The Scottish ski resorts will be hoping that the recently-announced plans to invest £5.5 million in new lifts will spark a new lease of life for the industry, upping customer numbers and improving the overall experience. Glencoe, for example, will soon be able to accommodate double the amount of slope users while simultaneously shortening the queues.

If you accept that it’s not quite the same as riding abroad, and stock up with the appropriate gear, you might get some of the best days of your shredding life.

For some, this won’t mean anything; “Who wants to ride in Scotland?!!” said one online commenter recently ( and sadly not in a rallying-the-troops kind of way). Yes, there are those who’d sooner book a package holiday with Isis than a snow trip to the Highlands, but it’s their loss. If you accept that it’s not quite the same as riding abroad, and stock up with the appropriate gear, you might get some of the best days of your shredding life.

Here are a few things you should really have in your possession. You won’t need all of them on the hill, but they may prove essential: