Scotland’s ski centres are experiencing a significantly improved start to the winter season, following a week of substantial snowfall across the north of the country. This welcome change has brought ideal conditions to venues such as Cairngorm Mountain and Lecht Ski Centre, marking a stark contrast to the limited snow experienced in recent years.
While the heavy snow has led to widespread disruption in North East Scotland, snow sports operators are celebrating what they describe as perfect conditions. Snowsport Scotland indicated that current conditions were “as good as we can expect in Scotland” for those heading to the slopes.
Iain Ramsay-Clapham, chief executive of Snowsport Scotland, expressed optimism for the season ahead.
“We should see all the mountains commercially have a really good start to their season,” he stated, highlighting the stark difference from the previous year. “Last year, for most of the mountains they drew a blank. We often see the best of our conditions at the end of the season in Scotland. But to be blessed with these sorts of conditions now, in January, is certainly worth capitalising upon.”
The early-season bounty is particularly vital given the long-term trends in Scottish snowfall. Data from the Met Office indicates a significant reduction in snow days, with a decrease of between 25% and 30% since the 1970s. In the previous season, some ski centres, including Nevis Range, were compelled to delay their winter openings until February. However, this year, Cairngorm Mountain near Aviemore, managed to commence limited winter sports operations in November, following earlier falls of snow in the Highlands.
Ramsay-Clapham reiterated the exceptional nature of the current situation. “With so much snowfall, particularly at the Lecht and on Cairngorm, we’ve got as good conditions as we can expect in Scotland.” He emphasised the crucial commercial benefit, noting, “Revenue at this time of year makes a massive difference, and it means they’re well set up for the rest of the season. But added to that, it’s the lift in motivation for people to actually be inspired to go out and give the sport a go.”
The Lecht Ski Centre, situated between Tomintoul and Cockbridge in the Cairngorms, faced one of its most challenging seasons last year, relying heavily on snow-making equipment to cover its lower slopes as natural snow was available for only a single weekend. Annette Cockburn, the centre’s manager, welcomed the current conditions.
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“The snow is amazing, this is a real boost to us, it makes a huge difference,” she said. “Natural snow makes it a lot easier. We’ve really relied a lot on our snow factory for the last couple of years, which has meant we can still operate. But it only means we can do the lower levels, and when we’ve got high demand people want to get up the top of the hill and go on longer runs.”
Cockburn, whose father founded the business in the 1970s, added that the week’s weather was a “welcome sight,” stressing, “We still really rely on natural snow to keep going.” The centre has seen a surge in interest, with Cockburn reporting, “Everyone is so keen to get out, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Everyone is happy because they not had a proper ski season in Scotland for a couple of years now.”
John Clark, director of Lecht Snowsports School, described the conditions as “ideal” for teaching. “Underfoot, you couldn’t ask for better,” he commented. “The snow is soft enough for when folk fall over, but it’s compact enough to have a really good surface. And its deep, on the beginner slope we’ve easily got a metre of snow. Mother nature has given us a really good base that will hopefully tide us over for the next two or three months.”
