Scottish ski centre experiences 'second worse season' since the 1970s
Ski centre bosses have said the season has been “a shocker of a year” in terms of conditions, with others saying the last few months would have been “dire” without artificial snow machines.
Iain Du Pon, managing director at the Lecht, in Cock Bridge, the Highlands, said the ski centre had experienced its second worst season in the last 50 years, with the worst being in 2017.
Speaking to The Scotsman, Mr Du Pon said: “It really has been a shocker of a year.
“Since we started in 1977, it’s been our second worst season ever, with our last day of snow sports yesterday.”
The best conditions in recent years for the centre, among its neighbours Glenshee and Cairngorm Mountain, were during the Covid lockdown in the winter of 2021/2022, when they were unable to operate due to restrictions.
Mr Du Pon said it would have likely been the best season for the slopes ever.
“We rely on years like that to offset the poor ones,” he said.
“And having missed out on that, we are now in a very difficult position.
“What we need to do now is focus on surviving the summer, with such a low turnover from this season, with an eye on developing further to afford us better resilience, in poor seasons, and ensure that we are still here for the future and provide the fantastic facilities that the Lecht has become well renowned for.”
He said the centre, which has principally been operating on factory-made snow, has tried to diversify its activities over the years, but that both the weather, and its location, has made that a challenge.
Lecht figures show one good snow sports weekend will take in more cash than a full summer of activities on the hill.
“The Lecht, unfortunately, is often shrouded in low cloud and mist during the summer which is off-putting, and the cost of diversifying versus the return is simply a non-starter,” Mr Du Pon added.
“We are just too remote, to be able to maximise any opportunity for summer activities, especially when the sorts of things that we can offer are often replicated by other businesses that capitalise on their location being closer to larger towns and villages making it much more accessible for potential customers.”
David Farquharson, managing director at Glenshee, said this year has been better than the last, but the slopes have relied heavily on man-made snow.
“For us it’s not been one of the worst, but it’s not been great,” he said.
“We have had a reasonable turnover, but a lot of that has been due to man-made snow.”
He said the centre has plans to diversify more to deal with the changing climate and its impact on skiing conditions, but that funding is tight.
“A lot of people ask why we don’t have certain things like more mountain biking tracks for example, but it’s down to the lack of funding available.”
Christopher Bilsland, who runs the Cabin Ski Hire in Bridge of Cally, said if the snow factory wasn’t operating, the season would have been “dire.”
He said this year was okay for business as lower, nursery slopes were operating regularly.
“There were a lot of beginners coming through, so we did well renting out our standard hire kit.
“There is definitely a shift happening. Maybe this is just going to be more the norm now, that we get these borderline, just on the verge of proper winters.
“I like the excitement of the Scottish season; the rarity is part of the Scottish weather. But there is definitely a shift, and a lot of the centres are having to diversify.”
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