Travel (702)
Hotels (24)
Entertainment (867)
Vacations (508)
Cruises (144)
Health (144)
Accommodation (315)
Study abroad (282)
Transportation (260)
Destinations (988)
Food & Drinks (491)
Holidays type (352)
Organizations (270)





False ski slopes offer true pleasure

Added: 01/25/2006

Probably, the best way for winter rest is mountain skiing. Magnificent mountain slopes in conjunction with a cool fresh air and beautiful landscapes can hardly leave indifferent. But what if there is no chance to go deep into the mountains somewhere far from home? Fortunately, there is a good way out: visit false ski slopes. Actually, false ski slopes can be found all around the globe, which makes it highly convenient to arrange good adventure in best suitable time.

Not every country of the world can be proud of mountain ridges and real ski slopes. Yet, this does not bother a lot of people all over the planet to enjoy skiing so much that they are ready to go anywhere to occupy themselves with their hobby. In such a state of affairs it is obvious that ski slopes can bring a lot of money to the owners. So, as soon as the possibility to make false snow or special surface for ski slopes appeared, this business began to develop full steam ahead. Nowadays most countries of the world home hundreds of slopes, some of them called 'dry ski slopes', and some are 'indoor ski slopes' covered with special material much resembling real snow. At the beginning of the dry-slope-skiing history plastic tiles were used for slopes matting. They had upward spikes, which were to provide grip. But these slopes were not very comfortable, as they made an impression of skiing across the ice. The new era in dry ski slopes development began with the birth of the brush industry. Nowadays the majority of ski slopes of the world are covered with Dendix - the material similar to a short-haired brush with upward bristles. The stuff is produced in the United Kingdom, so there is nothing weird in the fact that the very this country has the largest number of dry ski slopes. The latest innovation in this field is SnowFlex also produced in the UK. SnowFlex has a multitude of advantages over the previous types of slope matting. It allows turning, erecting jumps and rails and provides both impact protection and slope lubrication. Besides, the feelings of riding are very close to those of real snow. But today this material is not highly distributed because of high price, so Dendix keeps being popular. Other substances include Astroride of the NorCal Extreme Sports in the USA and Permasnow of the John Nike Leisure in the UK. But they are not wide-known around the world. Astroride has not even been tested yet, and Permasnow is used only on the slopes, which belong to John Nike Leisure Group. If you have really decided to spend some hours skiing on one of dry slopes you are to remember several important things. First, it concerns clothes. In fact, the covering of all the slopes regardless of the type is very sticky. So, you are highly advised against wearing fleece or wooly sweaters. To add, your clothes must be really protective, because both Dendix and SnowFlex are not very pleasant and gentle when fall at high speed. And do not forget that all skiing centres use special water systems to lubricate the matting of the slopes, so waterproof jackets and trousers will be in use. It should be taken for consideration that skiing equipment is rather expensive, so you are first to address your local slope to find information about shops. The fact is that most ski slopes rent special outfit for skiing, including skis, snowboards and even special boots and helmets. One more essential for dry-skiing is gloves. You are to have them if you really want your hands to be with you at the end of the lesson. Besides, children are not allowed to ski without helmets. As to Great Britain, it keeps three main dry skiing centres: Stoke Ski Center in Stattfordshire, Tallington Ski Slope in Lincolnshire and Telford Ski Centre in Shropshire. All of them are fitted with bars, cafes, hot and cold food, and shops where you can buy or hire all you need for skiing. If to slightly paraphrase the saying job is job, but there is fun waiting. So, take your family or friends, go to the nearest dry skiing centre and make certain that the amusement it provides is a decent match to that on real snow slopes.


Rate this article:
Bad   Good
Post comment
Send to friend
Print version
Abuse report


Article comments:

No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!

Return to top of the page