This was originally posted on LinkedIn:
Indoor snow, I tend to talk a lot about it. It is my passion, and it is undoubtedly cool. Where my last post focused on the attraction and play side of these facilities, there is the obvious sport side to these fantastic attractions, and this side creates new skiers… lots of them!
Most people I have met over the last 12 months have heard of the indoor snow dome in Dubai, thanks to its world fame, yet most do not realize there are over 100 of these facilities operating globally. And where approximately 15% of these real snow indoor facilities offer limited skiing opportunities, the other 85% are a great driving force behind the winter sports industry.
The key is ease of access to the hill, being able to “get some runs in” or try out a new sport. With some ski schools employing over 200 instructors assisting guests to get ready to enjoy the outdoor mountains.
An example I tend to use when explaining the awesomeness of indoor snow is as followed; Imagine you are an avid skier and your little ones are finally old enough to try. You have been itching every winter to have them experience the sport you have embraced for many years as a kid. Yet, your spouse is not a wintersports fan and reading between the lines it would be a challenge for the family to all enjoy a week on the mountain. Especially knowing that the kids and spouse will be in the lesson area near the resort town, while you are ripping down the double diamonds on your own. Cue indoor snow… how fantastic would it be if in the months leading up to your first epic family trip to your favorite resort, you could all enjoy a weekly session at your local concrete mountain preparing everyone in the family to hop on the lift and be able to ski as a family down those beautiful outdoor runs, smelling the pine and fresh air! ( plus it helps you to get your legs back after boasting about your fantastic skills for years) That is indoor snow awesomeness…
But it does not end at this example and “getting my legs back”, “bachelor parties”, or one of “ I’d like to try that” , these facilities are home to passionate skiers & snowboarders with admirable skill sets. Though maybe a minority in numbers, there are several Olympians and XGame gold medalists that started indoors, riding the snow year round , several days a week, improving their skills & pushing boundaries, the regulars that “owned our mountain”.
In all the domes I was fortunate to be a part of, we had our own group of regulars, large groups of tweens and teens that were there at least 2 to 3 days a week, the guys & girls we know by name. These kids considered our facility their own, their mountain to claim. And their skills would suggest it was their mountain. I am an avid believer that their passion for their sport, combined with the constant competition to show of skill and compete with their peers, has helped shape some of these kids. Many of them have moved on in life and have become well established business people or are highly respected in the sport as a result of the same passion & drive that pushed them to try that 720 of the big air 15 years ago.
By creating, a close to home, mountain we are able to bring wintersports into the realm of sports one enrolls in, elevate it to more than something you get to enjoy for a couple a days every winter. School teams tend to be created in the neighboring cities and come and train several times a week competing against each other, hence offering an alternative to soccer & football. Family members can come on the weekend, have lunch or a drink, and enjoy the skills of their relatives, Grandma can come and see her grand daughter pull of a 360 or win a slalom race....
Racing teams & freestyle competitions become the progression step after reaching an advanced level. Instructors association sanctioned certifications are being offered. Creating a local base of instructors that get the opportunity to teach others the sport the love so dear and get to work on the snow on the weekends instead of serving burgers.
With more facilities being announced annually and the layout and overall experience rising to a new level every project, it is clear that urban, easy accessible, wintersport experiences are loved by many driving the sport we all love so much...
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