 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
I'd like to know what the cost of a long weekend skiing in Scotland is? Is it an economical substitute for a week in the alps? The reason I ask is im getting married next year so have limited myself to one week in Italy this January but I would love to squeeze in another few days if the price was good 
I'd be driving from Cardiff, so the diesel would be about £60/70 each way. What sort of price is a weekend lift pass? Are the hotels reasonable?
thanks in advance for any help
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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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If you use the search then you'll find loads of reports on skiing scotland. Lift tickets are around £30 per day, just like the alps, and hotels are as posh as you like (or even as pish as you like which is what I originally typed and which will be appreciated by the scots - but I digress...)
Don't think there's any hotels actually at "resort" level so you;ll be driving each day which can actuallybe a good thing - the weather can vary quite a bit between the eastern resoprts (lecht, glenshee, cairngorm) and the western (glencoe, nevis range), so having a car can allow you to nip across to the other side and catch better weather
one piece of advice often given is to be flexible - don't book month in advance, just book time off work and go if the conditions are good,
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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In my opinion the skiing isn't a substitute for the Alps. The ski areas are too small for a week and subject to the weather (especially high winds) and snow fluctuations so that it is better to visit when you hear that the snow and forecast are good. Last season we tried to repeat the March Snowheads outing but had to cancel when freak weather (mostly rain) destroyed most of the snow. The places to stay are not close to the slopes so your own transport is preferable, though i gather there are a few buses.
However, given these caveats Scottish skiing can be good fun. Maximum snow depth and better weather (normally) tends to be in March. If you like steeper slopes and off-piste go to Nevis Range near Fort William (West Coast) or if you like longer, easier pistes go to Cairngorm near Aviemore (East). On average Cairngorm has slightly better snow.
In Fort William you will probably get a double room for £60 per day.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 12-11-12 18:46; edited 1 time in total
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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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Scottish skiing is fine for a weekend.
West is best.
Spend one day in Nevis and one day in Glencoe.
Book the hotel 24 to 48 hours before departure. No sooner.
Pick a sunny weekend in February, March, April or even May.
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What are the roads like to drive up to the ski areas. I'd love to try skiing in Scotland but fret about whether my dinky little polo with non-winter tyres would actually get me there.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
| West is best. |
Lift served I think it depends on your level of skiing to be honest, I'd say west is more challenging off the lifts; Nevis Back Corries and most stuff off the upper lifts at Glencoe. If willing to hike/tour though there's some excellent challenging stuff not that far from the Cairngorm ski area.
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| roga wrote: |
| If willing to hike/tour though there's some excellent challenging stuff not that far from the Cairngorm ski area. |
Hoping I'll find someone in March I can ski it with.
sophster Normally roads are clear but there will be a few occasions not, of course. Especially Glenshee. I've been OK so far.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Mon 12-11-12 18:39; edited 2 times in total
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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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tomb, m8, my experience says that Glenshee is the best option but that Aviemore is proably the best bet for services/accessibility. I heard a wisper that Glenshee might not be open all the time so it's best to check prior to travel. If you have a car I think there is a good week's plus skiing to be had (subject to weather/snow) there's some real challanges for back country stuff if you are that way inclined (subject to weather/snow). There's a hotel at the Spittal of Glenshee that caters for skiers so check that out - it's meant to be an experience in itself.
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| snowball wrote: |
| roga wrote: |
| If willing to hike/tour though there's some excellent challenging stuff not that far from the Cairngorm ski area. |
Hoping I'll find someone in March I can ski it with. |
Last season I went out with a friend and one of his mates for a tour, I was under the impression it'd be a non-challenging hoof in and out of the ski area but ended up being 'persuaded' to ski Point 5 Gully. Won't pretend it was pretty and I was totally relaxed at the top but I got down it and we had a great day all in all.
After that snowball I suspect most things (apart from 'make a mistake and you're dead' Aladdin's Couloir) are gonna be relatively 'okay'! 
I need to do more off piste anyway to polish up my technique so if the snows there I'm up for it!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Some good advice so far regarding not committing to a booking until you know the conditions will be half decent, another good tip would be not to limit yourself to having to stay over a weekend if that is at all possible. Midweek days when schools are in can be cracking, no queues and quiet runs.
Depending on what you are looking for from your trip you could always look into staying somewhere central such as Dalwhinnie/Newtonmore etc, this leaves you within striking distance of Aviemore/Glenshee or Nevis Range/Glencoe depending on snow conditions and weather. Sometimes the overhead conditions in terms of visibility and wind can play as big a part as the snow - for a small country it is surprising how big a difference there can be from east to west so it would be a shame to be stuck on the "wrong" side when the good weather is on the other! 
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Mon 12-11-12 22:10; edited 1 time in total
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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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Cheers guys! I'll be looking to do the easier on piste stuff as would be with my finace so I guess I'll be heading east! Can you hire skis there??
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| tomb wrote: |
| Cheers guys! I'll be looking to do the easier on piste stuff as would be with my finace so I guess I'll be heading east! Can you hire skis there?? |
Don't mistake that the West is all off piste - for sure it has some of the best on offer but it also has some fine piste ski-ing. Ski-hire is available at all the centres however it can be very busy especially at weekends.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you're prepared to drop everything and jump in the car, there's always the chance for amazing snow in the UK. I was just looking at some old trip reports on TGR by someone with the unlikely name of "Mike Pow" showing powder in the Brecon Beacons a couple of years back...
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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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| Serriadh wrote: |
| If you're prepared to drop everything and jump in the car, there's always the chance for amazing snow in the UK. I was just looking at some old trip reports on TGR by someone with the unlikely name of "Mike Pow" showing powder in the Brecon Beacons a couple of years back... |
He is on this forum!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's just not about on/off-piste in Scotland though. That is a concept in the Alps, for the Alps. It's not applicable in Scotland (or elsewhere).
Glencoe is a small area but the scenery is fantastic and the runs all spread away from the tows, then funnel you back towards them at the base. You ski on deserted slopes well away from any infrastructure with minimal signage. It's either fantastic or terrifying, depending on your viewpoint! The downside is slow uplift (keeps the runs quiet). Glencoe has ski in accommodation but only if there's snow down to 300m. Most of the skiing is above 700m. Sometimes they only open at weekends as the season tends to be later here (ie into May) and they run out of custom midweek.
Glenshee has lots of short, mostly fairly easy runs. Here you can ski up & down on multiple hills and get far away from the road through the ski area. Some excellent if short red runs and it feels quite big when it's fully open. The road up to the Car Park from the south is steep and snowy (hopefully). Occasionally busy, sometimes shut because of too little or too much snow. Cheaper and less busy ski hire is available on the road up to the ski area.
Cairngorm has all the facilities (decent town, proper Apres ski atmosphere, a shiny new lift, best snow record) but tends to be busy. Longer runs but fewer of them than at Glenshee. Steep runs in the surrounding area, decent reds and a variety of blues within the ski area.
Nevis Range is between Glencoe and Cairngorm. Plenty of reds with easy access to steeper stuff. A few blues at the top and the bottom. Scenery as good as Glencoe (ie outstanding). Fort William isn't as nice as Aviemore but has a few OK pubs.
Locations: http://www.highland-instinct.co.uk/skiresorts/location/index.php
sophster, a fwd wee car is mostly fine. Has to be very harsh conditions to worry about getting there especially at Glencoe and Nevis, which are a short drive off a major arterial route with car parks at low altitude. The other 3 are a bit more sketchy but the last car I went skiing in was an Alfa Romeo, to Cairngorm (no winter tyres) and it was fine (it was late April though).
Lift passes are same sort of price as the Alps but living expenses will be less. Plenty of accommodation and it's low season whatever price bracket. Food & drink cost much the same as they do where you live, you are still in the UK. Diesel gets even more pricey in the countryside but not much worse than at Motorway services. In Central Belt Scotland it is much the same price as other major UK conurbations. Depending on where you stay, it may be the biggest cost.
I only ever decide to go a few days (sometimes hours) in advance. I keep an eye on the webcams, weather and reports on here and winterhighland during the winter and have only encountered good or excellent conditions since 2006, when I got broadband and no longer had to rely on Ceefax. Weather conditions are extremely variable but there is plenty of info now available to make an informed choice, and there are lots of weekends between December and May! Bear in mind that daylight hours are much longer in March-April than December-January. I find driving in daylight much less tiring and the scenery is worth the trip in itself.
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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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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| He is on this forum! |
Yes, I was aware of that.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| Can you hire skis there?? (ie the east. |
Yes - but best to do so off the slopes as - especially on a weekend - it can be very busy. Try here:
For Glenshee: http://blairskihire.com/
At Aviemore (for Cairngorm): http://www.aviemoreskihire.co.uk/ (This shop also sells lift tickets - which is definitely worth doing on a weekend - queues (just to buy a ticket) can be massive....).
For hotels, see Laterooms.com and Hotels.com. A double room in places like Newtonmore (20 miles from Aviemore) can be as little as £44 B&B in a comfortable hotel (full of bus-tripping OAPs doing ceilidh nights and Turkey and Tinsel trips but hey ho...). Join Quidco and get cash back on the bookings too .
On your drive up (to the east) the following stopovers would still be striking distance from the slopes (ie max 2 hrs Cairngorm, 1.5 hrs Glenshee) on your first day's skiing - and most with bargain Travelodges. Starting furthest from the slopes:
- Dunfermline
- Kinross
- Perth
- Pitlochry
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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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tomb, lots of good advice above, all I'd reinforce would be:
It's really difficult to book a ski weekend in Scotland in advance and know that you'll actually get skiing. The weather and conditions are so very, very changeable. When I last lived in Scotland, trips were decided go/no go around midnight of the night before. (Caveat that this really only necessarily applies to piste skiing).
However, if you are happy to accept that you might not get skiing and are content just to enjoy everything else that the place has to offer e.g. scenery, somewhat optimised to the weather IMV - i.e. it doesn't need to be sunny to be awesome, e.g. food and drink (there are some marvellous restaurants selling fresh locally caught/grown produce) then absolutely you can have a marvellous time.
The idea of jaunting from Aviemore (f'rinstance) to any of the other areas as a day trip seems nuts to me. You are looking at 1h30 to 2h00 hours each way, even presuming that the particular roads you want to use are open (probably so in March, but you never know). The problem is not quantity of snow but quantities of drifting snow.
I realise it's obvious, and that nothing is guaranteed, but from the South of the UK, to me, and with an on piste skiing agenda the alps are just much more reliable and not necessarily much more expensive. Also, be prepared that runs in Scotland are much shorter than typically found in the Alps (cos the mountains are older).
From Cardiff itself, dates depending, you could fly direct to Verona giving easyish access to e.g. the Dolomites. Otherwise from Bristol you can fly to Geneva I believe.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Some excellent advice above.
| mountainaddict wrote: |
| At Aviemore (for Cairngorm): http://www.aviemoreskihire.co.uk/ (This shop also sells lift tickets - which is definitely worth doing on a weekend - queues (just to buy a ticket) can be massive....). |
Just be aware that the Snowheads who have hired from this outlet the last couple of years have been 'slightly' underwhelmed by the service at times, I'll say no more! Being able to buy a ticket there is a definite plus though and as pointed out can save hassle on the hill so worth considering doing that.
There are plently of hire outlets in the Aviemore area, just Google "Aviemore Ski hire" or something similar but be very clear to them about your requirements when making any enquiries. Most people hiring are total beginners and are not too fussy about what they get so they're not that used to providing quality kit to people unless your very clear about what you want. Aviemore Ellis Brighams might be a good start since they sell kit as well and might have decent newer stuff available. The hire on the hill does have some excellent kit but the issue there is the queuing time, which can sometimes be very long and I'm not sure how long you can keep the kit, as in you might have to return it at the end of each day. All the same it's worth speaking to them to see if you can do a multi day hire and maybe pick up the day before you ski if that's possible.
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This is something I'm considering in the feb half term, I'll pencil in the days off work, have the ski's ready to go and book a maximum of two days before.
That "should" work...
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| roga wrote: |
Just be aware that the Snowheads who have hired from this outlet the last couple of years have been 'slightly' underwhelmed by the service at times, I'll say no more! Being able to buy a ticket there is a definite plus though and as pointed out can save hassle on the hill so worth considering doing that. |
Stay away from these scheisters (i'm local with no vested interest other than cant stand visitors being badly treated by a business who depend UTTERLY on visitor £££), plenty of hire places in the village and on-hill hire can be booked in advance, a good way is to get a lesson which can include hire from the main school on the hill. Otherwise, Ellis-Brigham, Nevis Sport, Ski Road Skis etc all do hire.
Aviemore sounds about your best bet if weather conditions play ball, the closest you'll get to a resort vibe, good pubs/restaurants/hotels/fleshpots
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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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tomb, honestly, from Cardiff, book some cheap flights to the Alps......
Scotland can be great and I've had some fantastic skiing there, but as other had said in change massively overnight.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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CairnGorm Mountain day tickets can only be bought on the mountain from the Base Station Ticket office (or Daylodge Ticket Office on Level 3 if you are taking lessons or hiring gear), or online (which requires collection from TO anyway....), there are currently no off site locations selling actual tickets.
CairnGorm sell 4 day vouchers - effectively a four day ticket than can be used a day here and a day there through the season, though you do need to exchange for a ticket on the day, but offer a saving of £22.40.
Note on Uplift Ticket prices, the UK Govt announced in the last budget that VAT on small cableways would be reduced from 20% to 5%. Needless to say this has not been implemented and all the government will tell relevant parties is it wont be till after this season at the earliest. Thus I understand the issue will again go before a VAT tribunal and further appeals if necessary - the cut to 5% seemingly a sop to prevent potential huge payout of illegal claimed VAT if on appeal it was ruled that HMRC's rules are as flawed as they are absurd.
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