Scotland’s ski resorts are relying on innovative ways to create their own snow as climate change threatens the snow sports industry. STV News Reporter Vanessa Taaffe explains.
Words by ITV News Producer Stephanie Docherty
For decades, the highlands have been the heart of Scotland’s winter sports industry.
Once being able to guarantee snowy landscapes from autumn right through to spring, these hills were a winter wonderland for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.
But of late, that promise has been getting harder to keep thanks to the changing climate.
Most Scottish resorts say they used to enjoy snow from before Christmas, which would last through to beyond Easter, but in the last few years, many have reported that snow is not arriving until mid-February and is gone by the end of March.
According to the Met Office, the number of snowfall days in Scotland has dropped by between 25 and 30% since the 1970s, and it has warned that by 2080, there will be winters where Scotland sees no snow at all.
For the many resorts and ski centres that rely on the snow, these last few years have been difficult, persuading some to take matters into their own hands.
Glencoe Mountain Resort is one that has invested in technology to create its own snow in order to get through the season.
The resort uses technology, called the Snow Factory, to supplement natural snowfall and ensure snow cover for skiing and sledging, especially during warmer or drier spells.
This machine produces 100 cubic meters daily to keep slopes open for longer and is crucial for the industry.
Charlie Munro works at the resort. He says this technology has kept them in business as they have been able to depend less and less on natural snowfall.
“The last couple of years haven’t been very good, so we have been relying on the Snow factory to get going. This weekend we’re open for sledging, so we’ll push it (the snow) out on Friday night,” he said.
“We don’t want it, but it’s a necessity for the business to keep moving forward. We hope mother nature helps us as well, but unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t.”
It takes 2,000 litres of water a day to produce their snow, and it needs to be kept at 25C.
Resort owner, Andy Meldrum, says all this effort and investment is worth it for the long-term future of the snow sports industry in Scotland.
He said: “The difference between a good and a bad season here can sometimes be a weather front moving 10 miles too far north.
“Last year we only had 10,000 people up skiing, but we had over 30,000 people come up to go sledging, and we can do that with our advanced snow making system, a small 100 metre long slope and a magic carpet.”
Earlier this year, the chief executive of the Cairngorm Mountain resort told the Scottish Parliament the industry’s business model must move away from reliance on snow and make sure there are activities all year-round if the businesses are to survive.
Mike Gifford discussed the need to offer activities which do not rely on snow when he appeared before the Public Audit Committee at the Scottish Parliament in September.
He said the business model had become too snow-dependent, which has contributed to losses.
“I’ve been in the ski industry for about 25 to 30 years now,” he told the MSPs.
“Going forward, we need to diversify. We’ve done the slope for mountain biking and adventure play areas, and we’ve put in a campervan parking area.
“What I want to do going forward is to enhance all of those and make sure they’re all running well.
“We want to make sure the activities we’ve got are year-round, so it doesn’t matter if we’ve got snow on the ground or not.”
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