In Aviemore there is a wide range of Accomodation from Campsites,Bunkhouses,B&Bs,Guest Houses to a good selection of

Hotels.

Below are links to some of these places.

Summary

The Lecht 2090 - that is the official title for Scotlands newest and smallest skiing/boarding centre. The Lecht has went from strength to strength over the last few years going against the trend of other resorts most notably Glenshee/Glencoe where the company has now gone into recievership as a result of poor snow conditions,less visitors and arguably poor management in recent years. The Lecht has diversified and is no longer just a place to go and ski and board. It is an all year round attraction where activities such as Quad biking,Devil and Fun carts and Summer Tubing take place so keep money coming in to the company even when there is limited or no snow. The Lecht is located on the A939 between c*ckbridge and Tomintoul a road notorious for being closed by snow during the Winter months. There are numerous occasions when the runs have lots of snow but visitors cant get there till the road is opened from one end or the other. The last two winters have seen the lifts open here for a few days in October when the snows have arrived early bringing hopes of a prosperous season but as is the norm up here in Scotland we will be back to Summer conditions or washed away with rain a couple of days later. The Lecht is helped by having a good website for its marketing and promotion of its facilities and the 14 lifts give 20 km of mainly gentle beginner/early intermediate slopes with a maximum vertical of just 660ft. The Lecht is an ideal place for anyone wanting to learn to Snowboard or for people wanting to ride on real snow for the first time. This is where i took my first lessons and the instructors are all pretty good with a few of them coming from Australia or N.Z. We did not hire our equipment at the centre but at one of the small villages on the way up as in those days they did not have a great deal of rental equipment available but that was about 9 years ago so i would imagine hire equipment will be a lot better now ! The centre has runs on both sides of the road which you access from the carpark. There is a Chairlift (Snowy Owl) and about a dozen button tows all named after Scottish Birds. The runs are all quite short but are all you need when learning and it is certainly much better than being on a dryslope. Also if snow conditions are good they have a funpark and small pipe to keep you occupied. The nearest place to stay is the little village of Tomintoul where there are a couple of Hotels and Bars,but make sure you dont have to refuel your car here as it must have the most expensive petrol in Britain. Have seen it as much as 20p/Litre more expensive than Aberdeen !

Strengths

Ideal place to learn or to spend a day if you are in the area. Only 30 miles from Aviemore where more experienced riders will be better off.

Weaknesses

Short runs. Scottish weather. Not a lot of challenge. cockbridge to Tomintoul road often closed after a good snowfall.

This is the newest area for wintersports in
Scotland and has been open for around 12
seasons. It is situated a couple of miles north
of Fort William in the shadow of the UKs
highest mountain Ben Nevis and on some
days there are spectacular views from the
summit of Aonach Mor looking across
Carn Mor Dearg to the Ben itself.
From the car park at the base area you get
your lift ticket and set off on the 6 seater
Gondola, protected from the elements and
head up to the Snowgoose lodge which has
a shop ,restaurant and bar. When snow
conditions are fine there is a fairly good
beginners area here with a few short drag
lifts. You then access a chair followed by
quite a long T-bar then a Poma lift that
takes you to the summit. The runs back
down are generally fairly wide and can
provide some good intermediate sport
with a fairly good vertical drop.
Now to the good part! The most recent
addition to the area is the Braveheart chair
which allows access to some great Freeride
terrain in the back corries. This area is not
always open due to poor snow or bad weather
but when conditions are good it is a mighty
fine place to be. On a good day you often
feel you are not really in Scotland. From the
summit of Aonach Mor it is quite a drop into
Coire Dubh and a lot of people are put off
when they look down. This is quite steep
and challenging terrain and is great after a
fresh powder dump. The only real downer
after a few hours fun in the back corries is
making your way back round to the Snowgoose
as it can often have patchy snow conditions
and can get quite flat in places, but it is worth
the effort. Also from the summit it is possible
to drop of the back of the mountain into summit
gully where there is a long off-piste run which
flattens out as it comes back to the Braveheart
chair. It is advisable to do this with other
experienced riders or with a guide as the drop in
can be heavily corniced (snow overhang) which
can break away and pose an avalanche risk.
This area should only be accessed when the
conditions are good and you have the ability
to ride there. If you are in any doubt – Ask!
The ski patrol can be found in a small hut at
the top of the summit poma tow.
Overall this area can provide some impressive
sport but the number of days you will experience
it is limited due to the unpredictable weather. The
Gulfstream has a lot to answer for!

The town of Fort William is a good place to stay
with a wide range of accomodation ranging from
good value B&Bs to good quality Hotels. The
town has a good selection of bars and places
to eat as well as numerous outdoor shops.
It is well worth having a few days at Nevis Range
then a day at Glencoe on the way home.

In the summer the Gondola can be used to take
the mountain bike up to allow access to the
runs which have been built for national
competition.