Four of Scotland’s six ski areas will receive more than £4m of public money to invest in upgraded ski lifts.
The ski centres will add money of their own to the pot to give a total spend of £5.5m, with 75% of that to be provided by Scottish Enterprise and Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Most of the money will go on replacement chairlifts for existing lifts at Glenshee and Glencoe will be replacing existing chairlifts costing nearly £4.5m between them. The Lecht and Nevis Range will spend more than £1.2m on replacement tow lifts.
Cairngorm Mountain near Aviemore had already announced its own £6.2m five-year investment plan of largely public money given to new private operator Natural Retreats last June, but much of this appears to be going on the ski centre’s buildings rather than lifts. A recent announcement from the centre hinted at lift upgrades for winter 15-16 but details have not yet been provided.
All of the Scottish ski centres also benefitted from a cut in the VAT rate on lift tickets last year which allowed them to retain more of the money spent by skiers and boarders on their lift passes.
So far Scottish ski areas have enjoyed their usual mixed fortunes with weather this winter with a mix of closed days due to very strong winds or too much snow for access or too little snow to open, and superb still, blue sky days with deep, fresh powder.
