New figures have revealed that the Scottish snowsports season generated more than £23million for the economy.
The season, which ended on Sunday, was slightly down on the previous winter, with 230,634 skier days recorded at the five mountain areas of Glencoe, Glenshee, CairnGorm Mountain, The Lecht and Nevis Range.
The previous year resulted in 235,303 skier days – itself a fall of more than 55,000 on 2012-13 – a bumper year which generated more than £29million for the Scottish rural economy.
However, Ski Scotland said this season had been an excellent one and over the last six seasons, the country’s snowsports areas have hosted more than 1.5 million skier days, which have produced more than £155million for the economy.
Using current data, during winter and spring 2014-15, skiers and snowboarders generated revenue of £23.2million.
While an estimated £4.6million was spent at the snowsports areas, the remainder – £18.6million – went to accommodation providers, places to eat and drink, shops, filling stations and other businesses.
Ski-Scotland chairwoman, Heather Negus, said: “In many ways, this season was very similar to last year’s.
“We had excellent snow at most resorts and the five snowsports areas were able to operate for a total of 463 days, better than last season’s 441.”
Although results are similar for both seasons, during the previous winter Scottish resorts enjoyed better, deeper snowfall than many world-renowned resorts, resulting in considerable media interest which Ski Scotland was able to build on and attract more customers.
The winter also brought great dumps of snow almost everywhere, with unprecedented late-season powder in huge quantities for Glencoe and CairnGorm Mountain, which gave a great boost to the end of the season.
During the season, the mountain resorts were also able to start new developments, with financial support from the Scottish Government providing the catalyst for investment by the ski companies.
This work will continue over the summer months, so skiers and boarders can look forward to improvements for next winter.