After accusations of spending almost half their operating budget on artificial snow, Scottish ski resorts have come out fighting in an attempt to prove skiing north of border is not on its last legs.

It’s not often possible to describe the climatic variations of a ski seasons via the medium of song. But when it comes to Scotland, American songstress Katy Perry, in her song Hot 'n' Cold, goes some way; “you're hot then you're cold, you're yes then you're no.”

The uncertainty of weather conditions across Scotland’s five ski areas is nothing new.

During the winter of 2015/16 Scotland boasted remarkable late-season skiing conditions, however, the year after came the complete opposite. The winter of 2016/17 was a story of green fields, limited openings and potential job losses. Then this year, like the Alps, Scotland’s ski areas have seen great snowfall and substantial snow depths.

However the recent report titled ‘Game Changer: how climate change is impacting sports in the UK’, prepared for the Climate Coalition by the Priestley International Centre for Climate at The University of Leeds, claims that three of Scotland’s main ski resorts are spending more than half their operating budgets on artificial snow factories. It follows the poor conditions last season and to deal with the fluctuating conditions.

The report claims Scotland's ski areas are relying on artificial snow Credit: Steven McKenna Photography

The extreme extent of the spending suggested in these claims has been strongly opposed by those involved in the Scottish ski industry, who have argued the authors of the report have sourced incorrect facts and research.

“To the best of our knowledge, no academic or researcher from the Priestley Centre has been in touch with any of Scotland’s five mountain ski resorts,” reads a statement from Ski Scotland and the Association of Scottish Ski Areas (ASSA), which suggested that the report undermines the reputation of both the companies involved and the Scottish ski industry as a whole.

Nobody can deny the impact climate change is having on the ski industry around the world – weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable, snowfall less reliable and temperatures warmer.

The report undermines the reputation of both the companies involved and the Scottish ski industry as a whole. Ski Scotland & the ASSA

The Game Changer report also claims that the Scottish ski industry could collapse within as little as 50 years as climate change continues to affect weather patterns – with a predicted 60 per cent reduction in snowfall in Scotland by 2080. It warns there could be “potentially devastating consequences for local economies in the Scottish mountains".

Despite this, Scotland’s representatives believe its industry has been represented unfairly in the report and has called for the record to be set straight.

What is the current state of the Scottish ski season?

By all measures, Scotland is having a stellar season. “Certainly the situation is much better than last year as on this day 12 months ago there was no skiable snow cover at any of the five centres,” said Paul Wisely from myweather2.com.

A snowboard heads off piste in Glencoe Credit: Steven McKenna Photography

“Since the start of the month average temperatures have been consistently low in the Highlands, there has been lots of snowfall, and there have been many days of very high winds. It is the weather mix that has been so unusually ideal for skiing in Scotland. The combination has created some of the the best conditions seen for many years,” continued Wisely.

And thanks to an incoming weather front, labelled ‘the beast from the East’ the 14-day forecast is predicting continuous sub-zero temperatures for the East and West Highlands. “It looks like the skiing will be almost as good as it gets in Scotland, at all five centres, for the entire month of February,” said Wisely.

“We predicted that, following a disappointing season last year, there would be good snow this winter. Great snow and weather conditions in early January brought out skiers and snowboarders who’d been frustrated last season,” said Andy Meldrum, chairman of Ski Scotland.

The number of people visiting Scotland's slopes is rising Credit: Steven McKenna Photography

The number of skiers visiting Scotland, known as skier days, this year is well on its way to being record-breaking. “By the end of January 2018, our five mountain resorts had surpassed the total number of skier days for the whole of last winter,” said Meldrum. The total has already exceeded both the last two seasons’ and is close to breaking the record from 2014/15. It’s predicted that Scotland’s ski resorts have generated £180 million for the national economy since 2009.

While Mother Nature has been kind to the Scottish ski areas this winter, three of the five resorts have trialled new snow making facilities known as snow factories, in addition to traditional snow cannons – as the Game Change report suggests. CairnGorm Mountain and Glencoe Mountain both installed Technoalpin Snow Factories at the start of the season.

The machine used at CairnGorm Mountain has since been moved to The Lecht for a trial during February and March – the test has received funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise to help guarantee skiing and snowboarding during the school holidays and at Easter.

The facility at Glencoe is currently on lease, but it’s hoped it will be made permanent if the resort’s crowdfunding initiative proves successful.

“It’s ironic really,” said Meldrum. “That three of our ski areas have obtained the use of Technoalpin Snow Factories to make snow in marginal conditions and yet nature has delivered natural snow for all of our resorts.”

“Mother Nature is being very kind to us this year. If this keeps up, we should have excellent Easter snow sports and could still be offering skiing and snowboarding in April and May, leading to an epic season for us all,” continued Meldrum.

Albeit the most crucial part of a ski season, the progress and investment in Scottish skiing doesn’t stop with the snow. At the end of last season the Telegraph reported that a £4 million loan to Natural Retreats, the company that operates CairnGorm Mountain, had been approved to be used to build a state-of-the-art artificial ski slope.

Further to this and to ensure skiing all year round, Ski Scotland launched its new All Area Season Ticket this winter, which provides unlimited access to all five of Scotland’s ski resorts and discounted entry to Snow Factor, the country’s only indoor real-snow slope.

Further still, hoping to capitalise on the popularity of the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, The Lecht hosted the The Lecht Winter Games from February 17 to 18 – an event organised by Snowsports England, which encouraged home-ground British skiers and snowboarders to try out a number of snow sports, including freestyle skiing with the help of a giant air bag.

Reverting back to the wise words of Miss Perry, whether it’s hot or it’s cold, yes or no, the Scottish ski season is definitely in, not out, when it comes to preserving the future of skiing and snowboarding in Great Britain.