PHOTO ESSAY: Scottish island Ailsa Craig is the granite source for Olympic curling stones

By Canadian Press on December 18, 2025.

Ailsa Craig is an uninhabited isle off the coast of southwest Scotland and the source of the super-dense granite used to make curling stones for the Winter Olympics. It features both “common green” granite comprising the body of the stone and the “blue hone” granite that forms the running surface.

Local company Kays Curling makes all the the curling stones for the Milan Cortina Winter Games. It has a history with the Olympics dating back to the first winter edition in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Kays produces up to 2,000 stones per year and Canada is its biggest market. Asian countries have been increasing their orders.

This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.

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AP photography: https://apnews.com/photography

Alastair Grant, The Associated Press

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