At the conclusion of the 2017 ‘National Schools Snowsport Week sponsored by Visit Andorra’ (www.nssw.co.uk), 2293 children from 77 schools got involved in the Snowsport England initiative, more than double the number in 2016.
National Schools Snowsport Week sponsored by Visit Andorra gave opportunities for children at 25 slopes across England to try skiing or snowboarding for the first time, either for free or from as a little as a £1.
It was a busy week at both the artificial slopes and indoor centres, as well as at Eton Dorney Lake, where rollerski taster sessions took place. With £1 sessions on offer at Silksworth slope in Sunderland, hundreds of young people took advantage of the offer, and it was the same at both the SnowDome in Tamworth, where over 400 children took to the slopes, and at Aldershot where 200 children gave snowsports a go.
Kicking off the week was a launch event aimed at raising the profile of the project, with National Schools Snowsport Week ambassadors Eddie the Eagle, Aimee Fuller and Graham Bell. The three ambassadors gave an inspirational talk to 37 young children from local school Yewtree Primary, before the children gave skiing a go for the first time at The Snow Centre in Hemel. Alpine ski star Dave Ryding, also an ambassador for National Schools Snowsport Week, visited Kingsley School in Leamington Spa to wrap up the week.
Snowsport England Events and Campaigns Lead, Luke Williams said following the conclusion of the week: “What a busy week it has been! We have seen many of the country’s slopes busy with school groups for much of the week, and it has been great to see the enjoyment and smiles on the children’s faces as they have tried skiing and snowboarding for the first time. Our challenge now is to try and encourage these schools and children to keep participating in snowsports. We will work closely with the slopes and clubs to try and do this. A huge thanks for Andorra for supporting this important initiative.”
Slopes participating in National Schools Snowsport Week 2017:
Ackers Adventure, Birmingham
Alpine Snowsports Centre, Southampton
Alpine Snowsports Centre, Aldershot
Bracknell Ski and Snowboard Centre
Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre
Chill Factore, Manchester
Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre
Gosling Ski and Board Centre
Norfolk Snowsports Club
Precise Racing at Brentwood
Plymouth Ski and Snowboard Centre
Rollerskiing at Dorney Lake, Eaton
Runcorn Snowsports Centre
Sandown Snowsports Centre
Silksworth Ski Slope
Skiplex, Basingstoke
Skiplex, Reading
Ski Rossendale
SnowDome, Tamworth
Snozone Castleford
Snozone Milton Keynes
Stoke Ski Centre
Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre
The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead and Hemel Ski Racing Club
To find out more about National Schools Snowsport Week visit www.nssw.co.uk. For a selection of photos from the week visit the Snowsport England Facebook page www.facebook.com/SnowsportEngland. And look out for the National Schools Snowsport Week video, which will be live this weekend – shared across Snowsport England channels.
For schools who missed out on National Schools Snowsport Week, or for those that want to continue getting involved, visit www.goskigoboard.org.uk to find local opportunities.
