Situated on the Gulf Stream, Britain’s winter climate is generally mild and with the effects of “global warming” snow is becoming something of a rarity. So how does the British ski industry thrive?
Home Grown British Ski Industry
In 1962-63 there was an unusually cold winter and on the Devonshire Moors, in the South West of England, the snow lay thick for several weeks. Ski enthusiasts who had gained a taste for skiing at European resorts, took advantage of the snow bonanza to do some skiing, enjoying free access to the moors.
Wessex Year-Round Ski Facility
Once the snow melted, a market for local skiing had been established. People wanted to carry on improving their skills and enjoying the fun and challenges of skiing in their own locality. At an open meeting it was decided to form The Wessex Ski Association in order to plan, finance and build an all year round ski facility.
Artificial Ski Matting
Thanks to the development of petroleum based fibres by companies like Courtaulds, the first artificial ski matting was produced by implanting nylon bristles into a diamond lattice. This matting is manufactured into large rectangular sheets that can be laid down to form a slippery ski surface.
Sir Fred Pontin
The first major problem for the Wessex Ski Association was finding a piece of suitable land to use. The land had to be long enough and steep enough to create a realistic ski slope.
This was solved when Sir Fred Pontin (famed for his holiday camps) offered a site at his Barton Hall holiday camp in Torquay. However the slope was initially found to be too shallow and had to be raised up to the correct height.
With the addition of ski matting and some ski lift equipment, the UK’s first outdoor ski run was created.
Torquay Alpine Skiing Club – Leading the Industry
Torquay Alpine Skiing Club (as it is now known) led the artificial ski slope industry in the UK, acting as model and inspiration for the 100 or so dry ski slopes that have subsequently been constructed.
The National Ski Federation of Great Britain was later formed to act as a regional authority for the industry as a whole and has now be renamed Snowsport GB.
The Future of Dry Ski Runs
The latest technologies are being used to build a spectacular £7 million ski facility at Wrexham in North Wales. Using Gresley slag heap as a starting point, it aims to provide a complex that offers a skiing, ski jumping, tobogganing, and chalets to rent.
The future of Britain's artificial ski runs looks interesting as skiers await the opening - date as yet unconfirmed - of this latest development in the UK's grown skiing industry.
