Visitor reviews for Glenshee Ski Resort

Glenshee Ratings

Overall: 3.2. Based on 26 votes and 49 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 2.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Glenshee is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 3.6

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Glenshee has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.5

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.2

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.8

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Glenshee.

Public Transport: 2.4

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Glenshee, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.2

(1) No places to stay in/near Glenshee, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.8

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.3

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Glenshee.

Ski in/Ski out: 1.9

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 2.0

(1) There are no child care facilities at Glenshee, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.0

(1) Glenshee relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.2

(1) There are no snow groomers at Glenshee, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Glenshee are groomed daily.

Shelter: 2.5

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Glenshee is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 2.4

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Glenshee, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.7

(1) Glenshee usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.2

(1) The staff at Glenshee are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Glenshee are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.5

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 3.5

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.1

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.7

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 3.9

(1) No intermediate terrain at Glenshee, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 3.5

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 2.6

(1) Not even a kicker at Glenshee, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 2.2

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Glenshee, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.8

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Glenshee has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.6

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.3

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 2.7

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 1.8

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 2.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.0

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.9

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.2

(1) Overall, Glenshee is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.6

(1) Overall, Glenshee is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

February 04, 2019
Skier Scot from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
The best in the UK in so many areas. Fantastic lift system. Large area to explore. See some great wildlife. Also, mountain hares and various birds. Best ski hire is at The Cabin Ski Hire in Bridge of Cally. Best boards are at the centre. Huge parking area and 3 good cafes, decent beginner area too. Well worth the drive up!
February 12, 2018
John from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
For Scotland it's a great ski area (I will not use the word "resort" to describe any Scottish ski area because it's ridiculously grandiose for what we have). There isn't much variety of terrain, it's all basically the same, but if you're just scratching your ski itch then that's fine. The lifts are very slow, and even though they have a "new" chair it hardly ever opens. Any wind will see it closed. The big problem for me is that most of the lifts don't actually go to the top of the runs they serve! There is an awkward flat/uphill link between the top of the tow (they are pretty much all tows there) and the run. Linking up between runs is also pretty poor, the layout hasn't really been thought through, but it's too late now. On a positive note the area is pretty big (for Scotland) and people can spread out, with lifts getting quieter the further back from the road you go. Parking is always pretty easy, never had an issue even in the busiest days (which is more than can be said for any of the other ski areas). However, because the bottom of the ski area is so high all of the runs are painfully short. You will be queuing for 60% of your time. The runs are not well delineated and only generally correspond to the piste map. But hey, if you're in Scotland and want to ski, then it's probably the best place unless you're looking for advanced runs. There's very little for advanced skiers here, although some of the off-piste(ish) areas between runs can be good if there's enough snow.
January 08, 2018
Tim W from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I've skied at Glenshee on and off since 1996. While not on the scale of the Alps, the area is very enjoyable with a variety of runs, especially the Glas Maol area which is wide open and without the snow fencing which characterises the rest of the ski area, allowing multiple lines to be taken. The Scottish weather can be "character forming" at times, but if you watch the weather and choose your days carefully, Scotland is one of the most rewarding places I've ever skied. The sense of "remoteness" and "wilderness" is second to none. It's also worth noting that the old Cairnwell chair was replaced in 2015.
March 18, 2016
Andrew from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
For a Scottish resort, Glenshee is excellent. When full of snow on a sunny day it is perfect for a great day out. I'm an intermediate/advanced skier and found more than enough to keep me occupied all day.
February 13, 2016
Denise Garioch from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Went to Glenshee Ski Resort on Friday February 12th. Have to say had a really good day despite my initial issues getting back on skis as I am at intermediate level. Fortunately, it was relatively quiet. I would recommend the "Green Sunnyside Run" for anyone who just needs confidence and practice on their own. I also find the Pomas ok for my level; working on the T Bar! The price was good for the lift pass and equipment hire also. Although patchy in some places fresh snow was falling so it should be a good weekend! Thank you to all at Glenshee.
February 12, 2016
Vincent from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Glenshee is nice when full of snow but the beginners slope is way too small especially when asking £17 for it. Was there last week and found the ski school kids and their instructors very rude and ignorant. They will always jump the queue and think nothing off it so you pay £17 to be pushed out the way. Totally disgusted.
February 10, 2016
Vince from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
The update service at Glenshee is very poor. While other resorts give more detail, the beginners slope is extremely poor; even the Lecht has ample runs for the beginner along with the magic carpet. Glenshee expects all skiers to be pros. A very poor resort that's only interested in money and not service.
February 05, 2015
David from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
While staying at the local well known resort, we decided to have a day's skiing at Glenshee mid week. We found that the runs are very artificial due to every run been hemed in by snow fences at both sides. It was like skiing at the SnowFactor which is inside with artificial snow! Even with the south road to the Spittal closed due to snow there was a lack of snow on the runs and both grass and rocks were showing through. There was also lack of information about runs and lifts being open. We went to one pomma, that was running, and was told by the lift operator to wait (he then disappeared into his cabin for 20 minutes while the lift was running) before coming back to the lift and letting us on? Why could he not give info that we could not get on the lift for 20 minutes the first time he spoke? This would have allowed us to ski elsewhere! Probably won't be back due to the service and skiing range.
February 26, 2014
Peter from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I went to Glenshee during this February half-term. I was worried that crowds would be prohibitive but hats off to the centre, it was awesome. There were some challenging runs, it was busy but well organised, and the snow was brilliant. The moment when navigating a steep red run into third valley and the mountains peaked through the mist will live with me for a long time. On top of that we got to take the kids up the chairlift as non-skiers and they are still talking about it!
March 23, 2013
Lorna from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I started skiing up Glenshee when I was 15, I'm now 37. I've had a good few years where I have haven't skied at all, due to prefering a hangover then having kids, now I'm back. Boy have things changed up there (I'm less than an hour away). For a start no queues, there doesn't seem to be the coaches that there were 20 years ago. I remember waiting in the queue at Butcharts looking down seeing buses thinking 'Oh God, the queues'. Good news for us, bad for business. The friendliness of the staff hasn't changed, all good for a wee passing of the time of day. The tows don't seem to breakdown like they used too. Yes it's an expensive sport, and I do think that the dink dink, should be free. This may attract skiers to bring the kids for a wee shot. My kids are young. I costed out around £45 a day with 2 hours tuition, that hurts (I've got 3!) I can't wait to get them on the slopes. Love Glenshee totally :)