Scotland's mountain snowsports areas are generally very busy during the Scottish and English mid-term breaks and in 2009, it's likely to be even busier with more skiers and snowboarders planning a winter sports break at home instead of paying more overseas where poor exchange rates are currently the order of the day.

To make sure that everyone gets the most from their Scottish winter sports experience, Ski-Scotland is offering the following advice:

• Use cash when paying for lift pass, hire, refreshments etc. Credit card machines rely on phone connections; ski areas are remote from telephone exchanges, so the connection can be slow, especially in mountain restaurants. Some centres have dedicated cash-only ticket desks.
• When the ski centres are busy, this has an obvious impact on the availability of hire equipment. Most areas advise hiring equipment before arrival and some have information about hire alternatives on their websites. The Lecht, however, offers online equipment booking, which allows those who pre-book equipment to get sliding faster!
• Wherever you hire your equipment from, make sure you know your (and your kids') height, weight and shoe size - you'll get the gear quicker, and not hold up others.
• Aim to arrive as early as possible to ensure you can get parked, and car-share if possible. There are also public bus services from Aviemore to CairnGorm Mountain and Fort William to Nevis Range. 
• Snowsport centres frequently report phones 'ringing off the hook' at busy times, yet many callers ask for information which is easily found on websites. Check the snow conditions pages on this website which give up-to-date snow and road reports and webcam photos, and also link to the snowsports areas' own websites.
• To avoid café and restaurant queues, consider eating early or after the main rush is over.
• If you're a competent, experienced skier, where and when it's safe to do so, taking to the higher slopes may improve your experience and help to alleviate congestion further down the slopes.