Mad Fer It – We’re Going Skiing In A £31m Shed
Britain’s newest and longest indoor ski slope is the Chill Factore in Manchester.
It took four years to build it. The aim was to create a place similar to an Alpine resort… It’s covered in about 1,600 tons of man-made snow.
There are two lifts serving the main slope, a moving carpet next to the beginners’ area, a mini-luge and tubing run. With the internal walls of the shopping street, bars and restaurants are tricked out in cedar shingles, oak and stone the object looks really impressive . There’s a roaring fire in one of the restaurants, and even a terrace outside one of the bars so you can sit and watch the skiing.
What’s more, the slope of 590ft is the longest in the UK. Of course, it’s not as skiing on a real mountain but still it will give you a buzz.
Maddie Williams, a 21 year-old ski instructor says: “No it’s not the Alps. But that’s the point really, isn’t it. It’s here, in Manchester, and I don’t have to get on a plane to get a taste of my favourite sport.”
