500m Long Indoor Snow Slope Heading to Wales

Plans for what will be the longest indoor snow slope in the UK have moved forward with a successful public launch.

At more than 500 metres in  length, the planned new snow sport centre in Wales, part of the Rhydycar West leisure destination, will dwarf the UK’s current longest slope in Manchester at 180m, and in fact be one of the longest yet built in the world.

The Rhydycar West ski resort will resemble an authentic Alpine resort and will also incorporate ski and snowboard schools, competition runs, a freestyle park, a fitness centre, shops and various cafes and bars.

But the centre will be about more than just recreational skiing, it will prove vital to the development of the British ski and board team, says Robin Kellen, Chief Executive of Snowsport Cymru Wales, who has identified the Rhydycar site as the preferred location to develop a National Centre of Snowsports Excellence,

“If Team GB want to achieve their goal of top 5 snow sport nation in the world by 2030, many of our future elite athletes haven’t started skiing or boarding yet. It’s about finding the next generation of talent by getting more and new people involved,” says Mr Kellen, announcing that Rhydycar will host a UK training centre for team GB Snow sports Olympic elite athletes allowing elite skiers and boarders to design training around their needs.

Marvel Limited Guernsey, who acquired the c.575 acre site, in 2013 known as Rhydycar West (situated to the west of Merthyr Tydfil) have signed an agreement with Snowsport Cymru Wales to work together on the delivery of the state-of-the-art snow sport facility.

Leigh Large of Marvel says, “We feel it’s inevitable that a UK Snow sport centre of excellence will be built somewhere in the UK soon. This initiative puts Wales in pole position to claim it.”

Dan Hunt, performance director of British Ski and Snowboard, said: “I am very excited by the prospect of having a national training centre of excellence for snow sports in Wales.”

The Rhydycar Snow centre team also believe the facility could transform the opportunities for youngsters to try out snowsports at a much reduced cost.  For many youngsters the first experience of snow sports is the annual school arranged ski trip. Its travel intensive to and from the Alps and can be costly and therefore restrictive and always subject to prevailing snow and weather conditions. At the Rhydycar Snow centre temperature can be -6 degrees with perfect snow and visibility conditions 24 hours a day.

“A 3 night stay could provide as much “on the snow time” as a week in the Alps with all of the teaching and equipment included at a vastly reduced cost and could be in the Summer Holidays!” says Mr Kellen.

Rhydycar West is nestled Idyllically in the Valley west of Merthyr Tydfil, a town with large pedestrian plazas and outstanding retail facilities  and a launching pad of discovery for visits to the nearby Brecon Beacons and beyond. The Rhydycar West site is visually akin to spectacular Ski resort settings (minus the Snow) with verdant mountainside vistas of the Beacons to the North which are only a ten minute drive away attracting annual visitors numbering 4.15 million (nationalparks.gov.uk)

The Rhydycar West location also adjoins neighboring Bike Park Wales (BPW), an outdoor mountain bike experience, in its fifth year of operation and currently attracting 75,000 annual visitors.

Marvel Limited has been working with local, regional and national stakeholders to develop a leisure-focused, mixed-use scheme for the site. The plans for the major new leisure complex and regeneration scheme for Rhydycar West also include two new hotels, spa and conference facilities, heritage and nature trails, the UK’s largest indoor water park, as well as new homes.

“I know the passion and enthusiasm in the UK of all abilities for snow sports. That passion feeds an industry of aligned snow sport services, organisations and commercial opportunities. I am reaching out to the UK snow sport fraternity asking them to show huge support for the Rhydycar Snow centre as it moves to the formal planning process,” continued Rob Kellen.

The team behind the project is keen to receive comments or support for the proposals via the rhydycarwest.com website clicking: “Get in touch”