An indoor skiing facility built by the millionaire founder of Moonpig has opened to the public in Wiltshire. The South Wilts Ski Club, at Bapton Manor Farm between Warminster and Salisbury, is the first of its kind in the county.
Former Dragons’ Den star Nick Jenkins was inspired to build the club in a former tractor barn so his seven-year-old daughter could practise skiing in between seasons.
The project, which cost £300,000, took a year to secure planning permission and get set up.
“I’m a very keen skier and I wanted to find somewhere for my daughter to practise between skiing holidays. I tried the Skieasy infinity slope in London myself and loved it, but it was always too busy to book and it was a 90 minute drive,” he said. “I wondered if I could bring the concept to Wiltshire.”
The club has a specialist Dutch-made MaxxTracks indoor slope of which there are only four in the UK. It can be adjusted from 13 to 22 degrees, with speeds ranging from 0 to 30 kilometres an hour (18.6mph).
“The surface is like a very well-groomed piste,” said Mr Jenkins. “It doesn’t compare with a dry ski slope. It looks like an inch-and-a-half of shag pile carpet, but slippery.”
According to the entrepreneur, one hour non-stop at full speed on the slope is the equivalent of skiing from the top of Everest to sea level.
“At full tilt it is quite challenging. It is like doing a slalom so it’s quite a workout,” he said.
Only two people are allowed on the slope at a time, although groups of up to eight can book in one go. The club also has an on-site chalet-style clubhouse with free tea, coffee and biscuits.
Each booking is on an exclusive basis with visitors receiving one-on-one coaching from in-house instructor Craig Philpott. Sessions are filmed – so skiers can fine-tune their technique – and ski boots, helmets and skis are provided free of charge.
The venue does not yet offer snowboarding, although Mr Jenkins has not ruled it out for the future. “When we are confident we can offer that, we will,” he added.
South Wilts Ski Club opens today (October 17) offering sessions starting from 30-minutes. Sessions run from midday to 8pm on Wednesday; 11am to 6pm on Thursday and Friday; and 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
It costs from £30 per person for 30 minutes in peak time and £18 per 30 minutes off-peak (when booking a block of six sessions).