Scottish Dry Slope Under Threat
Scottish Dry Slope Under Threat
Published : 29-Jan-2023 08:13
Polmonthill dry ski slope near Falkirk in Scotland is under threat of closure as the local council say that they can no longer afford to run it.
It's the latest in a long list of dry ski slopes in the British nations to be faced with closure. The large centre at Bracknell has gone, although two threatened slopes, Exeter and Gosling Sports Park in Welwyn Garden City, appear to have been reprieved for now.
The centre, located next to the M9 motorway, has a 100 metre main slope and a small nursery slope. It's used by around 300 people every week.
More than 2000 people have signed a petition against the proposed closure of Polmonthill, with parents warning it would mean skiing and snowboarding became unaffordable for local people.
"People say that skiing and snowboarding are elitist sports but this centre is so reasonable and so handy for so many people," local parent Karolina Surmacz, who set up the petition, told Scottish media, adding that dry slopes also helped I the battle against obesity, to get children active and promoting positive mental health which she said was particularly important after the pandemic.
Falkirk Council have plans to close or transfer out of council control over 130 council-run properties to cut costs in a bid to fill a £67m funding gap. It says many of the properties are dated and it would face a £200m repair bill on top of its existing funding gap, to fix them. It hopes many on the list will be run as charitable trusts by local groups.
Scotland's only indoor snow centre, Snow Factor at Braehead near Glasgow, closed in the autumn.
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