AMBITIOUS plans for Scotland’s sixth ski centre are well under way, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers.
The Lowther Hills have been on the Scottish ski resort map on and off since the 1920s and, over the decades, have seen thousands of winter sports enthusiasts being towed or driven up the 725m slope in order to glide back down on a pair of skis.
Plans to turn the hill into a permanent ski centre have come and gone, one of the most ambitious being the 1988 proposals for “the construction of the largest and the most advanced mixed plastic and snow ski centre in Europe” at Whitestone Cleuch, one mile south of Wanlockhead.
Up until 2014, however, the eponymous hill above Wanlockhead had become a place where sheep grazed beside a rusted abandoned ski tow beneath the landmark giant “golf ball” of the radar station.
Now the hill has an engine shed, a 475 metre-long intermediate ski tow and the installation of webcams gives potential skiers a live view of conditions on the slope.
There is a 140m nursery area by Leadhills’ Golf Club with two beginnners’ tows and the use of a clubhouse. Moreover, six out of seven children in the area can now ski.
The 2014/15 inaugural season of the Lowther Hills Ski Club had 1,000 visitors in 20 skiable days and saw its membership increase from 100 to 300.
All this is thanks to the work of the Lowther Hills Ski Club: a group of hard-working and enthusiastic volunteers from the communities of Wanlockhead, Leadhills and beyond.
Headed-up by 42-year-old Anjo Abelaira, theirs is Scotland’s only community-run ski centre.
“Up until last year, there was nothing here,” said Anjo who is chair of the club. “All this was achieved by volunteers in just one year. It may look a bit rough at the moment, but we are working hard on it.
“We have some exciting plans for the future and would love to see this area as South of Scotland’s Outdoor Capital.”
Operating costs of the centre are covered entirely by membership fees, crowdfunding and donations.
“At present we are crowdfunding for a £9,900 snow groomer,” Anjo explained. “This is a specialised piece of equipment capable of doubling the amount of skiable days on Lowther
Hill.
“Snow groomers help to move drifts of snow around to areas with less snow. They compact the snow and create a much better surface for skiing and snowboarding.
“A well pisted snow surface is of particular help to beginners and children, helping them to enjoy snowsports for the first time.”
Once the snow groomer is secured, the club intend to add a club house and a seasonal bus.
“Because there is a radar station at the top of the hill, the public are not permitted to use the access road,” Anjo said.
“This means that skiers have to walk from the village to the tow with all their gear.
“We hope to secure a bus that will ferry skiers and their equipment from the new club house to the base of the tow lift.
“We also plan to build a club house for members to have somewhere warm to gather and change.”
Anjo estimates that the club house will cost around £50,000 to build but will attract more skiers to the hill.
They intend to use local contractors to carry out the work in order to keep business in the area.
Once numbers are sufficient, then the club hopes to have enough funds to run the bus.
The slope at Lowther Hill has a comfortable capacity for 400 people and membership is just £30 for a season.
Anjo, who has a background in ski resorts and marketing, came to Scotland a few years ago before moving to Wanlockhead where he lives with his family.
“I have a passion for mountains,” he said, “and I could see there was a market for a ski centre in Southern Scotland with enough days of snow to make it viable and realistic.”
Anjo, an experienced skier, also points out that ski conditions on the Lowther Hills can be very demanding.
He said: “Skiing in Scotland is not the same as skiing in the Alps or other popular snow sport centres of the world.
“Conditions can be very wet and windy here with blizzards and freezing temperatures.
“Skiing here can be quite a challenge. For us, it is all about managing expectations and it is solely down to our volunteers’ hard work that we are able to run a ski centre on the Southern Uplands.”
The club holds regular work parties to maintain the equipment and run the ski tows and is always looking for more people to volunteer.
Up until Storm Desmond battered the hills at the beginning of the month, the ski club also had a temporary ski hut for skiiers to rest, meet, change, warm-up and shelter from the blizzards. Unfortunately, the hut was raised to the ground by the wind and rain and has affected the centre’s plans to keep the ski run open for longer.
Further information about the club and ski conditions on the Lowther Hills can be found at skiclub.lowtherhills.com
To help the club get their snow groomer, anyone can donate at http://www.gofundme.com/LHSCpistebasher
