Scottish resorts remain closed as lack of snow affects pistes all across Europe

Scottish ski resorts have been forced to delay opening for the season after low snowfall and unseasonally high temperatures. Only Cairngorm has opened so far this winter season, with most ski operators running alternative activities, such as hillwalking, to entertain tourists arriving for the festive season.

Just as in Europe, many slopes in Scotland are still green, with mild temperatures set to continue into the new year. A decade ago, December was marked as the traditional start of the snow season for Highland skiers, but now it seems that mid-January, or even February, is set to be the new start date.

Stuart Davidson, director of the Glenshee slope, said it had not opened yet due to the lack of snow.

"It's not likely we'll open until the new year. There has only been a wee bit of snow so far a few days ago and that's it.

"The winter season has essentially moved a month - autumn is going on a month longer than it was 10 years ago. We lose out on the skiers coming over the Christmas holidays, but we can make up for it in February, and last year the season went on right to the end of March."

Fiona Milligan, of the CairnGorm Mountain Ltd, said that, after "a great couple of weeks" when an isolated snowfall attracted around 200 skiers a day, they are not expecting to be hosting skiers over the festive period.

"We just can't tell these days when there will be snow, and long-term forecasts aren't all that great for this part of the world.

"The skiers we've had recently have been a great bonus, but we are really looking to January and February to be our busy times," she said.

CairnGorm Mountain Ltd is the only resort open all year round with attractions other than skiing, but other areas have improved alternative activities in recent years to occupy tourists disappointed by the lack of snow.

The national tourist agency VisitScotland has been keen that resorts diversify facilities as the winter weather becomes more unreliable and global temperatures rise.

Anna Trafford, director of the Outdoor Capital UK (OCUK) project in Fort William and Lochaber, which promotes a range of extreme sports and outdoor activities, said diversification in the sector to deal with "the unpredictable reality of global warming" was increasingly important.

She said: "The weather is forcing people to be more creative. At the moment it is 10˚C here, which is high for December. In Scotland, and even in Europe, there is a realisation that snow can't be counted on. The days when you can make enough in the winter season to keep going all year round are gone, just about."

At one alternative winter attraction, Kenny Grant of the Ice Factor, an indoor ice-climbing centre in Kinlochleven, said that at this time of year they see "a lot of frustrated skiers".

"In a busy month such as now we can host 10,000 visitors a month, and we see a mix of tourists, who have come here for skiing and then have to do something else, and locals.

"When the weather is bad we also see a lot of climbers who would normally be out," he said.

Jeremy Plester of the PA Weather Centre said that Scotland was not likely to see any snow for at least 10 days.

She added: "At the moment temperatures are too high, and it isn't just Scotland. Many places in the Alps traditionally covered in snow at the moment are still green, with plants flowering."

Alfie Ingram, chairman of the Scottish Mountain Rescue Committee, warned people taking to the hills for ice climbing or rock climbing as alternative winter sports to skiing to "take care and be cautious".

He said: "Because there has been a snowfall which is now disappointing, we would urge people to note the conditions as the snow and ice have not had time to consolidate. If you are venturing on to the hillside make sure you are aware of the conditions and aware of your equipment."