Glencoe Mountain: the back story

About Glencoe Mountain: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Glencoe Mountain, first known as White Corries, is where commercial skiing in Scotland began, with the first overhead ski lift on Meall a’ Bhuiridh in 1956. Today it has 8 lifts and 20 runs over more than 200 hectares, on the edge of Rannoch Moor beside the West Highland Way.

Where Scottish skiing began

In 1956 the first overhead ski lift in Scotland was built on Meall a’ Bhuiridh, on the edge of Rannoch Moor. The ski area was known as White Corries, and Glencoe still calls itself the first commercial ski area in Scotland. It lies 74 miles north of Glasgow, on the West Highland Way, with views to Buachaille Etive Mòr and across the moor.

Small, steep and loyal

With 8 lifts and 20 runs over more than 200 hectares, Glencoe is not the largest ski centre in Scotland, and it says so with some pride. What brings its regulars back is the terrain, from gentle plateau runs for beginners to what the resort calls the longest and steepest runs in Scotland, and a snow-holding record it describes as second to none.

Not the largest ski centre in Scotland, but a firm favourite, thanks to its terrain and the way it holds snow.

When the snow comes

Glencoe is candid about the Scottish season: it starts when the snow arrives and finishes when the snow disappears, with no promise about its length. For 2026/27 the resort asks everyone to pre-book online and sets higher weekend and holiday prices for 21 December to 4 January, 15 to 19 February and 26 March to 9 April. When natural snow is thin, beginner lessons may move to the resort’s dry slope.

Sleeping at the lifts

Unusually for Scotland, you can stay at the foot of the mountain. The resort has microlodges for four, Microlodge Plus units for six, new en-suite eco lodges for 2026, tent pitches and campervan hook-ups, all with showers, drying rooms and the White Corries Cafe, which serves home-cooked food until the evening. The Kingshouse Hotel is close by.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Glencoe Mountain: the back story before you go.