Scotland’s white winter wonders
With snow still abundant, it’s time to hit the slopes and enjoy...
SCOTLAND offers an outstanding winter playground for all to enjoy and there are few finer places to ski or board or simply to go sledging, especially when snow conditions are perfect underfoot and there are crisp, clear ‘bluebird’ skies overhead.
There may be no snow in your back garden at present, but there is plenty of the white stuff to go around at Scotland’s five mountain resorts – and there’s more snow on the way.
So why not round up your nearest and dearest and enjoy some memorable family fun on the slopes during the coming mid-term break?
The Lecht in Moray Speyside, at 2,090ft, is compact and ideal for beginners, with gentle nursery slopes, an enclosed kindergarten area, Magic Carpet travelator lift, on-site ski school and online bookable equipment hire.
There’s also plenty here to entertain the more experienced, with one black and five red-graded runs and a terrain park featuring freestyle rails and jumps.
Glenshee, located between Blairgowrie and Braemar, is the largest mountain resort in the UK and an easy day trip from Tayside, Fife and the Lothians.
Spread across four mountains and three glens, its extensive nursery slopes and 36 runs (eight green, 13 blue, 13 red and two black) make it ideal for all abilities. There’s a ski school and three cafés on site and online bookable equipment hire. The resort has also been upgrading f acilities, with a new three- seater chairlift on the black-graded Tiger run.
Nevis Range, near Fort William, features the only mountain gondola in the UK, whisking skiers, boarders and sightseers up to the Snowgoose Restaurant at 2,132ft on the slopes of Aonach Mor. There are 35 runs here (six green, 13 blue, 11 red and five black), and extensive offpiste and unpatrolled Back Corries for highly experienced skiers or boarders. New for this season are ladies-only ‘Ski Like a Girl’ performance taster sessions and ‘Girl Powder’ freeride clinics.
Glencoe Mountain, which recently featured on BBC show Ski Sunday, is Scotland’s oldest mountain resort, celebrating its 60th anniversary in the next few weeks. Only a short day trip from Glasgow, you’ll find 20 runs of varying grades here and on-site facilities including ten microlodges ( each sleeping f our), ten campervan hook-ups, showers, drying rooms and a fully licensed café, which features dramatic views across to Buachaille Etive Mor. The centre has also been investing in facilities and uplift upgrades.
CairnGorm Mountain near Aviemore is Scotland’s most popular mountain resort with 35 runs. It features Scotland’s only funicular railway which takes visitors to the Top Station and Ptarmigan Restaurant at 3,500ft providing breathtaking views over the Cairngorms National Park. And when snow conditions are right the Ptarmigan freestyle park, featuring a combination of rail and kicker sections and a half pipe, offers lots of fun for more experienced ‘ show offs’. Ski- Scotland has the following tips to help you get the most from your trip during the busy mid- term break:
Pay for lift passes and equipment hire in advance online or by cash at the resort as card machines can be slow to process in mountain areas and queues may be long.
Wherever you hire your equipment, make sure you know your own and your children’s height, weight and shoe size.
Arrive at the resort early to get parked and car share where possible. Public bus services run from Aviemore to CairnGorm Mountain and Fort William to Nevis Range.
Check snow conditions, weather and travel reports before travelling. Snow conditions r eports are updated regularly by mountain resorts, see the website at www.skiscotland.com/conditions.
Find out more and plan your midterm skiing or boarding break in Scotland at www.ski-scotland.com.