Almost 400 skiers and boarders swapped a day of last minute shopping for a day on the slopes.

The Nevis Range resort officially opened for its twenty-second winter season on Saturday 18 December. Snow had been falling on the slopes for several weeks previously, building up a good base on the upper mountain. Over 10cm of fresh snow had fallen the day before, treating customers to a day of fresh snow on a firm base, although at times visibility was fairly poor.

The newly refurbished Equipment Hire opened its doors for the very first time. Capacity has been almost doubled by knocking through into what was until recently the Pinemarten coffee shop. A temporary portakabin located in the carpark at the gondola base station was serving snacks and the new café bar restaurant is under construction and expected to open in April 2011.

Managing Director Marian Austin said “Despite the cold weather, everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time. It’s been a great start to the season on a weekend which is traditionally fairly quiet, as most people are involved in last minute christmas preparations. Santa did take time out to open our new Equipment Hire and then went for a quick ski before he continued on his way.”

For more information visit www.nevisrange.co.uk