•England Club Fields

•Mountain Weather

•Mountain Forecast Discussion

•Webcams and Weather Stations

Limited beginner terrain, mainly on machine made snow at CairnGorm and Glenshee, along with the Glencoe sledge park in the West. Prebooking of snowsports tickets recommended due to limited capacity.

All uplift and snowsports facilities will be closed on Christmas Day across the 5 snowsport areas.

The winter solstice has been and gone, but with a general lack of winter about the temperature, indeed what has been noticeable is the almost complete lack of diurnal temperature change in some locations in the past couple of days. At Glencoe the mid mountain temperature sat between 2 and 3°c for 28 hours straight and the band was even less at 0.7°c variance at the base. However, some locations in Scotland at lower levels have seen less than half a degree of change over 24hours!

Things should start to shift on the temperature front as the thick cloud layer begins to break up. A notably brighter day for Highland mountains on Christmas Eve, indeed it might be the best day of the week in quite a few locations as inversion clouds may form later in the week.

For Christmas Even lift served snowsports will be restricted to limited novice terrain at CairnGorm and Glenshee, on machine made snow except for the Polar Express Trainer Tow adjacent to the Top Station on CairnGorm. Snow harvesting from various surrounding fence lines has improved the upper beginner area despite milder temperatures last night and today. The only other lift served riding on CairnGorm is on the lower of the 2 beginner magic carpets at the Daylodge.

Passes for the Daylodge level magic carpet can be bought for 3 hour AM or PM sessions or a flood light early evening session. Day tickets are available again from, valid on the available uplift from first lift to last.

Glenshee kicked off their 2026 winter season on Saturday with the Dink Dink and beginner rope tow operating. These have a good base of machine made snow and once drier colder conditions become established snow making efforts will move on to working on some progression terrain. During the holidays pre-booking lift tickets is advisable due to limited slope capacity at present.

Snowmaking on the beginner area is also underway at the Lecht where the plan is to kick off the season on Boxing Day with one magic carpet.

At Glencoe, the Sledge Park opened for the season on Saturday and is now open daily wind permitting. All facilities will close at 3pm on Christmas Eve, arrive by 1pm for Christmas Eve sledging! From Boxing Day first chair up at 9am, last chair up at 3.30pm and last chair down at 4pm. White Corries Cafe at the base is open 8am to 4.30pm at present.

The Nevis Range Gondola is also presently open daily (wind permitting) with the last gondola up at 3.45pm and last down at 4pm.

:: England Club Fields

The three Pennine Clubfields all enjoyed a November start to their season, with Allenheads and Weardale notching up the first lift served UK snow turns of the season. There has not yet been sufficient snow at Raise in the Lake District and all clubfields are currently waiting for new snow.

For both Weardale and Allenheads, you need to join the club with a season pass, these are still available for both at this time.

Please check club access rules / availability if not a club member / pass holder.

Weardale: https: //skiweardale.com/ .
Allenheads: http://ski-allenheads.co.uk/ .
Yad Moss: https: //yadmoss.co.uk/ .
Raise: https: //www.ldscsnowski.co.uk/ .

:: Mountain Weather

At 7pm in the West at the Glencoe SSC hut at 850m the mid mountain temperature was +2.1°c, the wind at a mean of 7 gusting 13mph. At Base level it was +5.3°c .

The SAIS summit AWS on Aonach Mor was reporting +0.7°c. The Met Office station was reporting a SE wind at 6 gusting 13mph. It was +2.9°c at 680m at the CIC Hut. At Tulloch Station (237m) the temperature was +7.6°c.

In the East the CairnGorm the Met Office Summit AWS reported -0.7°c with a Southerly at a mean of 11 gusting 19mph. Aviemore was at +2.6°c at 8pm.

The Met Office Cairnwell AWS (3061ft /934m) reported +0.6°c with a SSE wind at a mean of 15 gusting 22mph.

:: Mountain Forecast Discussion

Christmas Eve may be the best day of the week, with the low cloud that has plagued the mountains breaking up tonight to give widespread sunny tops. Some pockets of lower mist are possible and inversion conditions more likely to develop over the following days, so it may be cloudier at lower elevations, while the tops remain largely clear.

On Wednesday around -1 to 0°c at Munro Level, but possibly rising +4°c on higher tops later in the day towards the West. Mostly light to moderate SE wind, some areas wind will fall light and variable.

A dry Christmas Day is expected for those planning spending the big day in the hills. The closest we look like getting to a white Christmas is that some glens and sheltered inland areas will see a frost! Freezing Level will be poorly defined as inversion conditions become established, at Munro Level temperature maybe between -1 and +3°c, but up to +4 on summits. SE wind around 15 gusting 20mph, occasional gusts to 30mph. Above the inversion skies should be fairly clear with just some patchy higher cloud, but potentially a band of cloud shrouding lower areas.

Little change for Boxing Day, sunshine more extensive towards the West Coast, but above any inversion layer should stay bright in the East. Winds becoming light and variable. Frost in the glens.

Despite summit terrain likely to stay in positive temperatures, the dry air will keep remaining patches of older snow that refreezes tonight frozen unless in direct sunshine were there maybe some temporary softening.

The balance of numerical weather model output favours high pressure remaining in control of the weather throughout the festive period, day to day detail and mountain temperatures will depend on exact placement of the high and source of air moving around it. There is up to a 10°c spread in GFS ensembles for 850hpa level temperature for the Central Highlands by late on Sunday!


High pressure can often stay around longer than initially anticipated by the forecast models when a blocking pattern develops, so by no means certain it will shift very far by early January!

:: Webcams and Weather Stations

Lowther Hill: Leadhills webcam is online (24/7).

GLENCOE: All mountain webcams online and the first updated images will be around 8.15am. The mid mountain weather station wind vane failed due to nearby lightning. Windspeed and other parameters are OK.