Ski resorts in SCOTLAND are dreaming of a White Christmas to cope with rising energy and insurance costs, as well as recoup recent infrastructure investment.
Nevis Range alone is facing a fourfold increase in electricity bills, from £200,000 to £800,000 a year, as well as insurance costs that have outpaced inflation.
“Our electricity is a huge cost and if we’re not careful it’s the kind of thing that could really cripple the whole ski industry,” CEO Chris O’Brien said. “We are experiencing a dramatic increase which, for a company of our size, is extraordinarily difficult to absorb. Stations like Nevis Range are also expensive to insure and we are looking at a massive increase there which, combined with electricity, is north of a million pounds.
Despite the hikes, Nevis Range is freezing subscription prices at the same level as last year.
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“We don’t want to pile additional misery on our customers at this time,” O’Brien said. “We’re pretty confident about skiing itself this year and what we hope more than anything is that the cost of living crisis doesn’t affect consumer confidence to the point that it doesn’t go out. ”
Last winter, the first full season since the pandemic shutdowns, saw little snow at Scottish resorts until February, but O’Brien said the long-term weather forecast looked good for Nevis Range.
“I have to say, I’m probably more optimistic at this time of year than I have been in a very long time,” he said. “By the end of December, the conditions really seem to be in our favor, so we’re really hoping we can get people skiing again. A White Christmas would be amazing.
The station will open the weekend before Christmas with tickets already purchased for a Santa’s Grotto event.
“We’re hoping to get the kids tobogganing on an artificial slope or on real snow, so we have plenty to be happy about despite all the depression going on,” O’Brien said. “We’re a year-round resort, so as soon as we open we’ll have tourists too.”
Nevis Range sees around 200,000 visitors a year, including 30,000 skiers, 30,000 mountain bikers and the rest gondola tourists. A new 22-bedroom hotel will open at the resort in January, part of a £4million project that includes a 24-bed dormitory, bar and restaurant, bike shop, activity center for children, daycare centers and a covered courtyard with event space.
“We couldn’t be more positive and optimistic about the future,”
said O’Brien.
At Glencoe, a new three-person chairlift will open up a previously little-used area of the mountain and complement the new £2million cafe built to replace the one destroyed by fire in 2019.
However, general manager Andy Meldrum is less confident of a festive white season than his Nevis Range counterpart.
“It looks like the weather is calm and cooling, but it doesn’t look like it’s snowing in the forecast, which is a little worrying,” he said. “Normally at this time of year we wait for the big Atlantic storms to arrive and dump a lot of snow.
“Calm weather with a few snow showers is good for sledding and our beginners slope with the artificial snow running, but it doesn’t look very positive before Christmas in terms of having lots of snow and the full open mountain are concerned.”
Meldrum said if the season turned out to be bad they would “crash and survive”, but a good season would mean the station could invest in staff accommodation. “I think everyone should do it,” he said. “We had to operate with reduced staff mainly because we couldn’t find staff. It is almost impossible at the moment in the Highlands to recruit because despite the fact that many people would like to come and work in Glencoe, there are not many who can afford the prices in the area or even find accommodation because of from Airbnb and short-term rentals.
Glencoe’s power contracts are mostly not due for renewal until 2026, so it is reasonably well protected against current hikes, but still has to deal with the higher cost of diesel used for trail machinery and snowplows.
Despite this, the resort aims to run the machines as normal and should be open to sledding and limited skiing before Christmas.
“We just have to absorb the cost because if we don’t run the machines as much, the skiing experience won’t be as good,” Meldrum said. “We plan to do everything as usual and hope that we will do everything well enough that customers still come in sufficient numbers.”
Glenshee Ski Center aims to open on December 17 with artificial snow on the Dink Dink, Rope Tow and plastic slopes while the Lecht will open once there is enough snow.
In Cairn Gorm, the controversial funicular is currently undergoing major repairs ahead of its reopening this winter.
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