UK Outdoor Snow News

Scotland’s five mountain ski areas have been blessed not only by lots of snow this winter, but also more customers than any winter since 2001.

Already they have passed 250,000 skier days and this is around two months before the season is expected to end. This total is 100,000 more than last season, which wasn’t a bad one.

This is excellent news not only for the ski companies, but also for the surrounding areas, with the season so far estimated to have generated at least £25M for the Scottish economy, of which £20M will have been spent in nearby local businesses.

Kilted Ski PatrolCairnGorm Mountain ski area above Aviemore in Scotland is attempting to set a world record for the largest number of kilted skiers/boarders skiing/boarding down a piste at once. The attempt will take place on Saturday 6th March at 11am and all money raised will be split between Maggie’s Highland hospice and the local Badenoch and Strathspey Schools Skiing Programme.

The centre is aiming to have 600 kilted skiers and snowboarders ski in a single consecutive line from the Ptarmigan Top Station at CairnGorm Mountain all the way down to car park level.
Ian Whitaker, Chief Executive at CairnGorm Mountain said:

“Snow conditions this winter are so fantastic at CairnGorm Mountain that staff wanted to celebrate the skiing from top to bottom in a memorable way that would also involve the public. So far this year we have held two torch light descents but the “CairnGorm in Kilts” world record attempt would be unique to Scotland and Scottish Skiing. We hope that our customers will embrace the fun and also know that they are raising money for two great local causes.”

The ski centre at Glencoe Mountain has had the heaviest snowfalls of any winter sports resort in the world, its operators have claimed.

There are times when us Southerners get a little jealous of the Scots. Haggis for one. But this weekend, there's going to plenty of us who simply can't get to the Scottish slopes and we will be as green as lime jelly... and that's pretty green.

Currently only the gondola is opened and the conditions are still pretty wild. However, with 8 inches of fresh in the car park and 5 foot drifts around the top gondola station, it is not stopping people riding down the Mountain Bike World Cup track. With more forecast over night, conditions should be epic this weekend with the potential for summit to car-park riding (close to 4000ft).

Jamie Riley lives local to Nevis Range and he's provided these pictures that say it all.


The car park
Below the restaurant


Top gondola station
Top gondola station drifts


5ft drifts
... and it's still dumping!

We don't hear much from Nevis Range, but our man in the snow, Steve McKenna is more than happy to do a spot of PR on their behalf and has sent these words and pictures to show how good the conditions currently are.

"I spent the entire day yesterday riding the Back Corries at Nevis Range. It.s easily the best conditions they've had for the last 15 years. Every run was 18 inches of fresh pow, with faceshots all the way down. Nevis Range are officially classing the Backs as opened, meaning they're patrolled and cleared at the end of the day. They've also been spinning the Braveheart Chair and running through various tests to get it ready to open (although no decision has been made on it yet)."

To mark the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, Canada, CairnGorm Mountain in the Scottish Highlands is inviting the public to take part in or watch “Olympic Flame Descents” on Wednesday 17th February 2010.

To take part in one of these descents participants are required to be competent skiers or snowboarders of intermediate/ advanced standard (able to ski confidently from the top to the bottom of the mountain). Children wishing to take part should be aged 8- 16 years and need to be accompanied by a participating adult. Spaces are limited for both events.

Participants will take the funicular railway to the top station from 4.30pm, where they will be given a hot drink and a beef roll. At dusk (which is expected to be around 5.30pm), 40cm light torches will be issued to every participant by ski patrol (flashing whistles will also be available for a small charge). The CairnGorm ‘Olympic’ Flame will be carried by ski patrol who will lead and guide the descent.

To take part you must visit the ticket office in the Base Station at CairnGorm between 1pm and 4pm prior to the event, but telephone bookings will not be accepted for this event. Adults will each pay £15 to take part in these events but one child can take part free of charge if accompanying a full paying adult.

Spectators will be welcome to watch the Descent from car park level where the Cas Bar will remain open until 7.30pm serving, hot drinks, home baking and light snacks. Weather permitting a sledge area on the lower slopes will also be open with sledges available for hire for £5 per half hour. There will also be an opportunity to take a ride on a snowmobile or piste-bashing machine for a donation of £5 which will go towards ski-race timing equipment and display boards.

“We wanted to do something special to mark the start of the winter Olympics at Whistler and, given the amount of fantastic snow cover we have going into half term and the requests we get for evening skiing, this seemed like a great opportunity to do something which both skiers and spectators could enjoy. If we get a fine evening the sight of the illuminated line of descending skiers as night falls should be quite something.” commented CairnGorm Mountain Chief Executive Ian Whitaker.

www.cairngormmountin.org

Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountain had the unusual problem of having too much snow in the first half of January, which led to a huge community effort to ‘dig out’ key parts of the ski area including access roads, lifts and the summit restaurant so that skiers could reach the slopes, closed by too much snow.

The Managing Director of nearby Tomatin Whisky Distillery, Tom McCulloch, was so impressed by the team effort that went into the snow clearing over the week from January 12th to 17th that he commissioned forty eight bottles of finest blend Scotch Whisky, named Big “D” , to mark the team’s efforts. The commemorative bottles have now been presented to CairnGorm staff and organizations who took part in the massive dig out operation by Graham Nicolson, Tomatin’s Regional Sales Manager. Every bottle is individually numbered and contains a blended Scotch whisky of Highland blend.

“I was talking to Dr Mike Langran, who is often on the hill assisting ski patrol at CairnGorm Mountain and gained an insight into just what efforts were being made to get the ski road and train ready to receive the public. It was a team effort on a huge scale involving paid employees as well as volunteers and contractors and it reminded me of the sense of community which is very much part of Tomatin Distillery’s heritage - one worth acknowledging and celebrating”. said Mr McCulloch.

“This generous and unexpected gesture from Tomatin is hugely appreciated by all of us who work at CairnGorm Mountain.” said Ian Whitaker, Chief Executive at CairnGorm Mountain Ltd. “Like employees at the distillery, many of CairnGorm’s staff have made a lifestyle choice to work in this environment and it is a way of life for many of them. Running a ski centre on a Scottish mountain side presents huge challenges at times and it is not often that the effort that goes into getting lifts and tows up and running is so publicly recognized. I would personally like to thank all the staff, volunteers and contractors who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in these past few weeks and to Tomatin for recognising those efforts with this gesture.”.

“It just gets better and better.” is the comment from staff at CairnGorm ski area above Aviemore in Scotland.

Approximately 1.5 metres or five feet of snow has now fallen on the upper slopes since Christmas and temperatures forecast to remain at or below freezing for the rest of the week at least.

With the local school holidays finishing last weekend it is one of the best times in the past decade to visit the slopes with the crowds of Christmas and New Year gone and excellent cover from top to bottom for the whole hill available to explore.

The snow is dry and crunchy on the pisted runs, the M1 and Cas have groomed powder and the top bowls are pisted virtually from fence to fence.

The first funicular up is at 9am but other surface uplift will usually operate from half an hour earlier. Last funicular up is at 3.20pm/down 4.00pm.

You can buy ski tickets (but not ski hire) on-line on www.cairngorm.com. You can also buy 4 Day Skiing Tickets Vouchers on-line (£96 for adults and £58 for a child).

Vouchers can be used any day this skiing season but only one voucher per day may be used. These on-line purchases need to be presented at the ranger base office on arrival and exchanged for a ticket for the day.

On busy days (weekends) a cash only desk for day ski tickets (no hire and no two-day tickets) operates from the window in the side of the day lodge so visit a cash machine before you come on site for fast ticket purchase.

Within the ticket office itself one queue will be a dedicated ‘ski tickets only for cash or credit cards’ (no hire) queue while the remaining windows will be for tickets and hire or hire only (and voucher/multi-day purchases).

But...

Check out this amazing NASA satellite image taken at 11.15am yesterday showing the extent of the deep freeze. Only the tip of Anglesey, the Cumbrian coast and parts of Western Scotland are still green.

Jerry Boothroy skiing outside the shopWe've just got off the phone from Roddy Mackay who runs LD Mountain Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. His shop has featured on a host of news sites recently as employees were spotted turning the ice-packed pavement of Dean Street's 30% gradient outside the shop into a makeshift downhill run.

Roddy says both the shop and online sales have gone through the roof.

To top it off, yesterday Roddy sent rider Andy Wood and photographer James Cummings to Weardale an hour's drive from the shop and this was the result.

Andy Wood at Weardale, Northumberland © James Cummings

Virgin Media - Shop worker's outdoor demonstration
Times Online picture gallery
Scotsman - Snow helps shop's business to boom
Mail Online.
West Morland Gazzette with video.

Scotland continues its best start to the winter in 14 years with CairnGorm Mountain’s thigh-deep powder offering “better skiing than Utah!” according to ski patroller Colin Matthew. Although The Lecht’s powder is “only” knee-deep, Lecht Managing Director, Pieter du Pon said “because the temperature’s not risen above freezing since before Christmas, it’s really staying nice and fluffy.” The other ski areas too have the best early-season snow for a decade, and Glenshee, which has welcomed over 12,000 skiers and boarders since Christmas Eve, now has all three valleys and four mountains open. Across on the west side of Scotland, good early snow is relatively unusual, but both Glencoe Mountain and Nevis Range report an excellent start to the season, with good snow on the upper parts of their mountains.

Whilst Scotland is reporting their best season for 14 years, it's also worth noting there's a few English hills that operate on and off.

One of those is Harwood Common in County Durham, who recently contacted SCUK to let us know they now have their own website at www.harwoodski.webs.com and that there's also an answer phone service with up-to-date snow reports; 01748 850415. The club welcomes all snowboarders and is particularly suited to beginners and experienced boarders alike. They are also looking for additional volunteers to help them run the slope this season.

CairnGorm Mountain’s head of ski patrol Colin Matthew says Scotland is offering great skiing at present, as he came in from checking the thigh-deep powder snow which has blanketed Scotland’s premier ski resort right over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

The centre is currently enjoying its best start to the season for 14 years with ever improving conditions since it opened in November.

Over 1000 skiers and snowboarders celebrated New Year’s Day at the resort above Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands by skiing on the mountain although overhead conditions were less attractive than on some recent days with falling snow reducing visibility.

The keenest skiers even spent Hogmanay in the car park at the resort in order to be first onto the slopes; several large campervans were parked there overnight in freezing conditions and falling snow.

By New Year’s Day 16000 skiers have enjoyed the early snow on CairnGorm during 29 days of skiing since the resort first opened this season on 28th November 2009. In the same period last season only 4000 skiers took to the slopes and there were only 16 days on which it was possible to ski.

Spokesman Colin Kirkwood commented: “It is unusual for us to have such deep and persistent snow this early in the season and a real bonus for both our regular skiing customers and the many who are visiting us for the first time with several saying that they have opted to ski here rather than in their usual habitat of the Alps. And with temperatures forecast to remain below freezing for the next week to ten days and more snow due to fall, we are building an excellent base which we should be able to hold onto for some considerable time. This all serves to increase awareness of and interest in skiing in Scotland –and of its rewards and challenges.”

Another great day of snow with excellent boarding & skiing. There is even more snow – up to 30cms in places with more forecast overnight. Its looking very promising for the weekend and well into next week.

B tow ran all day. A tow was fixed and ran perfectly for the rest of the day – almost. Just before the close, the A tow rope came off the pully & jammed so it will have to be repaired again tomorrow.

The plans for tomorrow are to run B tow from about 10.45. A tow will run as soon as it is repaired, hopefully by about lunchtime.

One thing to note is that the Hemel coffee shop is open tomorrow from about 9.30 – perfect for breakfast before venturing onto the snow – but will be closed over the weekend. It re-opens on Tuesday. The pub will be open as normal.

Final bit of news. We’re hoping to get a new stock of ski boots tomorrow. Once we’ve seen the boots, we’ll let you know more, especially if we have more larger sizes.

[Dunx says... if anybody is wondering why we never post anything about the Scottish slopes, it's because they never send us anything. They must be doing so well, they don't need any free advertising.]

CairnGorm Mountain’s oldest employee Sandy Murray celebrated his 80th birthday at work in the ticket office last week.

Customer services team member Sandy has worked part-time at the visitor attraction for the past 10 years and still skis regularly at CairnGorm and annually abroad.

The former member of the Fleet Air Arm, time-share salesman, hotelier, lemonade factory proprietor and hot air balloon owner has lived in Aviemore since 1985 and when not working enjoys rally-driving, flying model planes and trading shares on the internet.

Cairngorm is currently open daily with fresh snow this week.

www.cairngormmountain.org

On Saturday 19 December 2009, Scotland’s Nevis Range ski centre celebrated its twentieth anniversary. It re-opened for its winter season exactly twenty years after it first opened its doors on 19 December 1989. Originally operating as a ski resort, the business has grown and diversified since that day. Today it is a major player in the Scottish tourist industry and contributes significantly to the Outdoor Capital of the UK.

The mountain gondola, the only one of its kind in Britain, was originally constructed on the slopes of Aonach Mor as a way to transport skiers to the pistes. However, from day one, the gondola became a highly acclaimed visitor attraction in its own right, attracting around 200,000 visitors annually.
Marian Austin of Nevis Range said, “The past twenty years has been both exciting and challenging. We can't pretend that the ski industry has been an easy ride, but after twenty years, we're still in business, and we still offer winter skiing and snowboarding as well as many other activities.”
“Today, we continue to employ some staff members who have been here since the beginning. As a business located in the 'Outdoor Capital' we are continually working to provide outstanding outdoor experiences for our visitors. We have our sights set firmly on the future and are working to improve existing facilities. We also have ambitious expansion plans that will add even more activities for our visitors over the next couple of years.”

www.nevisrange.co.uk

The tows ran today and will be running tomorrow. There was more snow this evening – several centimetres – and more showers are forecast for tomorrow so conditions will continue to be good. If you go to Allenheads tomorrow, please take a shovel in case you have to dig a parking space.

The forecast up to Christmas looks excellent with more snow showers and staying cold so if you’ve finished work or school, get up to Allenheads during the week. I’ll send out a mail & update the web site tomorrow with more information about running the tows during the week.

There’s about 4 – 6 inches of snow at Allenheads so we’re looking to get a tow running from about 11.00am today. Depending on number of people and the conditions, it will probably run until about 4.00pm.

With more showers possible, its looking good for the weekend. I’ll send out a further email tomorrow morning.

More info on Allenheads here: http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/slopes-allenheads.html

Scotland’s five mountain ski areas are offering an all-area five-day ski pass for the first time.

This new product is the result of demand from skiers, shown through umbrella group Ski-Scotland’s extensive customer research. The passes are valid for any five consecutive days at any of the five areas: CairnGorm Mountain, Glencoe Mountain, Glenshee, The Lecht and Nevis Range.

Chair of Ski-Scotland, Heather Negus explained, “These new passes offer what must be the best-value five days of skiing in Europe! The pass can start on any day of the owner’s choosing, at any of our ski areas. You can use it for five days at one ski area, one day at each ski area – or any combination. The only requirement is that the five days are consecutive.”

The passes are now on sale, price £115, in person from any of the ski areas. From now until 22nd December they are also available by phone from Nevis Range (01397 705825), and they will also shortly be available online through www.ski-scotland.com, again until 22nd December.

For winter 2009/10, the 5-day all-area ski pass is only available for adults. All five ski areas already offer good deals for children of different ages, with prices ranging from £10 for one day to £64 for 5 days.

If buying by phone or online, Heather advises allowing sufficient time for the ticket to be sent by first class post and added, “if you’re buying in person, it’s best to check opening times with your nearest ski area – while Cairngorm and Nevis Range ticket offices are currently open seven days, until they become operational, the other ski areas are not. At the moment, Glencoe and Glenshee are only open 9-5 Monday to Friday, while The Lecht is open weekends and the end of the week but closed Mondays & Tuesdays.”

The number of people who skied or snowboarded in Scotland in winter 2008-9 was 159,885, worth around £4m to the snowsports centres and at least £12m to the Scottish economy.

Apparently Cairngorm are intending to kick off their season tomorrow with the Ptarmigan Bowl opening, although you might not be able to see much in the blizzards that are forecast.

www.cairngormmountain.co.uk

With snow forecast for the Pennines and Scotland, it's a good time to get ready for the new season, especially when the Ski-Allenheads tows are up an raring to go!

This weekend is your last chance to take advantage of their reduced membership fees. Any applications I receive by 1st December qualify for the reductions so Single Membership is only £20.00, Family Membership £40.00 and Junior Membership, £10.00.

Don't forget this not only entitles you to free skiing for the whole season at Allenheads, it also gets you 10% discount on ski wear & equipment at LD Mountain Centre and Nevisport in Newcastle and 10% on clothing & footwear at Edge Lifewear in Hexham.

Contact Mike Horrocks for details.

Scotland's Glencoe ski area has been bought by Scottish businessman Andy Meldrum, from former owner David Campbell, who owned it since 2005.

Essential maintenance work is reported to be now underway with the aim of opening the centre for the 2009-10 season.

Mr Meldrum hopes to increase the centre's prospects for the future with plans to add mountain-bike trails, an adventure play park, dry ski slope and an archery range in time for summer 2010.

Mr Meldrum is also looking at adding snowmaking to make cover more reliable each winter.

"We have an uphill task ahead of us but, with the support of the local community, ski clubs, ski patrol and the general public, we are certain that we can not only safeguard the future of the resort but improve and develop its facilities." Mr Meldrum told local media.

Manager Bobby Munroe said, "This is really great news for Glencoe snow-sports enthusiasts, for Scottish skiing and for local employment. "We've got a lot of work to do to be open for the start of the season but we're all up for the challenge."

The Scottish Snowsports Marketing Group has welcomed the new owners of Glencoe Mountain as members of the consortium. Better known to skiers and snowboarders as "ski-scotland", the consortium promotes Scottish snowsports on a collaborative basis, even although Scotland's ski areas are also competitors.

"We are absolutely delighted that the sale of Glencoe has gone ahead in time for full winter operation", said Chair of ski-scotland Heather Negus, "and that Glencoe's new owners have confirmed so quickly that they wish to work with us right from the start. It is very important to us that the Group includes all five of Scotland's mountain snowsports areas."

The news also confirms that skiers and boarders who have bought ski-scotland all-area season tickets will be able to use them not only at CairnGorm Mountain, Glenshee, The Lecht and Nevis Range, but also at Glencoe too.

Glencoe will also continue to feature alongside the other ski areas on the successful www.ski-scotland.com website, where snow and road conditions are updated as and when they change each day throughout the winter, and where skiers and boarders can also see real-time conditions through webcams at each ski area.

The official re-opening ceremony of Glencoe will take place on Sunday, 8th November, at 11am. The ticket office will also be open from 11am until 2pm for the same of 2009-10 season tickets.

Heather Negus continued, "with this week's cold weather and snow now on the mountain tops, this is a great time to have news like this to share with our loyal skiers and snowboarders."

Just to remind you all that it's Tows Up Day this Sunday. I realise it was bad planning to hold it on Remembrance Day (I promise it won't happen again) but if you can make it please come and bring as many helpers as you can with you. There will be quite a lot to do and it will take most of the day to complete. I know a few will be unable to come as they have passed on their apologies to me, and so I do urge you to come along if you can.

Other than the social aspect of being there and that satisfying feeling of helping the club, the only other enticement I can think of will be a glass of warm gluewine.

More info from Mike Horrocks

A question mark was hanging over the future of Scotland’s oldest ski resort last night after it emerged it may not open for winter.

The operator of Glencoe Mountain has failed to sell the White Corries centre or attract new investors after putting it on the market in March. Company chairman David Campbell said yesterday that unless a volunteer board of skiing enthusiasts was formed to operate the resort, it may not open this winter.

The plight of the business, 30 miles south of Fort William, prompted Mr Campbell to urge the Scottish Government to do more to help the snow sports industry.

The investment fund manager, who acquired the company in 2004 after the previous owner raised a court action to have it wound up, has written to ministers pleading for more backing, and an online petition to gauge public support has been started.

Mr Campbell said: “I feel that any assistance given to the industry is piece-meal and that politicians do not fully recognise its importance in terms of jobs and the local economy when the summer visitors have gone home.” Lib Dem MP for Skye, Ross and Lochaber Charles Kennedy said the winter closure would be a “blow to tourism across the area”.

Fergus Ewing, Lochaber SNP MSP and the government’s minister for community safety, pledged last night to meet Mr Campbell to discuss the future of the resort. He said the government acknowledged the importance of the ski centres and suggested Glencoe Mountain diversify to boost trade.

“Aonach Mor has diversified with mountain biking and CairnGorm Mountain with the funicular,” he said.

Mr Campbell said the petition, which has more than 1,100 signatures, would remain open for six weeks before being presented to Holyrood ministers.

The resort was put on the market in the hope of attracting new investment to develop the complex, but Mr Campbell said negotiations with two interested parties had failed to reach satisfactory conclusions.

Mr Campbell said: “The number of signatures led me to conclude that there would be support for the formation of a board comprising representatives of the various winter sports activities to run the resort through the coming winter months. I would rather step back and let these interested parties take over this winter’s operation until we can find a way forward.”

Support for ski-ing at Glencoe has come from two senior staff members, Angela Dingwall and Bobby Munro. A message posted by the campaigners on the resort’s website said: “The staff and ski patrol believe that running Glencoe as a club is the way forward. That way we own it together. We have a chance to make this happen now.”

Mr Kennedy said: “The closure of the resort would be a blow to tourism right across the area, but it would be especially felt in the winter. A last-minute private buyer now seems the only remaining hope.”

Highland Council leader and Lochaber councillor Dr Michael Foxley said: “Both ski resorts in Lochaber are significant to the local economy.

“My own view would be that Glencoe needs to consider diversifying and to discuss that with local organisations like the Clachaig and the Ice Factor, which might be able to make things happen.”

[From The Press and Journal]

The petition can be found here: www.glencoemountain.com/v1/

The Glencoe website has launched a petition to save their snow as the resort faces a possibly bleak future. This will be presented to the Scottish Government.

To check the back story on this see:
SCUK forum
BBC News
Winter Highland forum