Scottish Ski resorts

jiggajt

Has anyone ever been to any of the scottish ski resorts. There's only 5 and i havent heard anything about them. I figure it might be good for a short trip what with the sterling difference and its not too far to go. I'll be boarding if that makes any difference. Any help would be appreciated.

Static M.e.

First off I haven't been, but I was told was a colleague who has that she found the main problem to be that when its snows the roads close making it impossible to get to the slopes and when it isn't snowing the slopes are in terrible condition so its not worth your time going....

Again this is at least second or third hand information so I wouldn't think on it too much.

I personally plan to make it over to Scotland for a long weekend this year as Ive never been to Scotland at all and the fact that they have snow just seems a bonus. I hear its a great country and I love the accent so its a Win/Win Situation!

If you hear/get any more information I would love to hear about it.

jiggajt

Ive been before but wasnt boarding at the time. We stayed in fort william for a while. I was there to climb ben nevis at the time and i noticed they had a resort.
There is 2 resorts in the area. Nevis itself and glencoe about 30 miles away. You pass both resorts on the way from glasgow to fort william and the drive is one of the top 3 most scenic drives in the world. That would be a good start for you.
There is 3 resorts over to the east near aberdeen which look like they have good runs and alright snow but ive never been. I also heard that the best snow is in march or april so im thinking about a paddy's day long weekend myself.
It would be useful to hear from someone whos been to any of the resorts. The website i was looking at is:

www.ski.visitscotland.com/

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jiggajt wrote: »

Ive been before but wasnt boarding at the time. We stayed in fort william for a while. I was there to climb ben nevis at the time and i noticed they had a resort.
There is 2 resorts in the area. Nevis itself and glencoe about 30 miles away. You pass both resorts on the way from glasgow to fort william and the drive is one of the top 3 most scenic drives in the world. That would be a good start for you.
There is 3 resorts over to the east near aberdeen which look like they have good runs and alright snow but ive never been. I also heard that the best snow is in march or april so im thinking about a paddy's day long weekend myself.
It would be useful to hear from someone whos been to any of the resorts. The website i was looking at is:

www.ski.visitscotland.com/

Your link don't work mate

paddyb

ive just been to aviemore for a few days. Conditions were a bit icey bit its very early in the season. Im gonna try to get back in a month or two.
lots of information on http://www.winterhighland.info/

jiggajt

This is the website but the site seems to be down at the momment.

http://ski.visitscotland.com/

To be honest paddyb's site is better anyway.

Psydeshow

Hey guys, gonna be in Scotland around the end of January and was thinkin of taking a quick trip up north for a weekend of skiing, but keep hearing very different things about whether it's worth the visit this time of year.

What think yee? reckon it's worth it?

paddyb

keep an eye on http://www.winterhighland.info/ up until you go.

check out some photos on there and you can the amazing snow that they can have, its just luck with scotland i think

Psydeshow

Nice one, reckon I'll bring my gear just in case so.Worst case scenario I get a weekend in the highlands.
I'll let y'all know how / if it goes anyway.

ByrneByrne

Skied at the five Scottish ski centres on and off over the last twenty years and would recommend it for a last minute break to get some practice in before your week abroad or for some bonus end of season skiing.

When travelling from Ireland, Cairngorm Ski Centre is normally the best option as it has the most reliable conditions. You can subscribe to email alerts from the centres who will alert you when there’s been a good dump of snow.

Cairngorm Mountain

19 runs of which there is 1 black, 9 red and 6 blue with a further 3 green runs. Funicular railway plus 17 lifts of which 4 are chairs, 7 pomas and 6 t-bar, with their being 37km of pisted runs with the longest being 2.2km (1.36 miles). The north facing corries and slopes of the Cairngorm offer off-piste opportunities (Be careful as the snow can be unstable due to the fluctuating temperatures – check with ski patrol).

Traditionally the best snow conditions are in February. The weather at this time can be wild. When across in Feb-08 it was gusting 90 mph, with winds of 130 mph not unknown. If going at this time of year take appropriate clothing, Gore-Tex or something similar.

Last year we got end of season skiing in the third week of April. Link is from photos taken 17-Apr-08:

:: Winterhighland // CairnGorm Mountain // Thursday 17th April 2008

All runs were open and the gullies had snow depths up to 20 feet. Normally the best balance between snow and weather conditions is in mid March.

An advantage of Cairngorm over the other ski centres for beginners is that the green slopes are at the top of the mountain plateau and have a good snow record. These slopes were open from December through to May in 2008. Also Beginners have no worries having to make their way down intermediate slopes as they can go back down the mountain on the funicular railway.

There are two mountain restaurants one being at the base the other being at around 3,000 feet. Ski equipment and clothes are available for hire in the local area and on the mountain. The centres can get busy if there has been heavy snow. To miss the queue for lift passes and equipment hire and to get the best of the day you need to be at the centre by 8am. The lifts normally close around 3.30pm in Jan\Feb, 5.00pm in March\April.

If you’re looking for ski clothes\equipment and are going in March the sales in the local shops start in March. Discounts of up to 50% are available.

Accommodation

None of the ski centres could be considered as resorts as all are least 10 miles from the nearest town. Aviemore the nearest town to Cairngorm has a wide variety of accommodation. In April we stayed at the Dell Druie Guest House. The English proprietor was a ski instructor in the French Alps before retiring and is a good source of information on the conditions. In February we stayed in the MacDonald’s hotel complex where there are four hotels. Fine if you’re in a group, if not a bit impersonal. Tripadvisor.com has a lot of info on accommodation in the area.

Travel from Ireland

When travelling from Ireland you can only book your trip a few days ahead such is the vagaries of the snow and weather conditions.
A result of this is that you can’t book ahead on the budget airlines to get the best fares. If you live in Dublin or north of it and there a few of you, the car is a practical option. We normally leave on a Friday afternoon after work, taking the ferry from Belfast\Larne to Scotland. We normally stop at Stirling or Perth to break the journey on the Friday evening. The Travelodge is normally a good bet for accommodation there. Two full days skiing is possible before getting a ferry Sunday evening and being back in Dublin around 11pm for work the next day.

Below are some links for planning a trip:

General Snow and Weather Conditions

Winterhighland - :: Winterhighland // Scottish Snow & Mountain Sports // Reachigher at Winterhighland 2008

Ski Scotland - Ski Scotland - Scottish Ski Resorts and Operators, Ski Reports and Conditions

Met Office - Met Office: Highlands & Eilean Siar: forecast

Ski Centres

Cairngorm - Cairngorm Mountain

Glenshee - Glenshee Ski Centre

The biggest centre in Scotland over 3 valleys and 4 mountains. Conditions can be unpredictable though.

Anoch More - Skiing and Snowboarding at Nevis Range Fort William, Scotland :: ski and snowboard resort

Glencoe - http://www.glencoemountain.com/store/home.php

Lecht - Welcome to the Lecht 2090 Website!

Travel

Ferries

P&O – P&O Irish Sea Ferries - book ferry tickets to Ireland, England, Scotland online now!

Stena Line - Stena Line

Accommodation

Aviemore

Dell Druie Guest House - Guest House Accommodation in Aviemore near Inverness Scotland - Dell Druie Guest House

MacDonald Hotels - Home Page - Macdonald UK Hotels, Short Breaks and Holidays

Stirling & Perth

Travelodge – Travelodge

Maps and directions

Multimap.com - Worldwide map search, route finder and travel directions - powered by Multimap

Scottish Tourist Board - Ski Travel Scotland - The Nevis Range, Glencoe, Glenshee, Cairngorm and The Lecht Ski Centres

A brochure can requested from the Scottish Tourist Board at the following address - Brochure Register

Cost

Below is an approximate costing per person for a weekend skiing in Scotland based on four adults travelling by car from Dublin:

Fuel (Fuel consumption based on family sized Diesel) - €20.00
Ferry (Belfast to Stranraer, Stenaline) - €71.12
Twin Room in Perth, Friday (3* Travelodge) - €15.00
Twin Room in Aviemore, Saturday (4* MacDonald Hotel) - €60.00
Two Day Full Area Lift Pass (Cairngorm) - €68.75

Total cost including accommodation, transport, and lift pass is approximately €234.87.

NB\ If booking the ferry with Stenaline it normally works out cheaper booking on the UK website and paying in GBP rather than booking on the the Republic of Irelands site and paying in euro.
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ByrneByrne

Article on Scottish Skiing - Thursday 12-Feb-09

"Ski+board’s editor Arnie Wilson hit the jackpot when he returned to the Scottish highlands this week.

My visit was the result of a request from Bernie Weichsel, a prominent member of America’s ski industry who runs ski shows in Denver, Boston and Minneapolis who had always wanted to visit Scotland.

The last time I skied at Aviemore it was in fairly atrocious conditions. But when Bernie, the founder of Ski USA, wanted to round off a trip to the Alps with his first visit to the Highlands, I was keen to help. For good measure we unexpectedly recruited John Bennett, Chairman of the Edinburgh-based Ski Independencem tour operation as our chauffeur and guide! I’d contacted John for any advice he could give us and to my delight he offered to drive us to Glenshee and Cairngorm in his rather smart Alfa Romeo.

I was staggered by the grandeur of the highlands. We had perfect conditions – blue skies, stunning scenery and excellent snow. At Glenshee, the largest ski area in Scotland, they have translated all the signposting into Gaelic. They certainly didn’t need their snowmaking during our visit, but one couple made good use of some snowmaking equipment as a picnic spot. [/FONT]

At Cairngorm a near-perfect day on some really impressive slopes was enhanced with a haggis lunch at the Ptarmigan restaurant at the top of the funicular. Verdict from Bernie “Astonishingly good. I had no idea skiing in Scotland would be so impressive.” Even John Bennett was excited by how good the skiing had been. “I hadn’t skied at Aviemore for 15 years and this time it’s been a revelation. I’m not about to abandon North America or the Alps, but it’s been wonderful to see the Scottish product at its best.”

My verdict - it was so good I am pinching myself. I am scared to go back now because I fear we caught it in a rare week of near perfection. As we started our drive back to Edinburgh, Bernie was so carried away with the grandeur of the mountains that he said: “Look over there. That peak looks just like Big Sky, Montana.” Praise indeed!"