Club & Slope News
Tallington Lakes first opened its leisure facilities to the public 40 years ago, and five years later, the 120m dry ski slope was added to the growing leisure park.
The slope has now been fitted with a brand-new Proslope surface which claims to offer the closest artificial surface to mimic ‘snow-like’ conditions. Skiers and snowboarders will be able to enjoy the new surface, which includes a shock absorption layer, from November 2022.
Chris O’Brien, MD of Nevis Range
Chris O’Brien, the MD of the Nevis Range Mountain Experience in Scotland has been shortlisted for the Business Leader of the Year at the 2022 Highland Business Awards.
Chris’s role includes overseeing all business operations from large partnership opportunities with global brands to day-to-day customer-oriented matters. He was previously Destination Manager for The Outdoor Capital of the UK where he helped increase the reputation of Fort William and Lochaber as a highland tourism hotspot.
Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards officially opened the new Tarka Leisure Centre in Barnstaple which includes Devon’s first endless ski slope for indoor skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing.
Eddie takes a run on the endless ski slope
Eddie, who became a popular celebrity after his efforts at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, cut the ribbon at a recent special opening ceremony alongside the Levelling Up Minister Neil O’Brien MP, and then headed straight for the ‘endless’ ski slope, to try it out.
Snozone won the ‘Best Sporting Venue’ category at the School Travel Awards for the third time at a recent ceremony held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
Members of the Snozone team pictured receiving their Best Sporting Venue accolade at the School Travel Awards
This is the sixth time Snozone has been in the finals and this year it was up against The London Stadium, Manchester United Museum & Stadium Tour, Silverstone Interactive Museum Northamptonshire, Twickenham Stadium and World Rugby Museum and UK Sailing Academy Isle of Wight.
The long running story surrounding plans to build the UK’s largest indoor snow centre in a former quarry in Great Blakenham, Suffolk, has seen more twists and turns than a soap opera plot over the last couple of decades.
A snow-sports fan was given the surprise of life when his homecare provider, Right at Home UK, teamed up with Ski Sunday presenter and Olympic commentator Ed Leigh, to arrange a visit from the former-professional snowboarder, at a specially adapted skiing session.
Sir Tom Moore became a media star last year when he raised £33million for charity by walking laps of his garden to celebrate his 100th birthday.
The nation mourned this national hero when he passed away on 2 February this year, but his fundraising legacy lives on and Sir Tom Moore’s daughter has set the ‘100 Challenge’ on what would have been his 101st Birthday on Saturday 1 May.
Some eagle-eyed readers spotted something was not quite right in a story on the UK Slope news page in the latest issue of the Skier & Snowboarder magazine.
The real Pembrey ski centre in Carmarthenshire
The story reported that the former Swansea Ski Slope had turned into a bit of an eyesore and plans were afoot to redevelop the site.
The UK’s longest indoor snow slope, Chill Factore in Manchester, was the scene of another world record on Tuesday (15 December 2020). Snowsports instructor Callum Mackenzie completed his attempt at recording the ‘Greatest Vertical Distance Skied Up and Downhill in 24 Hours (indoors)’ which saw the 26 year-old having to climb up the 180m indoor slope 200 times, totalling a vertical height of 12km.
By Tom White
PRIVATE one-hour lessons for families of four are being offered at Snozone Milton-Keynes and Snozone Castleford at a reduced summer rate of £99.99 (adults), £74.99 (juniors) or £109.99.
THE NURSERY slope at Tallington Lakes Ski & Snowboard Centre in Lincolnshire has been re-shaped and resurfaced with a new artificial surface ready for this winter.
This was the first phase of a redeveloment plan and phase two and three, which sill be completed in 2019, will see the main slope also re-shaped and resurfaced, and the addition of a new freestyle area. This 2,000sm area will have a natural schuss, jump box and slope style features for freestyle skiing and snowboarding.
IF YOU want your children to be able to ski or snowboard, or simply brush up on their skills, before heading off on the family ski trip, Stoke Ski Centre at Festival Park in Stoke-on-Trent is offering a special Ski Camp for 6 – 16 year olds.
It is being held towards the end of the school Christmas Holidays at the start of the New Year (Wednesday to Friday, 2, 3, & 4 January 2019).
As well as the instruction there will also be tubing and fun games. Drop off is at 9.15am and pick up is at 4.30pm. The cost is £35 for one day or £90 for all three days.
by Amy Borrett
THE third annual National Schools Snowsport week is set to launch on Monday 23 April, hoping to encourage over 2,000 youngsters to try their hand at skiing and snowboarding for the first time. The week will run from 23 to 29 April and is aimed at giving pupils at primary and secondary schools, as well as sixth form colleges, the chance to try skiing or snowboarding.
The UK’s three Skiplex indoor ski centres are in the process of going into liquidation.
There were no real advance signs of problems for Skiplex, except perhaps that it stopped accepting online bookings and only accepted telephone or visitor bookings.
Collie cross Tegan, Australian Shepherd Loki and Corgi cross Winnie testing out the sledges
Home to the longest indoor real snow slope in the UK, Chill Factore supported the national awareness day by welcoming dogs to join its employees to gain work experience at the iconic leisure attraction and enjoy its famous snow.
The future of Brentwood Leisure Park hangs in the balance as the council decides whether to allow the landowner to tear down the existing buildings and replace them with executive homes.
A planning application has been submitted to Brentwood Borough Council which, if successful, would see the business park, in Warley Gap, demolished and replaced with 13 detached houses, a mix of three and four bed properties.
Racers ready: Aimee Fuller, Eddie The Eagle and Graham Bell on the slope at Hemel Hempstead for the launch of National Schools Snowsport Week
More than 2,000 youngsters are to get their first taste of skiing and snowboarding as part of National Schools Snowsport Week – and to kick things off some of them had the chance to get top tips from some of our biggest wintersports stars.
A NEW artificial ski slope could open in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. No particular site has yet been identified but members of the public are being surveyed for suggestions. More information can be found at: www.ibsc.org.uk
A MASTERPLAN has been drawn up for the re-opening of the Sheffield ski slope area – although at this stage it is unclear whether this plan will include skiing and snowboarding.
Gillespies, a landscape architect firm, was commissioned to review the site of the former artificial ski slope which had been deemed an eyesore after five years of neglect and more than 50 arson attacks.
DAYS GONE BY: Proposals to build a real snow slope on the former Beckton Alps dry slope (pictured in 1991 after a snowfall) were shelved, but East London could still get an indoor snow centre if plans by Westfield go ahead.
PLANS for an indoor snow centre in East London appear to have taken a step forward following news that Westfield, the Australian company backing the project, has purchased the land where the new slope could be located.