John Griffin

The legendary family hill in West Bolton has been closed and in private hands since 2007. Peter White, who had owned and operated the facility in happier days, expended much thought and effort to get the hill up and running again this season. But the current dodgy financial climate and, perhaps, wiser heads caused him to pause and rethink his options.

The upshot is one less destination for those who love to fly downhill strapped into unforgiving slats of composite material while praying they don’t pile headlong into the Glen chalet conveniently, terrifyingly, located at the foot of the action.

It is a bitter blow to generations of Glen devotees who learned to ski there, met old and new friends there and loved the very relaxed atmosphere of the place.

There are many problems: given warming winters, along with the tremendous whack of cash required to bring the hill up to operating speed, with new snowmaking, updated lifts and tweaks to a chalet that has functioned as a private home for years, a bright future is rapidly receding into the recreational rearview mirror.