Just when the “Dismal Jimmies” were having a field day in once again trying to sound the death knell for Scottish skiing, Mother Nature demonstrated her customary unpredictability by sending good quality snow to all of Scotland’s ski resorts last weekend. And, with a perfect sense of timing too, for the fresh snowfalls coincided with the half-term school breaks in both Scotland and England.
As a result, thousands of skiers and snowboarders enjoyed some of the best snow conditions in recent years with more than 1,800 snowsports enthusiasts flocking each day to CairnGorm in the earlier part of this week. They were able to enjoy not only good snow but also frequent spells of blue skies and sunshine, a combination that makes skiing in Scotland quite special. Linda and Peter Green travelled from Edinburgh with their family - as they put it “more in hope than in expectation” - but freely admitted that “conditions at CairnGorm have been as good as we can recall with lots of pistes open as well as the snowboard park and even a sledging area for the non-skiers”.
In fact, CairnGorm Mountain has been able to offer groomed pistes in six skiing zones, including The Ptarmigan (for beginners), The Lady, Coire Cas, The Ciste, The Day Lodge, Fiacaill, and it was even possible to ski back to The Cas Bar in the Day Lodge via the Car Park Zone. Eight separate uplifts, including the funicular, provided access to around 16 kilometres of pistes with beginners able to access the excellent conditions in The Ptarmigan Bowl and Ciste Fairway directly from the funicular.
Said Tania Adams, CairnGorm’s Marketing Manager: “Fresh overnight snowfalls and low temperatures meant that conditions were excellent and even a slight thaw on Wednesday was compensated for by freezing conditions overnight. Over 1,800 snowsports enthusiasts at CairnGorm have had a great time almost every day this week and, on top of that, we have shown again that we are now much more than a winter sports centre with an average of 400 non-skier visitors each day.”
“And the good news from CairnGorm Mountain is that the present conditions, particularly on the upper slopes, are set to continue over the weekend and into next week too.”
CairnGorm Mountain also plays host this weekend (19th/20th) to the local Cairngorm Ski Club’s championship event, an event that in the recent past has featured several prominent Scottish skiers, such as Noel and Alain Baxter, Lesley McKenna, Emma Carrick-Anderson and Finlay Mickel, all of whom have moved on to the world stage. It is somewhat ironic that only a few days after a proposed move to take the Scottish Senior Championships to the French Alps on a permanent basis, Scotland’s leading ski area is able to stage its own major championship event locally.
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