 Poster: A snowHead
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I hoping to get to Scotland for a few day trips/weekends driving up from yorkshire. Assuming all the resorts have snow :-
which resorts are the easiest to get to ?
Which one have easy parking etc ?
Which resort has the best infrstructure lifts etc
Which one has the best snow record!!
Im hoping to do several trips so if any one wants a lift.....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Russell, each of the five Scottish areas has distinct qualities. The smallest in scale - The Lecht - has enjoyed more skiing days than the others recently. It's nearly all draglifts and easy skiing, but it tends to retain snow, with less of a storm problem than the other more exposed mountains.
Nevis Range (Aonach Mor) has the most modern and advanced lift system, with a gondola up to the snowline from the parking and a quad chairlift (amongst many other lifts). It probably has the best skiing when the full area is open, but it's a particularly stormy mountain close to the west coast (brilliant views).
Cairngorm is the most established ski mountain, which has been having lots of bad luck with snow recently. The new funicular takes you up from the large car park to near the summit. The other lifts are mainly pomas and t-bars, with a couple of rarely-open chairlifts.
Glenshee is quite extensive, and probably the easiest to reach from Yorkshire, with lots of lifts.
Finally, Glencoe on Rannoch Moor is an exceptional place. Only a few lifts (some pretty ancient), quite eccentric in quality, remote from most accommodation, but a spectacular location.
I'd focus your skiing on Cairngorm (because Aviemore, its resort village, has its attractions) and Nevis Range for the quality of skiing and resort town of Fort William. To avoid parking problems when the snow's good you need to get parked early in the morning and avoid queues for tickets.
To learn more, www.winterhighland.com is a good place to visit or ask questions. Generally speaking, Scottish skiing improves a lot through the winter, with the best conditions often in March and April. But in a good winter the snowcover can be great from December onwards. Careful checking of weather forecasts is essential if you're driving that distance - it's not unusual for Scottish mountains to be closed by storms. They are often much windier than the Alps.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The words "much windier tha Alps" can be an understatement at times. I would say the wind and snow sometime travel horizontally at the summits. This is the place where a balaclava earns its keep.
I know at less than 1000m it doesn't sound much but one is skiing at the summits of Scotland. In Alps we can ski at 2000m level and still shielded from the wind by the 3000m high mountain range.
I live in Newcastle and always keep an eye on the snow condition. Last year I didn't manage a trip. Don't just watch the snow report. It is the number of lifts open that really counts, unless you do not understand the term economic with the truth.
From Newcastle to Glenshee it is a 4-hour each way including time for stopping for a meal. When there is snow the car park can be full and skiers are turned away at about 10 am.
David Goldsmith's description of the resorts is perfect, even though I haven't been Nevis Range yet.
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