Over 100,000 Have Already Skied Scotland This Season
Over 100,000 Have Already Skied Scotland This Season
Published : 01-Feb-2010 08:13
More than 100,000 skiers and snowboarders have been enjoying some of the best snow Scotland has seen for decades since the start of the season. The good news is that the exceptional snow conditions look set to continue into February.Scotland's five mountain ski areas had sold more than 107,500 tickets by the 27th January. This total excludes all the season ticket holders who have been visiting regularly, and some school and other groups. These are counted separately by some ski areas and are usually only included in the final total number of "skier days" at the end of the season.
This equates to 67% of last winter's skier days total, including season ticket holders and groups,however, these great early season results do have their down-side – there was a plan to offer this winter's 100,000th skier a free ticket and other goodies, but this had to be abandoned when it was realised that target had already been passed!
"We often find that, when the snow thaws elsewhere in the country, people find it hard to believe that the mountains still have good snow," said ski-scotland Chair Heather Negus. "But this year, with the high-profile story of CairnGorm's road, funicular and lifts having to be dug out of deep drifts, we're finding that people know we still have great snow which will last well into next month, and possibly longer. However, each of the five ski areas has their own separate access, so we've rarely had a day this year when all five have been closed at one time, and road and snow reports and real-time webcams are easy to find on the official ski-scotland.com website."
"The new ski-scotland all-area 5-day pass has been a real bonus," continued Heather. "It offers skiers a real alternative to overseas ski holidays. With five ski areas fairly close to each other, and a great choice of accommodation available within reach of all, the 5-day all-area pass means they can try a different ski area every day, just stick with their favourite, or go where the snow and access is best. With the adult ticket only £115 for five consecutive days, it offers tremendous value compared to what you'd pay in the Alps for anything similar."
The number of people who skied or snowboarded in Scotland in winter 2008-9 was 159,885, worth around £4m to the snowsports centres and at least £12m to the Scottish economy. The 107,500+ who have already bought tickets this winter will have generated at least £11m for the economy, both at the ski areas and in the surrounding area.
www.ski-scotland.com
Courtesy of and © Snow24 plc
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