Two of Scotland's ski areas are heading into the new winter season with significantly expanded all-weather snowmaking capacity, as both The Lecht and Glencoe Mountain continue efforts to reduce their reliance on increasingly unpredictable natural snowfall (although it's worth noting last winter was one of the most consistently cold and snowy in the Scottish Highlands of the past decade with Cairngorm staying open into May).
At The Lecht 2090, a new larger Demaclenko SnowPRO 260 machine is being installed ahead of the coming season start next month. The centre says the upgraded system will be capable of producing greater volumes of snow than its existing TechnoAlpin SnowFactory machine, helping improve the reliability and extent of snow cover on key beginner slopes during marginal weather periods.
Meanwhile, Glencoe Mountain is preparing for the first full winter operating its own new Demaclenko SnowPro all-weather snowmaking unit (Pictured above), which was added at the very end of last season. The resort says the machine will effectively double its snowmaking capacity, providing additional protection against poor natural snow conditions and helping guarantee cover in high-use areas.
The investments mark the latest step in a growing shift towards factory snow production across Scotland's ski industry. Unlike conventional snowmaking systems, which require sustained sub-zero temperatures, all-weather snowmaking technology can produce snow regardless of air temperature, allowing resorts to build and maintain snow cover even during mild weather.
All five Scottiah ski areas invested in their initial all-weather snowmaking machines in the late 2010s with most opting for TechnoAlpin SnowFactory models although Nevis Range invested heavily in a different system which it later reported did not work. Cairngorm and Glenshee already had larger SnowFactory units that The Lecht, which helps power its machine with an on-site wind turbine, and Glencoe.
Each centre uses their machines differently, with Glencoe using theirs particularly to maintain its popular tobogganing slope outside the main season then using it for nursery slopes and ski runs, Cairngorm to maintain a nursery slope area and The Lecht a small terrain park set up and nursery slope. Glenshee has used theirs to maintain a longer slope. In all cases the machines help guarantee continuing opening through the season removing uncertainty for forward planning for both the centres themselves and for visiting skiers.
Although the amount of terrain that can be snow covered with these machine is limited, over the past five or six seasons each has been able to keep operating snowsports at times when there was little or no natural cover and it was too warm for conventional snowmaking.