[INDOOR] Try It Indoors First !

Aside from being conveniently located in the UK, real-snow indoor skiing and snowboarding centres boast a “snow load” of other reasons for trying snowsports for the first time indoors. Adults, children and those making the switch from skiing to snowboarding or vice versa can all benefit from the many learning opportunities these amazing facilities have to offer.

If you’re trying skiing or snowboarding for the first time, indoor snow centres offer you the opportunity to get your skills up to scratch before you head to the mountains ! Learning to ski or board in the UK not only offers you or your youngsters the chance to get to grips with all the new equipment and learn how to put it on, set it up and use it; it can also ensure you’ll spend your holiday exploring the mountain and its many pistes, rather than learning the basics on the baby slopes !

The experienced snow enthusiasts among us, and those who are keen to make the switch from skiing to snowboarding, will know all too well the importance of keeping up with friends or family on a ski holiday! If you don’t want to waste mountain time on the beginners’ slope or hold up the rest of the crew, an indoor UK centre is the ideal setting to get a newfound snowsports discipline up to scratch or to get those rusty ski legs working again !

But, it’s not all “snow before you go” at indoor snowsports centres. Their fresh-snow slopes allow skiers and snowboarders of all abilities the chance to keep their skills at the ready all year round and provide progression in between holidays to the mountains or without ever visiting a winter ski resort at all. And there is a choice of real-snow indoor ski centres up and down the UK, so you’re never far from a practice session on the snow !

London’s closest and the UK’s newest indoor real-snow slope, The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead, is great for learning, perfecting skills and landing tricks during weekly freestyle evenings. The centre hosts the largest lesson slope in the UK, complete with two easy-to-use travelator lifts and two button lifts running on the 160m main slope. Plus their alpine-themed restaurant overlooks the whole slope and is ideal for watching all the snowsports action.

Chill Factore in Manchester is the UK’s longest indoor real-snow slope at 180m and is conveniently located among shops, restaurants and bars, so you’re spoilt for choice at lunchtime. Alongside ski and snowboard lessons, the centre frequently offers mogul, ski and boardercross sessions; quite a find on an indoor slope !

Tamworth Snowdome offers a lot more than just an indoor snow slope ! Besides a rental fleet of skis, snowboards, snowblades and toboggans for hire, the centre has ice skating and other leisure facilities. Complete with a pool, gym and spa, you could spend a whole weekend enjoying their many facilities !

Ian Brown, The Snow Centre Managing Director, gave his personal experiences of trying snowboarding indoors: “My family and I are frequent skiers, visiting the mountains yearly on our ski holiday. However, none of us had ever tried snowboarding, but weren’t keen to give up any time exploring the mountain pistes to learn. The Snow Centre offered the perfect solution, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time snowboarding on the lesson slope. Now we can take to the centre’s main slope on our skis or snowboard. What’s more, we can take our ski or snowboard pick when exploring the mountain too !”