A combination of clear skies and low temperatures is expected to give the Scottish ski resorts a major boost this weekend.

At Nevis Range, near Fort William, conditions were described as "near-perfect" with solid snow cover down to the Snowgoose restaurant and all lifts running except one.

At the Cairngorm Moutain conditions were described as "crystal clear".

A spokesman for the resort said: "Amazing conditions at present, although forecasts are suggesting more snow today with the wind picking up later in the day."

Hundreds of skiers are expected to head to the slopes on Saturday as it is the half-term weekend, meaning many schools are closed on Monday and Tuesday.

The ski season officially opened at some Scottish resorts in mid-January but the temperatures rose unexpectedly the following week, thawing out much of the base snow needed for skiing.

Temperatures have plummeted again this week, leaving many of the Scottish hills blanketed in thick snow.

Peter MacFarlane, managing director at Nevis Range, said: "It is clear blue skies at the moment. The sun’s out, we’ve got good snow cover from the top of the hill to the bottom of the runs.

"All lifts are now open bar one. It’s a really lovely day and very promising for the weekend.

"The forecast is for a wee bit more snow and good conditions, which is perfect timing for the half-term weekend so we're looking at potentially one of the best weekends of the season so far."

Mr MacFarlane added: "Although we opened in January thanks to a short cold snap, there was a major thaw, so for us, last Monday was actually the first day of skiing.

"Hopefully these great conditions are the start of the rest of a very good season in Scotland."

In Glenshee in Braemar most runs were also complete thanks to "a dusting of fresh snow on a packed base".

A spokesman for the ski resort said: "We have good cover higher up, narrow and thin in places lower down."

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