Now, in the teeth of a British summer, we are all stuck indoors contemplating the ski mountaineering and spring snow season that might have been, I want to appeal to all of you experienced skiers out there who have done A Basin, Telluride, Whistler, Kicking Horse, St Christoph, the 3 Valleys, Cortina, Hokkaido, Lhotse or even Levi (-38C mid afternoon when I was there) to consider Scotland.
You need to be tough and very philosophical abut the weather. Up in the hills it is Sub Arctic with Maritime Climate overtones. It can and will snow at any time of the year, but isn’t always skiable. One remarkable lady;- Helen Rennie has found a patch of snow to ski on every month for more than a decade, but for us lesser mortals mid February to mid April offer the greatest consistency in terms of snow quality. If you are a ski mountaineer, then I recommend you go to the Inverness Backcountry Snowsports Facebook page. Scottish skiers are friendly, very much in the mountain survivor mould and perfectly capable of creating an excellent aprés ski event in the unlikeliest environment.
If on the other hand you need uplift then refer to the pages of the five ski areas that have good uplift, they are: Glencoe, Nevis Range, Cairngorm, Glenshee and Lecht. They all have excellent and informative website pages. That said, Cairngorm and Nevis have had their problems in providing consistent uplift, not without some local controversy, but the situation is fluid and always worth checking out. Besides if you are an experienced ski tourer, there is nothing stopping you from some amazing corries and undiscovered runs.
Be warned though, avalanches are not an unknown hazard in Scotland, that said there is excellent mountain rescue with helicopter backup when needed should is all go pear shaped. The distances aren’t like Alaska, Canada or Colorado. Weather forecasting for Scotland is almost a dark art with various localities defying national trends. It is often said that it is possible to experience four seasons in one day. Don’t be an idiot by overestimating your abilities and do by all means make contact with a number of Scottish groups on Facebook who know what they are talking about when it comes to ski touring.
The wind is a major issue, I have found myself 50 metres further up the slope while skiing downhill in a squally blizzard and that is no exaggeration. You will find slopes that will tax even the most expert of skiers and you will fall in love with the open wildness of it all, along with some of the most stunning views you will find anywhere.
In most cases hotels are some distance from the slopes but with an uniquely Scottish angle on nightlife oh and of course alcoholic refreshment. Highly recommended and in all honesty my default ski destination.
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