Skiing scotland
Discussion
Only Cairngorm and Nevis Range have significant accomodation closeby (Aviemore and Fort William). As you'll have worked out by now, skiing is Scotland is real unpredictable thes days - you could get blue skies and great snow, or you could get rain, winds, ice, heather and pretty much anything inbetween. This year though Cairngorm have acquired 4 snow cannons (after a trial with 1 last year) so hopefully so long as it's cold enough you'll get some snow. I'd be taking mountain bikes too though 
If the back corries are open, Nevis Range has 'better' skiing than Cairngorm, but they're more often closed, and Fort William is harder to get to for most folks than Aviemore (although the road up is much more scenic). And Fort William is often thought of as the ugliest town in the best location on the planet!
With years of under-investment and lifts closed and left to rot in Coire Na Ciste at Cairngorm, I much prefer Glenshee these days, but it's just an hour and a half up the rosd for me. As a 'destination' Blairgowrie isn't really close enough, and there's nothing to do there. You could stay inm Braemar but it's further up the road, and in any case the road is prone to be closed far more often than the A9 to Aviemore.
So I think you're best bet is Cairmgorn - probably the best chance of skiing with the new cannons, easy to get to, and if there's no snow it's too stormy there's plenty of other things to do.
If the back corries are open, Nevis Range has 'better' skiing than Cairngorm, but they're more often closed, and Fort William is harder to get to for most folks than Aviemore (although the road up is much more scenic). And Fort William is often thought of as the ugliest town in the best location on the planet!
With years of under-investment and lifts closed and left to rot in Coire Na Ciste at Cairngorm, I much prefer Glenshee these days, but it's just an hour and a half up the rosd for me. As a 'destination' Blairgowrie isn't really close enough, and there's nothing to do there. You could stay inm Braemar but it's further up the road, and in any case the road is prone to be closed far more often than the A9 to Aviemore.
So I think you're best bet is Cairmgorn - probably the best chance of skiing with the new cannons, easy to get to, and if there's no snow it's too stormy there's plenty of other things to do.
if you were to go to Nevis range you could do a day at Nevis and a day at glencoe. you will drive thru glencoe on your way to Nevis (and you can pretend your bond in the new skyfall movie!)
but if I were you I'd take a look at www.winterhighland.info and have a search around the forums there for advice on which centres are best, hotels, bars close by. plus people constantly post up to date trip reports and pictures of the conditions so you get a feel for what's going on.
if you hadn't guessed weather plays a huge factor in a good day out up here. if possible you should try and keep dates flexible as you don't want to come up and find wind has closed everywhere or there is now snow but you booked months in advance!
but if I were you I'd take a look at www.winterhighland.info and have a search around the forums there for advice on which centres are best, hotels, bars close by. plus people constantly post up to date trip reports and pictures of the conditions so you get a feel for what's going on.
if you hadn't guessed weather plays a huge factor in a good day out up here. if possible you should try and keep dates flexible as you don't want to come up and find wind has closed everywhere or there is now snow but you booked months in advance!
Wrote this in a previous thread:
It's simply just not reliable enough to say 'right I'm going to book x months in advance for x amount of days'. You could easily turn up to brown fields, rain, and high winds. Even if there is good snow the winds tend to close the lifts.
In saying that I've had some cracking skiing up in Scotland, and if it's good it really is as good as anywhere if not a bit on the small side relative to the Alps.
The best way to approach it is check the conditions as close as possible, pack the car and go (within 24hrs ideally unless there's a prolonged cold snap.
I'm lucky in that I only live 4ish hours away from the Nevis range areas plus my O/H is from that neck of the woods originally and has family 30 mins away. If we're up visiting family I sling my gear in the car in the winter and if it's good conditions I ski if not I wait until the next time.
Last winter was relatively mild and pretty poor for Scottish ski resorts compared to the previous 2 years anyhow. If the winters were reliably colder investing in snow making might be viable. I've skied as mid April up there in waist deep powder, if I had to edge my bets I'd say March to early April is about the best time to go.
It's simply just not reliable enough to say 'right I'm going to book x months in advance for x amount of days'. You could easily turn up to brown fields, rain, and high winds. Even if there is good snow the winds tend to close the lifts.
In saying that I've had some cracking skiing up in Scotland, and if it's good it really is as good as anywhere if not a bit on the small side relative to the Alps.
The best way to approach it is check the conditions as close as possible, pack the car and go (within 24hrs ideally unless there's a prolonged cold snap.
I'm lucky in that I only live 4ish hours away from the Nevis range areas plus my O/H is from that neck of the woods originally and has family 30 mins away. If we're up visiting family I sling my gear in the car in the winter and if it's good conditions I ski if not I wait until the next time.
Last winter was relatively mild and pretty poor for Scottish ski resorts compared to the previous 2 years anyhow. If the winters were reliably colder investing in snow making might be viable. I've skied as mid April up there in waist deep powder, if I had to edge my bets I'd say March to early April is about the best time to go.
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