AArriving alone in the early morning darkness at Glenshee Ski Center in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, I am greeted by friendly voices in the tiny ticket queue and eagerly join the small group. The forecast is good and the center has brought forward the limited opening of the facility in response to a new dream of snow suddenly covering the valley all the way to the parking lot. We plan to make the most of it.

But today’s enthusiasm must be confronted with harsher realities. The pandemic has severely restricted the last two winter seasons. The coming months are crucial for the recovery and the future of the industry after its long forced hibernation.

According to Snowsport Scotland, ski resorts have suffered a £ 20million reduction in ticket revenue due to the Covid disruption.

On a blue sky day last February, I was shown around the Glencoe ghost station on a giant snow groomer. It should have been one of the busiest days in the resort’s 60-year history: mid-term vacation, perfect weather, perfect snow. Yet the buildings were locked, the tables and chairs half-buried in the snow, the silent cliffhanger chairlift, the machines and slopes maintained by a small staff to keep the wheels ready to turn. But the tracks are empty.

Scotland has five hill stations: Cairngorm, Glencoe, Glenshee, Lecht 2090 and Nevis range. Today in Glenshee the ski lifts are limited, so after a few circuits on Sunnyside Poma we ski touring up to 917 meters from Càrn Aosda. Above us, white hares gallop in the first yellow rays of the sun.

Near the summit, on a steep slope, my new friends kick off their sealskins and engage their bindings in descent mode. As they descend, they celebrate with sharp turns like a handbrake, throwing up powdery plumes. The snow is, indeed, beautifully dry. I intended to take a long tour to Glas Maol on Càrn an Tuirc, but there is a strong wind on the peaks, so I take shelter in the valley, enjoying strolling through the valley in good company. I even forget to eat my lunch.

Ski center losses due to the pandemic over the past two seasons, according to Snowsport Scotland, amount to more than £ 12million, even including holidays, layoffs and deferred capital payments.

Over 750,000 tickets are normally sold at Scottish ski resorts each year and the industry is worth over £ 30million in the country’s coffers. The Scottish ski industry employs over 1,000 people and nearly 50 elite athletes participate in Snowsport Scotland’s performance program. Among them is famous teenage freestyle skier Kirsty Muir.

Trafford Wilson, Managing Director of Snowsport Scotland, called on all UK skiers and snowboarders to sample the country’s slopes and thus avoid quarantine restrictions and overseas travel problems. He believes the first full season since the start of the pandemic, along with the impact of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in 2022, is creating the perfect conditions for a snow sports boom in Scotland as the five resorts gear up. to open completely.

The Scottish government has provided a £ 7million ski center fund to protect Scotland’s snow sports malls during Covid. However, for the centers and surrounding communities to thrive, Wilson believes more investment is needed, funded in part by strong ticket sales over the coming winter season.

Wilson believes Covid-19 has provided an opportunity by putting the industry under the microscope and highlighting its importance to Scotland’s tourist economy.

“While Covid has been a huge headache, especially its shutdown and start-up nature, it has also provided the opportunity to gain increased support from the Scottish government and other agencies,” he said. he declares.

With thousands of winter sports enthusiasts facing uncertainty over changing quarantine rules in European countries, Wilson hopes more people turn to Scotland.

“There is a golden opportunity. We hope this will make it possible for more people than ever to experience snow sports in the UK and want to come back for more.

“This winter season offers people a great opportunity to make the most of the varied terrain, explore our backcountry playgrounds and learn to ski or snowboard at home,” Wilson said.

A varied menu is indeed offered, on and off piste. The terrains vary from the high plateau and undulating whales of the Cairngorms in the east to the almost vertical freeride ravines of the Ben Nevis and Nevis Range in the west. Opt for the crowds, lines, and camaraderie of a resort, or the enchantment of a solo tour into the heart of whitewashed nature.

Eventually my new friends take off, returning home to destinations near and far. I ski solo. A pink moon has risen and the sun on the ridge line is about to dip early. The light is breathtaking. I go far, even without a trophy, flowers or flashes. Well, anyway I’m doing quick and easy circuits, until they cut the last tug. The moon turns blue and with the onset of twilight, the cable stops. It may have been a short day, but it left a deep mark on my soul. I head for the parking lot, happy.

Visit snow sports scotland.org. For opening dates and prices, see the centers’ websites