Scots ski resorts seek Royal ascent from Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge

WILLS and Kate are being urged to forgo the traditional winter playgrounds of the rich and famous to help boost ski-ing in Scotland.

Recent pictures of Prince William and the former Ms Middleton – who wed only a year ago – on Alpine pistes and later staying at Balmoral in the heart of the Cairngorms without visiting Scottish ski slopes are said to have left local ski industry bosses unamused.

So now the Duke and Duchess of Strathearn – as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are known in Scotland – are being officially invited to become Scottish ski ambassadors.

Ski Scotland, which represents the five ski areas, is writing to the couple asking them to take to the pistes at Cairn Gorm Mountain, The Lecht, Glenshee, Glencoe or Nevis Range. Some areas are still open because of April snowfall and Ski Scotland hopes that royal support will encourage more skiers to take to the Scottish slopes in future seasons.

Heather Negus, chair of Ski Scotland, said: “We are contacting the duke and duchess because their support would help get the message across that we have some fantastic skiing in Scotland. Our customers say we have some great skiing – and the off-piste skiing we can offer compares very favourably with the Alps.

“William and Catherine’s support would help attract more youngsters into the sport – and we want to expand that market base. It has not been a good season and a lot of indirect businesses – such as B&Bs – have suffered too.”

Snow sports are estimated to be worth £30 million a year to the rural economy in Scotland but the 2011-2012 season has been poor in comparison with the previous two snowy winters.

Rob Gibson, chairman of the Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs, climate change and environment committee, backed the move to enlist Wills and Kate as ski ambassadors.

“I fully support it,” he said. “It would do William and Kate no harm once in a while to swap Klosters for the Cairngorms. Scottish snow sports are an important part of the rural economy and having a Royal ski-cation would really boost the Scottish industry.

“It has been a poor season and it needs a boost – and William and Kate could give it one by showing you don’t have to go to the Alps to find good skiing, as well as helping attract younger skiers.”

The Duke and Duchess, whose romance gained formal recognition when the couple joined Prince Charles and Prince Harry on a ski trip to Klosters, in Switzerland, in 2004, recently returned from Meribel in the giant Trois Vallees ski area of the French Alps.

The couple were accompanied by Kate’s mother and father, Carole and Michael, and her brother James and sister Pippa.

The break followed William’s posting to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic from his role as a helicopter co-pilot with a search and rescue squadron in Wales. The Royal couple chose to fly home with the budget airline EasyJet. They then headed to Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate, to join Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Rothesay, for a break. Charles and Camilla recently celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.

The Royal Deeside retreat is only a short journey from The Lecht ski run in Aberdeenshire. But despite William and Kate having a deep love for Scotland – it is where they met and studied history of art together at St Andrews University – and making regular trips to Balmoral, they have yet to ski north of the Border.

A spokesman for Clarence House said: “The duke and duchess are keen skiers. We get all kinds of requests for them to be involved in various projects. We cannot comment further at this stage.”

Several inches of snow fell on Scotland’s hills recently and has raised hopes of an end-of-season boost for some of the snowsports centres.

Colin Kirkwood, marketing manager of CairnGorm Mountain, said: “It has been a difficult year.

“We didn’t ski at all in March, which is almost unheard of, so we’re keen to let people know that we are open for business for skiing. There are still good opportunities. It’s been a real bonus.”

Numbers on the slopes are less than half of last year. CairnGorm Mountain – which is celebrating its 50th season – attracted 121,420 snow users in 2011. Only around 50,000 skiers and snowboarders had been logged at CairnGorm this season.

A recent study has warned that the economic health of the industry remains fragile and although more UK residents overall are taking part in snowsports, fewer are choosing Scotland.

Over the past 25 years, the number of skier-days – individual visits – across Scotland was calculated at an average 325,700 a year. But in the past decade, the figure fell by more than a third to 199,100 skier days.

The rate of decline has slowed in recent years, but the Scottish sector remains vulnerable to unpredictable weather patterns and high quality international competition.