A new dry ski slope incorporating the innovative Proslope material has opened at Loch Insh Outdoor Centre in Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands, following a successful crowd funding campaign.
Loch Insh has been a leading player in wintersports in Scotland for more than four decades, organising trips to nearby ski centres like the Lecht when there’s snow cover, and has also had a an old Dendix brush-matting slope, originally installed in 1988, which had been looking very tired.
The new Proslope slope uses latest technology to make learning safer and easier. It also incorporates movable freestyle features to open up the slope to more intermediate riders previously not catered for, aligning with the demands of today’s young skiers and boarders.
“The renewed dry ski slope will feed year-round grassroots ski and snowboard coaching for the whole area giving the Highlands the same access opportunities as the successful slopes in Aberdeen and the central belt, giving youngsters in the Highlands a chance to access their passion for snowsport year-round,” a Loch Insh spokesperson said.
There’s also new sprinkler technology to make the surface feel as good in the summer months as it does when it’s covered with snow.
The new Proslope slope, designed to meet the growing needs of the local community and the increasing number of visitors to the valley, required a £50K investment with fundraising taking place throughout last year and the new slope ultimately installed at the end of it.
Loch Insh is a family business built by the Freshwaters and established in 1969, offering watersports and snowsports experiences in what is now the heart of the Cairngorm National Park.
“We have worked to showcase all the joy and excitement that can be experienced in the pristine natural environment of the Scottish Highlands and educate the importance of protecting it for today and tomorrow. After all, the best way to educate people about environmental challenges is to get people out there because we all protect what we love. Our new slope will give many more people the perfect first step into snowsports and offer more of a challenge to nurture interests into a passion year-round. Opening the door for long-lasting memories for generations of families, using the outdoors and nature to connect in the most natural way,” the spokesperson said.
The Freshwater family have been involved with the development of skiing and snowsports instruction in Scotland since the late ’60s; Clive Freshwater was a founding member of BASI and chairman from 1967 – 1979, helping create the foundations of the organisation it is today, training and grading snowsports instructors giving avenues into employment all over the world.
The new slope offers club nights for the local community, and will offer increasing skiing and snowboard lessons to local and UK schools and groups to inspire the next generation into snowsports.
Proslope now have six centres with their slopes across the UK:
Pictures credit: Facebook / Loch Inch / Cairngorm Snowsports Club / Proslope
