Plan to cut Cairngorm Mountain resort emissions

The owners of Cairngorm Mountain's snowsports centre have pledged to cut carbon emissions at the site by up to 90%.

Artificial snow is used to guarantee skiing and snowboarding on some runs at the resort, near Aviemore.

Owners Highlands and Islands Enterprise said it would replace diesel used to power snowmaking machines with a biofuel, hydrotreated vegetable oil.

Last year, the resort brought in a "snow factory".

It also acquired eight new snow cannons.

Cairngorm Mountain, along with other outdoor snowsports centres, including The Lecht and Glencoe Mountain, have been using snowmaking in recent winters.

The Nevis Range Mountain Experience, near Fort William, has purchased a new snowmaking plant as part of £1m of new investment in infrastructure.

Designed by a Dutch manufacturer of ice for the fishing industry and manufactured in China, the plant is capable of producing up to 155 tons of ice flakes in a 24-hour period.

Nevis Range said this was enough snow to cover an area of 150m (492ft) by 50m (164ft) to a depth of 3m (10ft) in 14 days.