 Poster: A snowHead
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The Scottish Tourist Board, VisitScotland, was apparently at the centre of a row last week over misleading potential visitors with an advert depicting Scotland as a winter sports wonderland. The advert showed a climber smashing an ice-axe into a frozen waterfall, snowboarders flying down slopes spraying snow in all directions, and a range of white-capped mountains.
VistScotland has admitted scenes in an advert showing the country as a winter sports wonderland were as much as a decade old...
In fact, official Government statistics show that climate change has affected Scotland and that the snow season is not what it once was.
The advert has been shown in cinemas south of the Border and online across the world. Critics say the ad could end up harming the tourist industry by giving a false impression of the winter sports now available.
From: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1521032007
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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A least its not as misleading as their previous attempt, tempting people to Scotland to see a non existent monster.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The advert is very good. It looks slick.
The Brits can't stop whinging even when something is a success!
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Well, if that is the advert they are going on about (thank you II), then the Scotsman article and all who are moaning in it are winging on about nothing.
There is a cascade of images in there: only a few of which are to do with snow and snowsports.
More unbelievable were the pics of wave boarding - where does that take place?
And not a kilt in sight! 
(unless I missed it)
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A perfectly reasonable advert if you ask me - there's still snowsports in Scotland, despite some there seemingly wishing there weren't, and if the rose tinted spectacles are taken off the snow is not massively less reliable than it was in the past, although the lightening thaw problem mentioned in the article has some validity but then there were many warm winters in the 60s but we seem to have forgotten that and remember instead the cold snaps of the 80s.
As for ice climbing I don't know the facts but it's a brief flash and I'm sure there's still ice up in the hills somewhere in winter, even if it doesn't last for as long as some suggest it did.
Ultimately what the heck is the fuss about (or could it just be a newspaper creating a story to fill up space... never I hear you yell!!) - most of the images have no snow or ice in them and any ones showing said cold stuff are only seen for the blink of an eye.
The problem with Visit Scotland isn't that it misrepresents it's that it's hardly done any effective representation at all in the past. If this is a sign of a change then bring it on!
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Sun 23-09-07 17:20; edited 1 time in total
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Jonpim, the stag was wearing one.
to surf in.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Skye last year, I love Scotland.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just read the artical total horse poo-poo 
A nice snowy hill from last year:
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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brian
brian
Guest
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What a load of pants. The vid shows a couple of wee clips of a boarder on the Cas with decent cover on the run but patchy off it. You could've filmed that last season. You could've filmed it looking a helluva lot better in either of the 2 seasons before that.
Not impressed
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You know it makes sense.
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| el Hen wrote: |
VistScotland |
You want to be careful, could be accused of pimping ski products 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Just seen the ad. Not misleading one tiny bit. A very accurate representation of what Scotland has to offer... apart from the three-legged walk down Sauchiehall St after closing time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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lol :the artical burns on winterhighland 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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duplicate post!
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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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...
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sun 23-09-07 20:46; edited 3 times in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Jonpim wrote: |
| More unbelievable were the pics of wave boarding - where does that take place? |
Do you mean windsurfing? Tsk ignoramus  . Scotland has some of the best windsurfing beaches in the world. In particular Tiree which is about to host a PWA world tour event.
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Nothing wrong with that ad.
Looks great.
Pity it's more expensive than continental Europe.
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i love the comments at the bottom,
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The truth will out and it appears at least one person mentioned in the article is not pleased about the "VERY selective" way he was quoted, take a look at comment 33 here
Seems that an apology and retraction is the least the writer of this shoddy little article should be doing!
BTW, if you want to contact the journalist directly to comment about the nonsense he's written this is his e-mail address:
mhorne@scotlandonsunday.com
Go get 'im 
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The Independent has gone one better, not only rehashing the SoS non-story:
http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/article2993299.ece
..but no why stop there, when you can lead in your editorial with tripe like this:
| Quote: |
| One wonders how long the Scottish Tourist Board expected to get away with using archive footage from the 1990s of glacial conditions on Scottish mountains to attract winter sports tourists from around the world. |
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2993322.ece
In fact the editorial suggests marketing the new mild snow free Scotland as a place for gentle sedately walks on snow free hills. Not just damaging nonsense, this article is downright dangerous.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Winterhighland, it's astonishing isn't it. Beyond crap journalism.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Oh for goodness sake!!
Some newspaper journalists really are the laziest and lowest form of life!!!
I guess it's now more time spent e-mailing these idiots to correct the nonsense they're spouting - frankly I wonder if there's any way to sue them for spreading dangerous lies that could lead to deaths in the hills this winter.
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You know it makes sense.
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roga wrote:
| Quote: |
dangerous lies that could lead to deaths in the hills this winter.
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The London schoolgirls (wearing only binbags for protection), who had to be rescued by the Mountain Rescue springs to mind.
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brian
brian
Guest
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John 11:35 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've never seen Scotland as a place I'd want to go skiing, I was surprised to see those pictures of it. It's quite sad to see a ski resort be ignored... Likewise I was surprised that there's skiing in Poland.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| roga wrote: |
The truth will out and it appears at least one person mentioned in the article is not pleased about the "VERY selective" way he was quoted, take a look at comment 33 here
Seems that an apology and retraction is the least the writer of this shoddy little article should be doing!
BTW, if you want to contact the journalist directly to comment about the nonsense he's written this is his e-mail address:
mhorne@scotlandonsunday.com
Go get 'im |
Quotes 14 and 17 were spot on too.
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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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Timmaah,
If you live in Scotland its a brilliant place to ski. I've done some of my best ever skiing here in Scotland, better than anything I've done in the alps. Managed 11 days last year, but 27days the previous season.
Back to the advert - I've seen it a couple of times now and thought it was a pretty good representation of what is available in Scotland. I've emailed both M Horne and the Independent to complain. The problem with articles like this is that it feeds people view that there is no snow in Scotland. You then get locals beleiving it and even when there is good snow in the hills they don't turn up and the ski areas are quiet.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I notice they've stopped online comments on the article now - must be feeling the heat I guess (and I'm not referrring to global warming!)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I agree with the critics.
Where are the images of Scotsmen scaring old ladies with what's under their kilts and there's not even an image in sight of someone necking Tennants Super T in a park straight from the can - shameful!! 
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| Quote: |
| While you can get 11 or 27 days in of a season, they won't be consecutive I'm guessing |
Dave's or indeed my days will not be consecutive, because that is not the nature of the beast when skiing is a season long activity spread across winter and spring. It is an important distinction in the needs and outlook for those for whom snowsports is a holiday activity which requires going to a destination for a week or two and skiing your 14days a year consecutively and for those for whom skiing and boarding is a regular part of weekly life throughout the season.
Three consecutive days of horizontal rain in Kirkwood reminded me that you can go anywhere for your week and the weather can still decide its going to wee wee on your parade, mountain weather is fickle and if you book ahead you have to make the most of what you get. While people on here were lampooning conditions in the Alps early last season and cancelling holidays, be in no doubt there were others out there having the time of their lives and having a great fun holiday and making the most out of what there was.
The core market for Scottish Snowsports always was and will be the local, then daytrip and weekend/short breaks done largely at short notice. If you however you decide to come to the Highlands on Holiday at half term, don't rule out snowsports as one activity you can do.
As for weekend breaks, whether for snowsports or winter climbing, Nevis Range and CairnGorm Mountain are two places where those in the South East can check the reports and forecasts before leaving work, decide  it lets go play if all looks good, jump on the ScotRail Sleeper to Fort Bill or Aviemore around 9pm in Euston and arrive about 8am the following morning in the mountains ready to play. With one nights accommodation, reverse the journey on Sunday night and be back at the Desk on Monday morning. Not a trick that's lost on climbers, the bar cars on the sleeper are usually heaving with them!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
| ... Tourism experts and outdoor lovers alike complained that the 40-second film appears to take little account of global warming |
Okay then, let's have a film of wet days with everyone sat in the local cafe - that'll do wonders for the tourism industry in Scotland!!
Creative license seems to be lost on some folk!! 
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It's currently -4c and snowing on CairnGorm, with north winds its icing up the windows in the Ptarmigan somewhat but you can make out a dusting on the Ptarmigan Cam. Third day of September snow falls.
http://www.cairngormmountain.com/cams/image2.jpg
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FAQ
