Everything ahead is full of exciting possibility. Let’s enjoy that before reality kicks in
If 2017 was a year in which Scottish surf and snow-lovers allowed themselves to get excited about the prospect of futuristic hi-tech goodies just around the corner, 2018 looks like the year in which we’ll find out if any of these developments can actually deliver on their tantalising promises.
Towards the end of this month, we should learn whether or not the bathymetry geeks at Wavegarden Scotland have been granted planning permission to build an artificial surfing lake in a disused quarry in Ratho near Edinburgh – the date of 24 January has been mentioned as a likely decision day. Meanwhile, over in the snowsports world, there are already Snowfactories in place at the Glencoe and Cairngorm Mountain ski areas, and although they’ve only been churning out artificial snow for a couple of weeks, the results are already looking promising. At Cairngorm, there were encouraging images doing the rounds over the Christmas break of a decent-sized beginners’ area taking shape in the Lower Slopes area, while over at Glencoe they’ve been posting pictures of enormous mounds of snow waiting to be pisted near the base station. In the coming months, then, we should find out if Snowfactories really can revolutionise skiing in Scotland, or if they will somehow fall victim to gale force winds, pernicious freeze-thaw cycles or some other obstacle that nobody could have foreseen.
In February, the Winter Olympics will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and without wishing to tempt fate (official Team GB selections aren’t due to be announced until later this month) it seems likely that several Scottish athletes will be involved. Alex Tilley from Torphins in Aberdeenshire is currently Britain’s top Alpine skier, and her careerbest 13th place finish in the World
Cup Giant Slalom at Courchevel in December certainly won’t have hurt her chances of making the cut; similarly, Edinburgh halfpipe skier Murray Buchan, a veteran of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, must surely be brushing up on his Korean by now after posting an impressive 16th place finish at the first World Cup halfpipe event of the season at Copper Mountain in Colorado. Add in crosscountry skiers Andrew Young and Andrew Musgrave – both graduates of Huntly Nordic Ski Club and the highest-ranked Brits on the World Cup circuit – and it’s hard to shake the feeling we might see saltires flying in one or more of Pyeongchang’s various ski stadia next month.
A little closer to home, the Freedom Series – Scotland’s freeride ski and snowboard tour – looks set for a dramatic finale this year, thanks to an new addition to the contest schedule. On the weekend of 23 and 24 March, the Coe Cup at Glencoe will be followed by an event simply billed as “The 2018 SFS Final”. Held on the slopes of Creise, near the Glencoe Mountain ski area, the event will be a one-run, winner-takes-all event for the top five male and top three female riders in the series. In the right conditions, it could be jawdroppingly spectacular.
Fastforward to September, and Scotland’s elite surfers will be hoping to continue their solid run of form since gaining official recognition as a surfing nation in 2014 when they compete in the ISA World Surfing Games in Tahara, Japan. With Tokyo set to host the Olympics in 2020 – the first edition to feature surfing as an official sport – this should be a glimpse into the future in more ways than one. The Scottish team will be decided at the national championships, held at Thurso in April.
Meanwhile, for mere mortals, there are less strenuous delights to look forward to. The Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival runs from 3-4 February this year, with guest speakers including self-powered globe-loopers Sarah Outen and Mark Beaumont, while the Fort William Mountain Festival runs from 21-25 February and boasts an appearance from the incredible Lowri Morgan – one of only six people ever to complete the 350-mile, non-stop Arctic Ultra footrace.
There are literary treats in store too: on 15 February, Sandstone publish
There’s Always The Hills, in which the journalist and broadcaster Cameron Mcneish looks back on almost 40 years of writing and talking about the outdoors; and a week before that, the award-winning BBC journalist Neil Ansell releases The Last Wilderness, in which he uses a series of solitary journeys into remote parts of the Scottish Highlands to reflect on his impending hearing loss. The first couple of chapters are lyrical, thought-provoking, and meanderingin-a-good-way. Full review to follow in due course.