodation demands.
In 2023, Highland Council approved plans to control the number of short-term lets allowed in Aviemore and surrounding towns and villages.
An HIE spokesperson said: “There is a serious shortage of rural housing across the Highlands and Islands, arising from two decades of reduced housebuilding.
“There are multiple reasons behind this, and the solutions are challenging.”
The quango emphasised it is working closely with Highland Council to tackle the crisis.
A spokesperson added: “Seasonal recruitment continues to be a real challenge.
“This challenge is shared by many businesses throughout Aviemore.”
The behind-the-scenes Cairngorm talks came when then SNP economy minister Neil Gray made a visit to the mountain resort on August 28, 2023.
It lifts the lid on yet another difficulty facing the struggling winter sports hub which is propped up by public money.
The centre-piece funicular railway is still being repaired after years of problems.
Target dates for its return to service have been repeatedly missed.
An eye-watering £25 million was spent repairing the mountain railway when it first shut in 2018.
It opened again in January 2023 and managers hoped Mr Gray would be able to see it running during a trip to the attraction that summer.
Notes show Cairngorm bosses were “keen to showcase” the funicular when the trip was first being arranged.
But the funicular was taken out of operation again for further works on August 25, three days before he visited.
Cairngorm CEO Ms Smith, who has since retired, admitted the latest round of repairs would hit the resort financially.
HIE initially estimated works would be completed quickly to ensure the railway was back in action for the winter season starting in December 2023.
Closures beyond this were described as a “worst case scenario”.
But more than a year later there remains no firm date for the structure returning to service.
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