On 23rd November 2024, The Scottish Ski Club is organising our Winter Snow Ball at the Dunblane Hydro in aid of the Club’s Bursary program, which helps to fund our members in our race training program on our Alpine camps. Click here find out more about the Bursary program.
It will be a great night with a drinks reception, three course meal with some wine on the table, raffle prizes and a ceilidh/disco. Tickets cost £85 each. The Ball will raise money for SSC Bursaries for young racers and also gives us an opportunity to celebrate Scottish skiing and ski racing with friends old and new.
For a taste of what’s to come, check out the photos from our 110th anniversary ball here.
In partnership with Bearsden Ski Club, the West & East Coast races at and Bearsden and Firpark ski centres will return on 3rd and 4th August 2024. More information will be available soon and at https://gbski.com/competition.php?ID=1543 and https://gbski.com/competition.php?ID=1544.
UPDATE 11/04/2024: Due to the high winds predicted for this weekend and the significant snow loss last night and potentially today and tomorrow. In consultation with the Mountain we have made the difficult decision to cancel the race on Saturday. But fear not, we will run a Highland Games at Farleitter instead. Start at 1pm followed by the BBQ.
We are so sorry we can’t have a race but it will be magic to see everyone at the games and BBQ. With your approval, if you have entered but can’t make, we’d like to put your entry fee towards the bursary fund.
The Highland Games will and BBQ will be held at Farleitter, the home of Myrtle Simpson. The post code is PH21 1NU, it’s on the back road B970 heading south from Loch Insh Water Sports to Insh village. If driving south you will see 3 mail boxes on the right hand side of the road, about 100m past a forestry entrance with a huge tree that has fallen over on the left, go right passed Balnacraig cottage, down the track for half a mile and you will come to Farleitter.
UPDATE 09/04/2024: We are currently uncertain as to whether we can run the race on Saturday due to current snow cover and forecasted wind. A final decision will be made on Thursday as to whether we run the race at Cairngorm or a Highland Games at Farleitter. The BBQ will still run in the afternoon regardless, from 3pm!
We will endeavour to hold our annual end of season Club race on Saturday 13th April on Cairngorm mountain with the post race BBQ at Farleitter, home of Myrtle Simpson.
If we are unable to go up the mountain due to lack of snow and/or no uplift then we will run a Highland Games at Farleitter instead.
We really want to see all Club members, young and old, to come along and join in this great social event of the year!
Unless otherwise informed if you are planning to race please meet in the car park at 9am. If we are unable to get access to the mountain or there is no snow then meet at Farleitter for the Highland Games at 1pm and the BBQ will follow on at 3pm.
Please complete the attached form via the following link: https://tickets.scottishskiclub.org.uk/event/ssc-convenors-canter
It would be an immense help if you completed all the bits of the form and pay so we can plan for skiing/highland games and the barbecue. Any profits will go towards the bursary fund so if you pay now but then can’t make it we will donate your £10 to the fund. The price this year for the whole day of events is £10 for adults and £5 for 16 and unders. This will get you all or whatever part you want to join, if you just come to the BBQ it will still be £10.
We really hope we will be able to run some kind of race on the hill and if so then some walking will be needed to get to wherever we can find a large enough patch of snow!
This is a fantastic day for all club members. Our race has usually an age span of 3 to 100, all abilities are encouraged and last year in our homage to Hans Kuwall we had 120 racers and some 3 generations of families all in the same event! So it’s a great family day out.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bill Thomson. Bill was a much respected member of the Committee and many will remember him as a regular on the ski holiday and his years as the Holiday Convenor. True to form, Bill was skiing only a week before his passing on the club holiday in Sestriere!
Bill’s funeral will be on Thursday 22nd February at 1pm at the South Lanarkshire Crematorium, followed by a wake at the Cathkin Braes Golf Club.
Bill was a long time and committed member of the ski club and one of his great passions was encouraging people to take up the sport. For this reason the family would like that instead of sending flowers, people could make a donation in his name to the SSC bursary fund.
There will be a retiring collection after the funeral in aid of a bursary fund to support a promising young Club trainee. Alternatively, you may prefer to donate through this page. You can do so by setting up a BACS transfer to the Scottish Ski Training Trust, (the Club’s registered Scottish charity, SC003213). The SSTT bank account details are: Sort code 83-19-08, Account 00153495 (at RBS) – with payee reference Thomson.
If your donation exceeds £30 and if you are a UK tax payer, we would ask you to complete and return a Gift Aid form using the link below, either via email to w.aitken77@gmail.com or by post to W. Aitken, 1/4 Margaret Rose Avenue, Edinburgh. EH10 7EG. This will enable us to claim gift aid on your donation. Alternatively, you may send a cheque, payable to SSTT to the same address.
For gift aid form, please click on this link: SSTT Gift Aid form
The Thomson family are most grateful for all donations received towards this bursary.
CONVENORS CANTER AND BBQ
On Saturday 15th April 2023 we will run the Convenors Canter and BBQ, our great end-of-season Club race on Cairngorm. This year will be a homage to legendary coach Hans Kuwall, who passed away just over a year ago. We encourage everyone from 0 to 105 to enter, fancy dress perfectly acceptable if you wish.
To register/enter for the Convenors Canter and/or BBQ please email Rona Hulbert at rona40@btinternet.com immediately so we can plan how many people for catering etc.
Entries will be held at £5 per person and this will also include your food at the BBQ later. Please meet at the top station (assuming the funicular is running) at 10:00 with your cash to register.
We will be introducing a new trophy this year in memory of Hans.
We are delighted to be able to return to Farleitter, home of Myrtle Simpson, for the post race BBQ and prize giving. This will be from 4pm onwards. Please bring £5 per person if you weren’t racing. We really encourage all members, young and old, whether you were on the hill racing or not, to come along with your extended families and join this great gathering.
If for some reason the hill is storm bound we will run a Highland Games at Farleitter instead . 
This is always a great club event and even if all the snow has disappeared we will still have an event at Farleitter. We look forward to seeing you there.
The address is: Farleitter, Insh, Kincraig, Inverness-shire PH21 1NU. Drive through Kincraig to the Loch Insh Water Sports, turn right and head south towards Insh, after a mile you will see some mailboxes on the right just after a forestry entrance with a big fallen tree on the left. Go down the track on the right past a cottage for half a mile.
We would love to see any club members and any maybe lapsed members for this great end of season day .
Rona Hulbert
07732696244
We are sad to announce that our dear friend George Stewart has passed away at the great age of 103. There will be a service of remembrance at 2pm on Friday 24th February at the Old Kirk Scone near Perth. His extended family would love to see any old ski friends of George’s there.
George was born in Glasgow in December 1919 which was the same year as the founding of the forestry commission. He attended Kelvinside Academy, following his father and 2 uncles. He was very keen to follow a career that got him outdoors so he started at Glasgow University in 1939 studying agriculture.
After only a year of studies, he was called up to Redford barracks and went on to serve with the Royal Artillery and the 8th army in North Africa ( El Alamein) and finally in Italy where he was awarded a Military Cross. It was during the war in Italy that George learned to ski, buying a pair locally and converting his army boots to fit them. Thus was born a lifelong passion for the sport. When George returned from the war he finished his studies and joined the Forestry Commission ultimately rising to a high ranking Forestry Commissioner.
When he retired in 1979 from the commission he took up tennis at 60 and was soon representing Great Britain at in Australia becoming world doubles champion in the 85+ category. He served as chair of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and on the council for the National Trust for Scotland.
George would without fail come up and race in our club race, the Convenors Canter, every year and he last raced just before Covid winning the Sages Salver. George loved a competition, he loved sporting prowess and he was interested in everyone. He will be very much missed. We will put a more detailed celebration of George’s incredible life in this years journal.
Also here is a link providing for further background on George: