A Sixth Scottish Ski Area Set To Debut?
A Sixth Scottish Ski Area Set To Debut?
Published : 26-Aug-2014 05:23
A 'new' ski area is set to debut in Scotland this winter, the first new centre to open since Nevis Range near Fort William more than 20 years ago.
But unlike Nevis Range and the four other conventional ski areas, the Lowther Hills are not in northern Scotland, but close to the English border in Dumfriesshire.
And while they have somehow been missed from the ski history books, there has in fact been skiing in the area for some 60 years, and the region was considered for a commercial ski resort development before the first lists were installed in the Highlands.
There have been primitive lifts here in the past, and more recently people have used 4X4 cars to drive up, taking it in turns to drive down while the others skied, but the new lifts planned to be installed this autumn have been secured from the Harwood ski club in northern England, which ceased operating at the end of 2013.
The ski area, located near Wanlockhead, Britain's highest village, not far from the M74 up the West Coast to Glasgow, typically gets 20 days of snow cover each winter.
The new plan, put forward by the Lowther Hills Ski Club (www.skiclub.lowtherhills.com), involves the installation of one 600m long tow up to 725m creating an intermediate run and two shorter 100m long lifts to serve separate nursery slopes, all above a club house at 585m.
"My vision for the place is to have a New-Zealand style centre (low operating cost, financially sustainable) with a few tows, snowgrooming and curling facilities," said Anjo Abelaira, Chair of the Lowther Hills Ski Club.
Funding for the work has been approved through a wind farm grant and planning permission is expected to be granted imminently.
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