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First and foremost a welcome.
I have never skied and hence cannot vouch for that experience, but I have snowboarded around Scotland for the past 4 seasons, and this is my personal view.
The weather is the source of many conversations around Scotland, and that is because it should not be taken lightly or for granted. You could be sitting in a sunny gentle breeze in the morning, but by god you be better prepared, for the afternoon could hold 60mph winds and chills that would drive your bones to shatter!
With this i guess you must be now wondering, what about the snow? Well just like the other things it is temperamental, and cannot be relied to fall on a particular time or a region.
The snow conditions also vary from day to day, but more importantly, from hour to hour. This all adds up to give a varied and entertaining day out on the slopes.
Glenshee is the largest of the resorts, and situated in a not so remote area of Scotland. The drive to Glenshee from either the north-Aberdeen, or South-Blairgowrie/Perth/Dundee, is a total joy.
The resort itself is just the Chair lift company with some skis school cabins, and the restaurant with a shop. You can hire gear there, and they are usually in good condition, but book before you arrive.
The runs, the important bit, are great. There is a wide variation of runs, from the nursery area, and a good learner tow-bar, to the variable difficulty summit runs. The area of coverage would take a day to traverse and observe all the surrounding country.
For the snowboarders there is a natural half-pipe, but the skiers also enjoy this, as there is a large bowl where one can frolic when the conditions are right.
The important aspect of Glenshee is that, even in the most mightiest of winds, when all other resorts are shut, they can be found to still be going strong-limited tows, but still open.
Aviemore, well the resort is the Cairngorms, but unofficial name takes from the town below it.
The snow conditions here are usually good. The runs are varied, and when a full coverage is there, one can be guaranteed of a good day out. There is something for everyone.
Boarding here can be marvelous, especially for the Free-riders. There have been some efforts to make a play area for the Free-Stylists, but as I don not indulge in it, you better ask someone else.
The best thing about Aviemore, is that the town is quite close to slopes, hence, the long distance visitor can find accommodation close to the resort-expensive at times, but hey, cheaper than the continent!
Also the drive up to the slopes has some other leisure areas, hence, one tired of the snow can recreate in other fields.
Try it! But watch out the parking is not as big as Glenshee, from what i have seen
This is the newest of the resorts, and currently is expanding.
When it has a good coverage the conditions come very close Alpine. The runs are wide, and with a good fall, the whole of the mountainside is available to run and enjoy.
The the top of the mountain will take you to the off-piste area on the back. This is apparently under development, but last season I had not managed to enjoy any of this as the snow cover was very limited.
Proximity of this resort to Fort William makes it easy access from a town, and hence accommodation is not so hard to come by. Be prepared for Fort William, it is not like you may have envisioned it as the sleepy town, maybe after having lived in a large city it may seem so, but some of the younger generation individuals seem to be not as pleasant. Hence as everywhere else beware.
You will already have seen the link to the ski-centers around Scotland where you can get the fuller details. I will only concentrate on my personal view on these places.
The Resorts
Glenshee:
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Aviemore
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Anoch Mor
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This is one of my favourite places. Glencoe has a charm of its own. The surrounding are brings many climbers to scale its sides.
The first thing you notice about Glencoe is, "It is SMALL!". The car park is not as big as other resorts, and the number of lifts and tows limited, but this area is great for some extreme boarding if you are prepared to do what it takes.
The other thing about Glencoe I should warn is, it is usually closed because of the weather/high winds, so check before going there. When it is open and you have a good snow cover and weather to match, nothing will be as good.
There are ravines where one come down, and when there is snow down to the car-park, the run from the summit to the car park, if done fast is sheer exhilarating!
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The Lechts is an enigma. It is basically two sides of the mountain with the main road between the two. It is a decent of a place to enjoy a day. Personally I would only go there when touring the North of Scotland, and when wanting to have a half day on the snow.
The surrounding area and the drive to the Lechts makes it a worthwhile travel to it.
The runs are not as demanding as the other places, but it is a character of its own, and should be visited for experience sake.
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