UK Indoor Snow News

Unfortunately SNO!zone Scotland have experienced a coolant leak today, which has effected the freestyle park. They will only be able to offer a small rookie park tonight and they will do our best to get back to regular service tomorrow, although the park may still be reduced.

Unfortunately the SNO!zone Milton Keynes piste basher is down and so the park crew won't be able to build the kicker planned for this week. There will be something in its place, they're just not sure what yet.

Here's the SNO!zone Scotland park for this Thursday and Friday. Friday will host the airbag.net.

Here's the Tamworth SnowDome park for this Saturday evening.

Here's the SNO!zone Milton Keynes park for this Thursday and Friday.

The proposed multi-million pound ski centre may have moved a step closer after developers and a council came to an agreement over the decimated Wycombe Summit site.

Plans to build a new £10m real snow, indoor ski centre and ice rink on the site of the former Abbey Barn Road dry ski slope were turned down by Wycombe District Council last April.

WDC's planning committee gave provisional permission for the 110m long slope in December 2007 but councillors rejected amended plans to increase the width of the building to make way for conference and party rooms.

The original chalet building was destroyed by a massive fire in 2005, which started in the kitchen of the wooden structure.

But at an informal planning enquiry today, developers Snowdome UK, who appealed against the council's rejection, revealed it had submitted 'revised original proposals' without the conference rooms.

A Section 106 Agreement had also been signed off by the developers, WDC, Buckinghamshire County Council and the freehold owners of the land.

This paves the way for the scheme to be given the go ahead, subject to the decision from Planning Inspectorate Antony Davison and planning conditions.

Snowdome UK managing director Martin Smith said: “Indoor ski slopes are opening up all the time around the UK and it is just a matter as to whether we put one here in High Wycombe because it is a fantastic site and the demand for it is there.

“We had more than 300 responses to a week long consultation period during the original planning process and we had just two who did not support the scheme.

“We have been in negotiations with the council to address their concerns, we also now have the Section 106 Agreement in place and our ultimate goal is to get a ski centre back on the site.”

Chris Woodman from the High Wycombe Society was the only member in the 20-strong group to express concerns about the visual impact the development would have on the area, but he seemed satisfied with the developers' mitigation plans.

He added: “We are not against the development but we just want to make sure the correct mitigation measures are in place.

“We will accept the democratic decision on a development that clearly has the public behind it and would prove to be a good facility for the area.”

A number of skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts were also at the hearing held at the council's Queen Victoria Road offices, including Melanie Codling who organised a Facebook campaign to see the centre built.

She told the hearing: “There may not be public transport links up to the site at the moment but I know for a fact people would be willing to walk there.

“And as for the concerns about how it would fit into the woodland, the current state of the site is an eyesore on the area – this is a great opportunity.”

The Planning Inspectorate's decision is expected in “about a month”.

[From ThisIsLocalLondon.co.uk]

With the 2010 Winter Paralympics only days away, The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead has forged a unique partnership with Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK) to improve its adaptive snowsports services and offer ongoing support to the charity.

DSUK have established an adaptive snowsports school at The Snow Centre, which will work in tandem with the centre’s own school, a BASI Centre of Excellence, to provide access to snowsports for people with any disability. DSUK provides specialist adaptive equipment and training to enable skiers with disabilities to take part in snowsports alongside able bodied skiers.

Adaptive Snowsports can benefit the individual in many ways including increased confidence, independence, self-esteem as well as physical and cognitive development. With both organisations seeking to make snowsports accessible to all, the school will work with enthusiasts at all levels, from recreational skiers right through to elite competitors.

The Snow Centre will continue to support the British Paralympic Team – particularly Tim Farr and Jane Sowerby, who train there in the off season to keep snow contact - and will provide financial support to the charity from fund-raising events throughout the year.

Pete Gillespie, director of snowsports at The Snow Centre, said: “We are delighted to announce the partnership with DSUK and get the adaptive snowsports school up and running. Since both of us share professional links with BASI and the notion that snowsports should be for all, the partnership makes perfect sense.

“As a result, we now have a full range of adaptive equipment and qualified instructors in house, so I’d urge anyone with a disability and an interest in snowsports to come down and give it a try.”

Sophie Wood, National Co-ordinator and Events Fundraiser at DSUK, said: “We have always had a very strong relationship with The Snow Centre, so we are delighted to make the partnership official. Apart from having great facilities and top quality snow, they are very accommodating to our needs and share our ethos.

“Together, we are looking forward to providing a first class facility for the disabled community to access snowsports".

For more information or to book a lesson, visit www.thesnowcentre.com or call 0845 258 9000.

Here's the SNO!zone Castleford park for this Thursday and Friday.

Here’s the Chill Factore park and park opening times for this week.

Wednesday: 6pm - 11pm – click here to book

Thursday: Subvert Academy Only

Friday: 6pm - 11pm – click here to book

Here's the Tamworth SnowDome park for this Saturday.

Here's the SNO!zone Milton Keynes park for this Thursday and Friday.

Here's the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre park for this Friday.

Here's the SNO!zone Castleford park for this Thursday and Friday.

Here’s the Chill Factore park and park opening times for this week.

Wednesday: 6pm - 11pm – Click here to book.

Thursday: Subvert Academy only.

Friday: 6pm - 11pm – Click here to book.

Here are the SNO!zone Milton Keynes parks for tonight, tomorrow's SNO!storm and Park Strife on Saturday evening.

SNO!storm

Park Strife

A new Facebook group has been created calling for the go ahead for a long-delayed new indoor ski facility at Wycombe summit near London to go ahead. The group has attracted several thousand supporters.

Founder Melanie Codling was surprised by just how popular her Facebook initiative is.
“The response has been amazing, it is growing by the day.” She told local media.

The group calls on the local council, which has rejected the latest plans for the site’s redevelopment by owners the Snowdome Group, who own Europe’s oldest surviving indoor snow centre at Tamworth to the north, to, “do something positive for our community!”

“It is such a great opportunity. It is very frustrating and disappointing for people who would have utilised it.” the group says.

The original centre, which is home to a long dry ski slope, was destroyed by fire in 2005, and despite offering to support redevelopment initiatives the local council has rejected plans for a new indoor snow centre, ice rink and other facilities put forward by Snowdome in recent years. The company are currently appealing the latest rejection.

A spokesman for the Snowdome company told local media they were very pleased about the Facebook group but that even if permission was finally given, the current economic situation now means the development is likely to be further delayed.

Here's the Tamworth SnowDome park for this Saturday's Jib Jam.

Snowsport England has announced that it is to receive £985,000 of Government and National Lottery funding to get more people skiing and snowboarding in high quality environments.

Manchester’s Chill Factore is one of the venues set to benefit from the funding. In the past year, more than 1,500 schools from across the North West have taken part in activities at Manchester’s indoor real snow centre, with many building snowsports tuition into their school programmes. Chill Factore also trains some of the country’s most promising young talent.

Chill Factore – Manchester’s indoor real snow centre - opened in November 2007 and is situated just off junction 10 of the M60. At 180 metres long, Chill Factore boasts the UK’s longest indoor real snow slope and runs a range of initiatives to improve accessibility to skiing and snowboarding for young people.

Chill Factore offers a range of tuition – from lessons for complete beginners, right up to expert race training for the country’s most promising young talent. Chill Factore is a centre of excellence for assessing GCSE and A Level Physical Education and the venue is working with local authorities and educational establishments to support the delivery of the new Sport and Active Leisure Diploma.

The venue is also working hard to make snowsports more accessible, for example by creating links with local authorities and school sports partnerships to provide funding for schools to take part in snowsports and through its support for the Manchester Healthy Schools programme.

Youth and community groups are also given access to snowsports through partnerships with, for example, Manchester City Football Club’s ‘City in the Community’ scheme and the Manchester United Foundation bringing groups of children regularly during the school holidays.

Chill Factore also has a clear focus on promoting skiing and snowboarding within universities, with twelve institutions attending on a regular basis. Competitions and training are organised to encourage students to develop their skills.

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive at Chill Factore, said: “We are delighted to have been named as a priority club for growing participation in snowsports. With the longest indoor real snow slope in the country, venues such as ours are a fantastic way for youngsters to both try out snowsports for first time and to continue to develop their skills. Our expert instructors and coaches are working hard to develop raw talent and this funding will enable us to give even more young skiers a shot at major international achievement.

“We are already seeing some fantastic skiers and snowboarders emerging from our slopes through our Race Club. Joanna Ryding and Bradley Morgan look particularly promising and we are doing all we can to support their dream of representing Great Britain at Olympic level in 2014.”

www.chillfactore.com

Here's the Chill Factore park for this Friday.

Here's The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead park for this Friday. They're not 100% sure that "Double Ribby T" will work up the top there, but we wish them luck with it!

Here are the park for this week at SNO!zone Castleford. On Wednesday, they host their BUISC event, which is not open to the general public. About half the slope will still be open for recreational riding on Wednesday.

Here's the SNO!zone Milton Keynes park for this week, which is up for tonight BUISC event and the normal Thursday and Friday sessions too.

Note: Only BUISC competitors are able to use the park tonight, but the rest of the slope will be open for recreational riding.

Here's the park for Friday.

Here's the park for SNO!zone Castleford's Park Strife event this Friday. The Thursday park is much the same.

Here's the Sick Bag park for Tamworth SnowDome this Saturday.