Alternative Ski Locations



Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009

by Mark Bartley

Skiers are usually fashionable types, searching for new ventures and experiences to satisfy their adventurous outlook on life, so few are happy with returning to same ski resort year after year. They are always on the lookout for new skiing areas, developing regions, even new countries to visit and try out their skills. Over recent years the typical ski resorts in France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria have come up against a stock of new opposition when it comes to attracting skiers to their slopes. These suggestions are just a few of the new possibilities that are now open to skiers prepared to try out somewhere new.

Indoor ski slopes are a completely new alternative and since their inception just a handful of years ago, have been proving very popular, particularly in countries where outdoor skiing or snowboarding is very rarely possible. The history of indoor real snow slopes dates back many years in the far east countries such as China and Japan. They seem to have had their time though as far as large complexes are concerned, perhaps because the size of the potential customer market was never big enough to support the larger complexes that were built. In Japan the SSAWS (Spring Summer Autumn Winter Snow) which was also known as the LaLaport SkiDome, comprised a massive 100m high structure enclosing a slope of 500m yet closed down in 2002 after operating for almost ten years. The centre was only able to attract half the number of visitors it needed to operate profitably.

In China the Yinqixing Indoor Skiing centre is currently one of the biggest with over 100,000 square metres of snow area and a main slope 380 meters long.

The most extreme example of an indoor skiing centre is Ski Dubai centre which encloses over 22,000 square metres of snow and offers a long slope of 400m. The hall enclosing the slope is even spacious enough for a full sized chair lift. Another huge indoor snow centre called the Dubai Snowdome was planned but has now been postponed.

In the UK there are now several indoor ski and snowboard centres that offer real snow ski slopes. These are proving popular all year round and organise all kinds of training events and sessions for activities such as cross-country skiing. The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead is the latest to be built and provides convenient facilities for London and the South East of England.

Back to the outdoors and another unusual location for skiing is the country of Iran. You may imagine places like Iran to be mainly hot and sandy, but in fact skiing in Iran dates back to the 1930's. The most popular ski resort is Shemshak which lies at an altitude between 2500 and 3000m. That's higher than busy resorts in Europe such as Meribel, Courmayeur and Kitzbuhel. The quality of the slopes is such that international competitions can be held there. Another Iranian resort is Dizin, where the slopes peak out at a height of 3600m. The standard of the resort infrastructure is however a little dated when compared to the European resorts and some safety rules are either absent or seem to be ignored. Not a place for taking the kids skiing perhaps.

As many mainstream European resorts are starting to look like pricey options for UK skiers, countries like Bulgaria are grasping the opportunity to entice new skiers to their resorts with cheaper alternatives. The main resort in Bulgaria is Bansko, but Borovets, Pamporovo and Vitosha are also attractive. Bankso is the newest of the three resorts and sits in a scenic area in the foothills of Mount Pirin. The hotels are modern and attractive and the area boasts 65 kilometres of ski runs and a lift system that can cope with 10,000 people per day. Advanced slopes are limited but the resort makes perfect sense for beginners or young families. Some of the slopes are floodlit thereby extending the skiing days.

Finally how would you like to ski in Kosovo? The ski resort of Brezovica promises wonderful scenery, powder skiing or snowboarding but a few question marks about access and stability, considering the country only recently gained its independence from Serbia last year (something which Serbia quickly sought to revoke). However most of the UN and EU countries do recognise the independence. Last year a BBC report suggested that the resort was in dire trouble having been run mainly by Serbs for Serbs, who now found themselves in an isolated area. The {outcome is a far cry from the busy seasons experienced during the days of the former Yugoslavia. There were suggestions last year that the ski resort would be privatised in 2009. The resort is quite small, running just 10 lifts and offering only 16km of slopes, but they are however recognized by the FIS for various events, which does indicate that they are top quality.

Experience the thrills of an indoor ski slope by visiting one of the new winter snow centres in the UK. Mark Bartley suggests the new Snow Centre near London or one of the older centres in the north of England.

Mark Bartley is a well respected writer on consumer affairs and a customer champion. He has experience in several industries including travel, finance, retail and leisure. He seeks to provide useful information from an unbiased viewpoint and helps people understand complicated market areas and find the best deals or services available.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Nenita Wells
 2 years 182 days ago.
298 fans.
Hi Mark. Imagine skiing in Kosovo! Thanks for writing this article. Interesting and informative. ~Nenita~
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