Downhill skiing centre for Ben Wyvis?

An MSP has urged the Scottish Government and private investors to look again at the plans for a ski centre on Ben Wyvis. Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat MSP, Jamie Stone was involved in the plans of the local Council to support the development of a ski centre on the mountain north of Inverness, in the 1980’s. The plans included a mountain rack railway to be linked to an interchange with the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh main railway line. At the time the plans were not pursued as no public sector capital investment was forthcoming and no private developers came forward to fund the scheme. Since that time, Scottish ski-centres have struggled financially with a series of relatively warm winters and Ben Wyvis itself has National Nature Reserve protected status.

The idea has reared its head again following a successful season last winter for Scottish ski centres and an early start to the downhill skiing season this year. The Ross-shire Journal reported that Jamie Stone raised the idea during a debate at Holyrood on support for the Scottish ski-ing industry.

Jamie Stone told Minister for Public Health and Sport, Shona Robison, during the debate: “The Ross and Cromarty District Council took to an advanced and costed stage an exciting project to establish skiing on the slopes of Ben Wyvis, near Dingwall.

“Unfortunately, all those years ago the then Conservative Government refused to grant the capital consent to the council and the project was shelved. While I cannot ask the minister to commit to capital spend, will she agree to let her officials meet me to see the documents, which are very interesting, and to discuss whether the project could be revived in some future year?”

In reply, Shona Robison said the Scottish Government: “recognises the valuable economic benefits and employment opportunities that snowsports bring to Scotland and we continue to support their development”.

“I am always happy to meet or have my officials meet to discuss such matters, but we have to recognise the real constraints on capital investment across the board, which make it extremely difficult to make capital investment of that nature. There is, of course, always the opportunity for commercial interest in such ventures. I encourage Jamie Stone to encourage, in turn, commercial interest in that initiative.”