Where's the best skiing in Scotland?

I completely agree with Pablo on this one; although none of the Scottish ski resorts can guarantee snow, there is usually excellent skiing available from January to March or April. As Pablo has said, this year was good but not exceptional, although the snow in February was amazing.

There are plenty of European resorts that can be hit and miss, and unless you get above about 6-7 thousand feet you are always taking a risk. There are thousands of people caught out in Italy and the lower French resorts each year with poor conditions, having paid significantly more than you would in Scotland.

For me, the skiing in Scotland is excellent and very reasonably priced. A week's skiing this year at Cairngorm was only £146, which is a fraction of the price of most European resorts. For those of us that live close to the snow, a season pass for next year is only £265!

Just for the record, I also ski abroad but go for the higher resorts (Alpe D'Huez).

Snow Time wrote:I completely agree with Pablo on this one; although none of the Scottish ski resorts can guarantee snow, there is usually excellent skiing available from January to March or April. As Pablo has said, this year was good but not exceptional, although the snow in February was amazing.

There are plenty of European resorts that can be hit and miss, and unless you get above about 6-7 thousand feet you are always taking a risk. There are thousands of people caught out in Italy and the lower French resorts each year with poor conditions, having paid significantly more than you would in Scotland.

For me, the skiing in Scotland is excellent and very reasonably priced. A week's skiing this year at Cairngorm was only £146, which is a fraction of the price of most European resorts. For those of us that live close to the snow, a season pass for next year is only £265!

Just for the record, I also ski abroad but go for the higher resorts (Alpe D'Huez).

I agree totally that snow can me hit or miss at some lower european resorts, Scotland being one, but if for one minute you take the protective Scotland blinkers off and ask yourself would you invest in a Scottish ski resort as it stands now I'm sure on a purely financial decision your answer would be no. 8)

Guys, I was just doing some investigation into my next round of sparring with the scottish contingent when I came across this, either someone has moved the goal posts or I need to make an apology to Pablo and Snow Time...... :lol: :lol:

http://www.snowforecast.org/scotland/The_Lecht/

225 cm of snow left on the upper slopes of the Lecht - I think they must mean peat, not snow!

I understand your point regarding investment, but just because snow cannot be guaranteed, it does not make Scotland a poor place to go skiing.

With pretty good 7 day snow and weather forecasts available online, anyone in the UK can be in the Cairngorms within about 11 hours (or only 6 hours from Manchester). This makes a long weekend or even a week's short notice holiday in Aviemore perfectly feasible.

Snow Time wrote:225 cm of snow left on the upper slopes of the Lecht - I think they must mean peat, not snow!

I understand your point regarding investment, but just because snow cannot be guaranteed, it does not make Scotland a poor place to go skiing.

With pretty good 7 day snow and weather forecasts available online, anyone in the UK can be in the Cairngorms within about 11 hours (or only 6 hours from Manchester). This makes a long weekend or even a week's short notice holiday in Aviemore perfectly feasible.

I understand your protectiveness ( Is that a word ? ) , I'm here to be convinced how many ski days were there this season? :shock:

The first real snow fell on 2nd October 2008 and blue run skiing was available at Cairngorm from 6th December through until Sunday 12th April. Three green skiing runs are still available but are not included below.

This season Scotland saw 127 days where there was enough snow for skiing but the wind (which can be a problem at any ski resort) reduced the number to around 90.

The Lecht had a lull in January due to high temperatures, but Cairngorm, and I believe Nevis and Glencoe, were available throughout the season. Cairngorm could have opened a few days earlier if the Funicular had completed its annual servicing earlier.

I may appear (and probably am) a little protective over the skiing available in Scotland but this is mainly due to ignorant comments in the media.

Bearing in mind I only ski at weekends, and only one day not both, I skied 14 times this season. There were at least another 4 or 5 weekends when I could have skied but other commitments took priority.

I also NEVER turn up at Cairngorm without checking the forecast, and because my kids are new to skiing, rarely go out when the wind is forecast to be greater than 20 mph. Only once this season have I skied when the wind been greater than forecast but the ski conditions have been great each time.

This is all based on personal experience, not a perception generated by the media. :D

This is what I think, and I guess quite a few would feel the same way:

If I lived within a couple of hours of the Scottish resorts, I would probably make an effort to use them on the days when it would be worthwhile going. But I would not plan to spend a weeks holiday skiing in Scotland, or consider buying a holiday property close to the slopes there.

Why?

Simple. Because (despite the best efforts of our Scottish friends on here to convince us otherwise) the weather is simply too unreliable.

I have never protested that the weather was reliable enough for a long distance type booking, all I have ever said is that when it is good, it is exceptional.