Best Conditions in Scotland For Years

Ski areas in the Scottish Highlands are reporting their best conditions in several years after a month long spell of cold and snowy weather has built to big snowfalls over the past week.

Glencoe, Glenshee, The Lecht and Cairngorm ski areas have all been able to open large swathes of their terrain at times, for several of these the most in several years. Access at Cairngorm is also now much improved with the reopening of its mountain railway access to its higher terrain after years of closure for protracted repairs.

The snowfall, coupled with gale force winds has though had its usual impact on operations, at times blocking access roads, burying lifts and making it difficult for centres to open lifts. During the lulls between fronts however, conditions are reported to be glorious.

On top of the four centres which have operational all-weather snowmaking systems allowing them to open some terrain in warm/no natural snow conditions, the country’s fifth area, Nevis Range above Fort William on the West Coast, says it plans to open from this coming Friday too, subject to lift and slope preparation work proceeding as hoped.  The centre is not thought to have been able to open at all for snowsports in several years, blaming climate change, although in an autumn 2024 statement, had said it would if it ever could.