This Sunday, 20th June, sees the ‘Big Spring Clean’ return to CairnGorm Mountain and Nevis Range for the third time. Taking place a month later than previous years due to a record breaking Scottish snow season, the event is a chance for mountain users to do their bit by picking up litter left by a season’s worth of visitors.

Last year saw 150 people take part in the event with over 50 bags of rubbish collected from the hillside. The rubbish that was cleared included hundreds of cigarette butts, a ski boot, a plastic sledge, broken ski poles, plastic bottles, cans, a bin lid and a Marathon chocolate bar wrapper dating from 1990, before the snack was rebranded as Snickers.

“We are delighted to be running the Big Spring Clean for the third year as part of our Respect the Mountain* campaign. As well as bringing people to the mountains to do their bit and clear away rubbish left during the ski season, we hope the event can raise awareness about the how damaging dropping litter can be and encourage people to take their waste home with them.” said Caroline Stuart-Taylor, Chief Executive of the Ski Club.

Ian Whitaker, Chief Executive of CairnGorm Mountain added: ‘CairnGorm Mountain are delighted that the Ski Club of Great Britain have organised this event again this year. It provides a great opportunity for our skiing customers to give something back to the mountain where they enjoy their sport by helping to clear up litter, lost property and other debris from a season when the hill experienced exceptionally heavy use. We expect this midsummer weekend to be a busy one and are putting on a hog roast for all customers outside the Cas bar at £4.75 per person available from 1pm. There is also a possibility that we might be able to offer some midsummer skiing on Sunday as well but this depends on conditions and the amount of snow we lose between now and the weekend so customers will have to check nearer the time.’

Volunteers for the litter pick are asked to meet at 10am at the bottom of the gondola at Nevis Range or the Ranger Base at Coire Cas on CairnGorm Mountain. Gloves and bags are provided for all litter pickers and for everyone who brings back a bag of litter, tea and cakes will be provided.

For more information on the Big Spring Clean visit skiclub.co.uk and for more information on the Respect the Mountain Campaign visit respectthemountain.com.