Many think that skiing from the UK can be impossible without paying an absolute fortune, but for most Scots the slopes are little more then 90 minutes away. Whether you live in Edinburgh or Glasgow, all 5 Scottish ski centres are just a hop and a skip away. The “big five” are all in the highlands, these are: Cairngorm,The Lecht, Glenshee, Glencoe and The Nevis Range. The first three I mentioned are all in the Cairngorms, and the other two in the west highlands. Here is a quick guide to all 5.

Glenshee
“Sometimes referred to as the Scottish three glens”

Glenshee is the largest Scottish ski centre, and with twenty-two lifts, 40km or 25 miles of piste, it has quite a lot to offer. If you are a beginner, and have never skied before, then the large area for getting used to sliding around is just where you’ll want to be heading to. For intermediate skiers who can take the blues, then Glenshee is a brilliant place to just cruise - from the gentle slopes of the Bucharts coire and the nice greens of Meall Odhar, you pretty much have the whole area in the bag. And then for the advanced, mogul dudes will have plenty of fun on the infamous tiger run, served by the Cairnwell chair, and speed demons will be cared for in Glas Maol where the British speed skiing championships were held way back in 1985.

The Lecht
“Often boasting the best beginners area in Scotland”

The smallest of the Scottish ski centres, the Lecht, offers everything a much larger ski resort would. All the facilities can be found in a lovely modern day lodge, and the slopes boast everything from green runs to blacks. If you are new to the realm of skiing, then the robin and wren ‘magic carpets’ are a great place to start the show, and the nice and easy blues of the eagle don’t even require a drag lift to get there - simply take the brilliantly placed chairlift and glide to your destination. For intermediates, the resort is your oyster, and if you can handle a red you are in for a treat. Advanced skiers and boarders can reside on the falcon and its superb runs, and also the slopes of the buzzard across the road are only a short walk away!

Cairngorm
“The funicular whisks you from 635m to 1097 in 4 minutes”

Cairngorm, only 25 minutes by car from Aviemore, is a super accessible resort with slopes in two Coires - Cas and Ciste . Almost always snow-sure on the summit, it is a great place to ski. For beginners, the area offers plenty of places to learn, especially the lower slopes and the ptarmigan bowl - with easy lifts and runs these are great places to make your first turns. If you are an intermediate looking for a bit of crusin’ then most of coire cas is perfect, notably fiaciall ridge with many blues, and, if there is enough snow, the day lodge poma and the runs it caters for are a really good place to be. Advanced skiers will be satisfied by the M1 poma and its race piste, or if you are looking for something more difficult, Ciste Coire is laden with reds and two blacks.

Glencoe
“Established in 1956 it was the first serious ski resort in Scotland”

Located in the Glencoe glen (obviously), the resort is sometimes called the white corries and is on the slopes of Meall a’ Bhuiridh. Beginners, after you take a ride on the access chair from the car park to the slopes your area is right on front of you, and if the plateau poma is too much then it is a short hoof up to the easy beginner tow with a nice easy run. If you are more advanced. the soon to open Rannoch chairlift and the coire pollach tow are a nice option for some simple sliding. If you are an intermediate skier then the runs of Old Mugs Alley, Etive Glades, Happy Valley and the Main Basin are the ones for you, all served by the cliffhanger chair and the main basin T-bar. Advanced skiers and boarders have the option of the very desirable spring run and friends. Glencoe also houses the steepest ski run in the country - The Flypaper. Many argue over the steepness - is it 40 or 45 degrees? Anyhow, if you fall on the flypaper, you probably won’t stop till you get to the bottom.

Nevis Range
“The highest lift served runs in the country”

The highest, newest and with patrolled backcountry, Nevis is a superb resort to spend the day or week for that matter. The country’s only gondola takes you from pretty much sea level to a whopping 2150ft. Nevis range is attractive before you even hit the slopes. Beginners, if you are looking for a place to learn, you have a whole area of the resort to do so, with your own chair and 5 different other lifts. This is a learner’s heaven. Intermediate, the quad chair is a one of a kind in Scotland, and so are the views from it, and the runs are nothing short of fabulous. Four long, winding runs take you back to base or down to the Great Glen chair. Advanced skiers can’t stop going on about Nevis for a very good reason, nothing is too hard on the frontside of the mountain (excluding warrens), but if you take a short walk from the summit button you will find coire dubh - a huge area of patrolled backcountry appears before your eyes, all accessible due to the Braveheart chair. However, if the chair is stationary, you can either walk out or alternatively just ski some of the runs nearer the bottom, like G&T alley.