Skiing enthusiasts in the Cairngorms might be able to don their skiwear for an extra week or two next season, if Professor John McClatchey, a scientist working for the University of the Highland and Island's Environmental Research Institute, has his way.
As climate change is believed to have been leading Scotland's skiing season to progressively shorten year after year, climatologists such as Prof McClatchey have been scratching their heads over how to tackle this growing problem.
The wind, rain, and sun have been plaguing the bank balances of ski resort owners for a lengthy period of time since the conditions have been both blowing away and melting the snow prematurely and creating weak patches on the pistes, cutting the season short by an average of two more days each year.
As McClatchey has proved, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland he revealed that he had been testing out his theory that bubble wrap laid over areas of ski slopes could delay the snow's deterioration. "I used single coverings, double coverings and ones painted silver to increase the reflectivity of the material” he said, going on to state that ordinary and silver-painted coverings worked best in reducing the effects of the elements.
Ski resort managers will now be looking into the practicalities of McClatchey's recommendations and are hoping to utilise them so they can stretch their skiing seasons out by a further couple of weeks every year.
As climate change is believed to have been leading Scotland's skiing season to progressively shorten year after year, climatologists such as Prof McClatchey have been scratching their heads over how to tackle this growing problem.
The wind, rain, and sun have been plaguing the bank balances of ski resort owners for a lengthy period of time since the conditions have been both blowing away and melting the snow prematurely and creating weak patches on the pistes, cutting the season short by an average of two more days each year.
As McClatchey has proved, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest. In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland he revealed that he had been testing out his theory that bubble wrap laid over areas of ski slopes could delay the snow's deterioration. "I used single coverings, double coverings and ones painted silver to increase the reflectivity of the material” he said, going on to state that ordinary and silver-painted coverings worked best in reducing the effects of the elements.
Ski resort managers will now be looking into the practicalities of McClatchey's recommendations and are hoping to utilise them so they can stretch their skiing seasons out by a further couple of weeks every year.
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