Ski season shaping up to be one of worst so far

The Scottish ski season is shaping up to be one of the worst on record, the head of the sport’s promotional body has said.

This time last year the slopes were alive with skiers and boarders – today they are practically bare, except for a few slithers of natural and manmade snow.

While parts of the Alps have been deluged, Scotland’s pistes have been unseasonably barren.

This week should have been their busiest, with thousands of school pupils on holiday.

But Andy Meldrum, chairman of Ski Scotland, described the season so far as “pretty dire”.

His own resort, Glencoe Mountain, has only been able to offer two days of upper slope skiing and boarding – and just 20 days of limited runs.

Glenshee did not have enough snow to open while The Lecht, Nevis Range and Cairn Gorm Mountain are mainly offering beginners’ areas.

In recent years, some of the resorts have been open before Christmas. Last season both Glencoe and Cairn Gorm were welcoming boarders and skiers by the end of November 2017.

Mr Meldrum said the artificial snow had worked to an extent.

“It has meant that beginners’ lessons and sledging has taken place, but to have fuller skiing, more snow cannons are needed,” he said.

“This season is shaping up to be pretty dire. But it’s not over yet and it could change quickly with the right conditions.”

Scottish snow sports boosted the economy by almost £31 million last season, according to latest estimates.

But additional investment in Scotland’s five ski centres is considered a key factor in maintaining visitor numbers.

VisitScotland estimate that snow sports support more than 600 jobs.