For non-skiers in Manchester, The Snow Centre (formerly Chill Factore) is an enigma.
In a city that’s already cold enough, why would you spend your free time getting even colder on an artificial ski slope? But with a snow plough full of activities (including skiing and snowboarding lessons), The Snow Centre is well worth checking out. We put on our thickest puffer jackets and headed down for the day.
Credit: Ross Woodhall
Home to the largest indoor ski slope in the UK, The Snow Centre is a great way to get your skis on before your next holiday. There’s even a T-bar lift that will throw you off just as authentically as in France.
If you’ve never skied before, you can take lessons on the gentler beginners’ slope, with snowboard classes to boot. You can work your way through the levels before finally joining your mates on holiday who have been skiing since day dot.
For a snowy day of family fun where no one’s legs turn to jelly, The Snow Centre’s indoor snow park has an ice slide with surprisingly lethal twists and turns, as well as sledges and donuts to race each other down the steep hill.
Credit: Ross Woodhall
The price of your lesson includes boots, skis or snowboards, poles and helmets, but you can also bring your own if you want to shake off the cobwebs. And they also have other equipment available to rent or buy on-site.
Gloves are mandatory and I bought a pair from reception to keep for the future. If you’re prone to cold ears, you can rent a hat, as well as a ski jacket and trousers if you don’t have them already! After you’re all kitted up, it’s time to grab your skis.
If you’re doing one of the ski or snowboard lessons, like I was, you’ll meet your instructor and fellow classmates next to the ski hire. This is your chance to share nervous smiles and think about your mate who’s sat cosy and snug in the the alpine lodge cafe with a hot chocolate.
Credit: Ross Woodhall
And then it begins. Head onto the big slope if you know how to ski or the beginners’ slope if you’re getting lessons – this is the one with the big blue crash mat at the end. For those who have never been skiing before, the level 1 classes at The Snow Centre are well worth doing.
The instructors will help you get to know your skis before you practise going down a quarter of the beginners’ slope (this will feel like a black run) with your knees bent. Expect a 50/50 split between people who come to a stop naturally and people who use the crash mat to end their journey.
In the second half of the two-hour lesson, you’ll learn the snow plough and use the drag lift to head further up the beginners’ slope. A few more runs up and down (watching the level 1 snowboarders fall flat on their bums and the kids looking way too confident) and you can officially call yourself a skier.
Credit: Ross Woodhall
After your time on the slopes, take your jelly legs upstairs to the alpine-themed lodge and tuck into some well-deserved mountain scran. There’s loaded burgers with skin on fries, hot dogs drowning in crispy onions and snowy classics like alpine schnitzel and tartiflette.
If you’ve just done a lesson, you’ll get a free drink and the chance to sit down with your instructor for feedback and a report card on your progress. Otherwise, warm up your chilly bones with a hot drink or pint of beer – just like you would on the real slopes.
Where?: The Snow Centre, 7 Trafford Way, Trafford Park, Urmston, Stretford, Manchester, M41 7JA.
How much?: Lift passes for the main slope start from £28.80 per hour, per person. A level 1 adult ski lesson starts at £60 in peak season. Access to the Snow Park starts at £19 per person.
Book it: chillfactore.com
