Don't want to be pessimistic, but what happens if there is no significant snow this winter?

- Can the resorts survive a winter with virtually no lift pass sales?
- Will 2016/17 season ticket owners get it rolled on to next year?
- Is this winter (so far) unprecedented?
- Is there any hope??!!

I need someone (or some snow) to help lift the depressing feelings.

We all go grass skiing instead?

Were you around in the 90s?

For goodness sake!
I know of people who have got off their backsides and had at least 10 ski days in Scotland already.
I have managed 5 days in Scotland and 20 days in Europe. And yes, I have a 9 to 5 job too.
Seek and you will find.
[www.skitour.fr]
Stop bloody moaning - the season has hardly started.

I was around in the 90's and there was a few crap seasons, even in the 00's I seem to remember quite a few dodgy years. It wasn't that long ago that both Glenshee and Glencoe were near enough bankrupt.
I always try and get to Europe each season - that way I'm guaranteed some skiing.
It's frustrating but not surprising - it's been about 10 years from the last really crap one that I can remember (2007).
Lets hope feb/march/april deliver something.

I seem to recall in 92 that there hadn't been any lift served opportunity in Scotland by now. Me and my mate ended up driving to Switzerland for a 2 day weekend because we were desperate for a slide.

As long as theres some snow on 2nd weekend of march im happy haha

Bad seasons - I can remember '92, hardly any skiing. '02, '03 and '04 were pretty ropey with not a lot of skiing below the top bowl at cairngorm. '07 pretty rubbish. '91, '94, '01 ,'dec '09 - '11 were amongst the very best. Been lots of seasons when skiing started late and was Start / stop. Guess the February Mid term thing v important. Losing new year and weekend in jan can't be clever for the finances of the ski hills...

Yes



Hypothetical exceptionally unlikely to need answered, but the majority of season ticket holders consider they get decent value over a period of time accepting there will be some terrible seasons in the mix otherwise they wouldn't renew.

There was no lift served snowsports in March during 2012 at any of the five resorts (unprecedented but the Lecht, CairnGorm and Glencoe did reopen in April and CairnGorm had 6 weeks of generally great conditions in April and May. So winter over posts should remain on the weather forums for another 3 months.



No, definitely not. Over 61 years of lift served snowsports the average opening date at Glencoe was 17th January. Indeed after a few days skiing at Glencoe from Tue 12th Jan last year, we were in a similar situation now snow wise with big storms rolling through last third of the month and not enough snow left for skiing, before things restarted tentatively on 31st January, before conditions built steadily to give a fantastic February half term, with good conditions across all five areas. Glencoe and CairnGorm skied into May after that.

The latest ever start to the Scottish Season since mechanised snowsports begun was 19th February 1989 - with just one third of the Cas T-bar open on CairnGorm.




Yes.



Try and catch one of next week's Warren Miller 'Here, There & Everywhere' screenings in Perth, Aberdeen, Stirling or Hawick. See [warrenmiller.scot] .

lucky them! i dont think its been about folk not getting off their backsides! sorry but theres been snow but not alot

I've had 1 day in November touring . ...and 2 days at the snow dome. On the plus side I've saved a few hundred quid!

It always surprises me the way folk are shot down in flames on this site for daring to suggest things have not gone well over a given period.

I don't see any harm in acknowledging that we ARE having a very poor season this year.

If you're in a position geographically, and financially to be able to justify 10+ trips to some thin and narrow snow patches on limited runs - then fair play to you.

For me, based in the central belt and having to be somewhat wise about what money I spend - there hasn't been one single day which has had anything on offer worthy of the expense / day off work / trip north.

The blind faith some folk put in the weather gods about 'for goodness sake its 'ONLY' the end of january' type comments are admirable, but I don't think its unreasonable to comment on the fact its been poor thus far. Theres simply no getting away from that - the fact there was a worse season at some point 30 odd years ago doesn't deflect from the fact that this is also a very poor season.

^^ Agreed, given we've had no real significant snowfalls yet, AND the 2 week outlook shows continued above average temps this is really turning into a bit of a disaster for the resorts.

That said even in the worst seasons there is usually some decent conditions to be enjoyed if you are patient. I'm hopeful of turnaround like we had in 2006. Nevis Range never opened till mid-February that year but what followed was over 2 months of decent conditions culminating in some fantastic conditions in early April: [www.winterhighland.info]

However whilst I think you need to remain optimistic, it is only January after all, it's sods law that we'll get the sort of weather patterns that would normally bring winter snow in late spring/summer and it will end up just being a thoroughly depressing year.

Aye - it has been terrible so far.... The little snow we have had has disappeared with days. The weather patterns have been strange - persistent blocking high has stopped the big Atlantic storms required for filling in the gullies and snow fences.

Chris makes a good point - even if the snow arrives late it is still possible to get some great conditions. Spring (march & april) is always the best time of year for skiing in Scotland - However it will be a financial disaster for the resorts if they miss Xmas and half term.

Sadly I guess we were due a bad season : been spoiled in recent years and not had a real stinker of a winter since 2007. Though from memory 2012 was also lean.

Fundamentally we live on an island with small 1000m mountains and maritime climate - so variable snow is nothing new. When they first built the ski tows at Glencoe in 1956 they weren't able to run the main basin t-bar until mid February.

More recently 2014 was one of the snowiest west coast winters ever - if only we could have banked half that snowfall for this winter

Fingers crossed - as ever!

[www.haggistrap.co.uk]



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 10.20hrs Mon 23 Jan 17 by Doug_Bryce.

Tell that to the resorts in the Alps that spent much of January with thin ribbons of artificial snow on brown mountain sides. The rubbish season so far is spread a lot further than just Scotland.