The Lowther Hills - Cradle of Snowsports in Scotland. A Historical Background; from Scotland's first Curling societies in the 1700s to the early plans to create Scotland's first commercial ski centre in the 1950s.
The Curling Years
1700s - "Better curlers than those of Wanlockhead can nowhere be found". Curling was the most popular sport amongst Leadhills and Wanlockhead miners well before 1777, the date when the Wanlockhead Curling Society -one of Scotland's very first Curling societies- was established.
1883 - The Wanlockhead School Curling Club, Scotland's first boys' Curling club, is created.
1900s - The idea of developing the Lowther Hills as a tourist destination can be traced back to the early 1900s, when the Hopetoun Arms Hotel promoted Leadhills as a place to visit for its fresh mountain air, in the fashion of the early Swiss and Austrian alpine resorts. A railway line to Leadhills and Wanlockhead was built "also owing to the growing popularity of the Leadhills district as a summer resort".
1912 - The Curlers from Wanlockhead sweep the board by winning all the major trophies including the Carsebreck Cup, Scotland's National Trophy.
1930s - Wanlockhead and Leadhills' Curling tradition starts dying out as the lead mines close and many families move out of the area. By that time there were 9 Curling ponds built in the two villages.
The Early Skiing Years
1920s - The Hopetoun Arms hotel in Leadhills hires ski equipment for guests and the manager provides ski lessons.
1932 - Professor Burnett of Dumfries reported to have skied for 16 weekends in the Lowthers. In Wanlockhead, he showed local children how to make skis with barrel staves and leather strap bindings. His pupils vanished, however, with the closing of the mines in 1934.
1941 - "The slopes were admirable for skiing", reports Dr T.R Burnett, as a Lake District Ski Club member, after a visit to the Lowthers.
Late 1940s - The end of World War II signals the beginning of a new era of leisure for Scots. The Lowther Hill Radar road is built in 1947, allowing easy access to the ski slopes.
1952 - "Would Wanlockhead provide?" - Wanlockhead is considered as a potential location for Scotland's first ski centre, as skiing pioneer Major Philip Rankin calls to action in the Scottish Ski Club's journal. The area is also featured in BBC's "Country Magazine" programme with Alistair Borthwick.
The First Ski Tows
1953 - The South of Scotland Ski Club is created to exploit to better purpose the excellent opportunities which often occurs on the Lowther Hills. The Hopetoun Arms Hotel in Leadhills is chosen as the club's headquarters and its manager John Wilson becomes instrumental in the early years of the ski club.
1956 - First skilift on Lowther Hill: The South of Scotland Ski Club sits on Throw Rig an International BTD Crawler previously used in Aviemore (pictures of the remains of the tractor here and here).
Late 1950s and early 1960s - With a bus to the top of the run, Lowther Hill became popular, particularly with US airmen stationed at Prestwick.
1960s and early 1970s:
Local farmer Charles Telfer carried skiers up the hill aboard a tractor-pulled charabanc.
Wanlockhead's Alec Paul run a rope tow powered by a Morris 1000cc engine from the top of the village looking up towards Stake Hill.
South of Scotland Ski Club's Dougie Scott put a caravan on Wanlockhead's football field from where he provided equipment hire and tuition.
Après-ski was centred on Wanlockhead Youth Hostel, one of the first in Scotland.
1963 - The guide book Ski-ing in Britain highlights the popularity of "the Leadhills, near Wanlockhead" for people living in the south-west of Scotland.
1964 - The Scottish Tourist Board echoes the increasing popularity of the area as an alternative to skiing in the Highlands in their marketing brochure "Winter Sports in Scotland".
1965 - 
Popular Pistes: The Lowther Hills feature prominently in the Scottish Ski Club's classic 100-page guide "Ski-ing in Scotland".
1965 - "Winter sports resort crying out for development" - The Dumfries News publishes a double page spread about "the tremendous potential as a ski centre" of the Lowther Hills.
1970 - The Lowther Hills are featured in Malcolm Slesser's classic skiing guidebook Scottish Mountains on Ski.
Mid 1970s - Public vehicular access to Lowther Hill is prohibited. After a decade of service, Lowther Hill's permanent ski tow, the International BTD Crawler put on Throw Rig in the early 1960's by the South of Scotland Ski Club, ceases operation and is abandoned on the hill.
1978 - Proof of popularity: The Reader Digest AA New Book of the Road shows the Lowther Hills as one of Scotland's 4 ski centres, together with Aviemore, Glenshee and Glencoe.
1980 - The Scottish Tourism Board mentions the potential for the development of Winter sports in the Lowther Hills in their internal report "Winter Sports Development Study".
The Clyde - Leadhills/Wanlockhead Railway
Mid 1980s - Clydesdale Council throws its support behind a proposal to reinstate a tourist railway line between the Clyde valley and Scotland's Highest Villages but the project is blocked by landowner Hopetoun Estates.
Mid 1980s - As local residents investigate a potential community land buyout, the landowner allows the reinstatement of 0.6 miles of track in Leadhills.
1991 - The landowner signs off the demolition of the historic Risping Cleuch Viaduct without local consultation, effectively killing off the prospect of a tourist railway between the Clyde and Leadhills.
White Stone Ski Centre Project
1986 - Leadhills resident Bob Cumming creates the Leadhills Ski Club with the aim to "Promote ski-ing on the Lowther Hills in the area of Leadhills and Wanlockhead". See the club's constitution and first minutes here. A rope tow for local families is operated in Leadhills.
1987 - Leadhills Ski Club's chair, Bob Cumming, produces the outline The Development of Skiing on the Lowther Hills with the purpose of developing a ski centre in the Lowthers, however the initiative is opposed by Lowther Hill landowner Hopetoun Estates.
1988 - Bob Cumming produces a plan for a White Stone Ski Development at Whitestone Cleuch, 1 mile south of Wanlockhead, on land owned by Buccleuch Estates. The proposal plans "the construction of the largest and the most advanced mixed plastic and snow ski centre in Europe". Unfortunately Cumming died not long after and the project was not followed through.
In the following two decades the former mining villages suffered of economic stagnation and many families moved out of the village.
Lowther Hills Ski Centre
2010 - Leadhills resident Anjo Abelaira initiates contact with local stakeholders with the purpose of developing a mountain resort on Lowther Hill, however the landowner refuses to engage.
2013 - Anjo Abelaira creates the Lowther Hills Ski Club and buys Harwood Ski Federation's ski tows, which are later stored across several locations in Leadhills and Wanlockhead.
2013 - Mechanical uplift returns to Leadhills as an agreement is signed with Leadhills Golf Course to allow operation of a ski tow on fairway 5.
2014 - The village of Leadhills launches a Community Land Buyout bid to purchase Hopetoun Estate land between Leadhills and Lowther Hill. The landowner agrees to allow operation of a portable ski tow on Lowther Hill. Other headlines here.
2014/15 - Leadhills nursery area opens at Leadhills Golf Course with clubhouse and two beginners' tows. Planning application for a ski tow on Lowther Hill submitted and approved. Construction of an engine shed, 450 metre-long intermediate ski tow, temporary club hut, and live webcams is completed on Lowther Hill. First tests of snowfences on Lowther Hill are carried out. Other headlines here.
2015/16 - Night skiing on floodlit nursery slope, snowboarding instruction available, improvements on Lowther Hills' engine hut and the Lowther tow's electric system. The remains of the 1960's South of Scotland Ski Club ski tow are taken off the hill. Lowther Hills selected to host the SSSA Alpine Race Series for the south of Scotland. The acclaimed Snowball Cycling Sportive summer event is held on Lowther Hill. Other headlines here.
Tourism Intelligence Scotland: "For anyone considering a community regeneration project, this will be the one to watch". With 4 out of 5 local schoolchildren participating in snowsports, Leadhills and Wanlockhead overtake Aviemore with the highest ratio of participation in snowsports in any community across Scotland.
2016/17 - Erection of the first phase of the 2 mile-long lines of timber snowfences to extend the length of the average ski season into March. Further improvements on Scotland's highest off-the-grid ski webcams, engineering and electrical improvements on the Lowther Hill ski tow, drainage groundworks on Lowther Hill and Throw Rig ski slopes.
2017/18 - Completion of the second and final phase of timber snowfences. First Lowther Hills Ski Sale event to provide families with ski equipment at affordable prices. "Bragging rights": Lowther Hills first ski centre to open for the season 17/18. Scotland's national tourism organisation VisitScotland adds Lowther Hills to their official listing of Scottish ski centres. Wanlockhead launches their own Community Land Buyout bid with a vision of the area as a mountain destination. The prospect of a land buyout allows the 0.1 mile railway extension to Wanlockhead which had been blocked for decades.
2018/19 - For the first time in a century of skiing history in the area, Hopetoun Estates agrees to sign a small 3 ha (7.5 acres) lease for limited public recreation on Lowther Hill. Construction on time and within budget of a brand new £100,000 daylodge and garage on Lowther Hill. First phase of planting of 3,000 native trees around the ski slopes.
2019/20 - After a decade developing the snowsports facilities in the area, Anjo Abelaira announces he will step down after the end of the season. Purchase of a Kässbohrer PB070, the only snow groomer in the south of Scotland equipped to spread and compact the snow collected by the snowfences. Acquisition of South of Scotland's only snowpark equipment for beginners and moderate skiers and snowboarders. Hill planting scheme of 3,000 native trees by the ski slopes is completed.
2020/21 - End of an era as Abelaira and his team give way to a new board of directors. The Covid-19 pandemic arrives in Scotland. The facilities remain closed during the lockdowns.
2021/22 - The facilities open sporadically as social restrictions are gradually lifted.
2022/23 - The company directors decide to step down and cease operations as no new directors step forward to take over the facilities.
2023/24 - The Lowther Hill ski tow and snow fences are taken off the hill. The clubhouse and garage are dismantled and donated to Leadhills' Men's Shed. The snow groomer is transferred to Glencoe Ski Centre. The 3000 native saplings are left to be grazed down by the Estate's sheep.
