The snow is here and set to stay and we couldn’t be more excited!
If you’re new to skiing or snowboarding or maybe you’ve never skied in Scotland before then planning a Scottish ski trip can feel a bit daunting. The aim of this blog is to make it as easy as possible for you to have a totally painless and really enjoyable short break sliding on the Scottish snow…
So, here’s the plan…
Resort
Decide whether you are going to head to The Lecht or Cairngorm Mountain - both have so much to offer with beginners areas including travelators as well as higher pistes for more confident skiers.
Accommodation
You will need some great accommodation for your ski trip and as luck would have it, we know some beautiful lodges of all shapes and sizes for between 1 and 24 guests. Some of our lodges are closer to The Lecht while others are closer to Cairngorm Mountain. Take a look on our website or contact us to find the best last minute options; [email protected]
Lift Passes
Next thing you’ll need to do is to book tickets for your chosen resort, they tend to sell out for weekend days but this is less likely midweek when it’s usually a bit quieter (a great time to come if you’re able to!) Book your tickets for The Lecht here and for Cairngorm Mountain here.
Equipment
If you have your own kit then you’re all set but if not, there are lots of super options for hiring locally - along with skis/snowboards, boots and poles, you can also rent helmets. The Lecht have their own equipment hire at the resort although at the moment this can’t be booked in advance. There are lots of other options for hire in Aviemore including Free Ski (ski hire and lessons can be booked together), SOS - School of Snowsports (again ski hire and lessons can be booked as a package), Tiso in Aviemore or Nevisport in Aviemore.
Lessons
Now that you’ve organised your kit, you might be good to go or you may decide that you’d like to brush up on your skills. Perhaps you’re a bit rusty or maybe you’re a complete beginner, if so lessons are a brilliant way of gaining confidence on the slopes. One-to-one or group lessons in skiing and boarding are available (and come highly recommended) on Cairngorm Mountain with Free Ski or SOS. The Lecht has its own excellent ski school offering private or group instruction.
Apres Ski
There’s lots of apres ski on offer from ice skating at the Aviemore Ice Rink, to enjoying tasty nachos and a pint at The Balavoulin in front of the roaring fire or maybe you’d prefer to order a home cooked meal to be delivered to your lodge which you can enjoy cosied up in front of your very own fire? Speyside Kitchen or The Lunchbox Boys will be able to help you out with this.
Any Non-skiers
We have lots of great ideas for any non-skiers in your group in our earlier blog… Winter fun without a ski in sight!