Midlothian Snowsports Centre
Encyclopedia
The Midlothian Snowsports Centre, formerly the Hillend Ski Centre, is the longest dry ski slope
in Europe, situated near Hillend near Edinburgh
, South East Scotland. It is a national training centre for Scottish Olympians, with 29 having been trained there as of 2010, including Finlay Mickel
, a former British number one downhill skier.
Being just outside the Edinburgh City limits to the south of the city beyond the southern bypass road
and in the shadow of the Pentland Hills
, the centre is operated by Midlothian Council
. It is used for skiing
, snowboarding
and snowblading
, and social use includes lessons for adults and children occurring all year round.
An outdoor facility, all runs are made of matting that is suitable for use all year round, and floodlighting
allows the slopes to be used in the evenings. A misting system ensures the slopes remain lubricated to increase speed and to create a more realistic surface.
It has two main slopes, a 20 m nursery slope and a jump slope; the slope on the left is 320 metres long and the large slope on the right is 450 metres long. Uplift is provided by a chairlift
and two button lift
s.
In 2010, the centre faced closure due operating at a loss and with Midlothian Council facing funding shortages. In March 2010, with losses of half a million pounds a year, and with fewer than 20% of the centre's users coming from Midlothian, a five month cost cutting plan was implemented, with the council due to consider either sale or lease by August 2010. A Facebook
group campaigning to save the centre attracted 26,000 members. The council duly agreed a plan to keep the centre open, involving £600,000 of investment being spent on it by Sportscotland
, and the sale of green belt
land near the site to developers.
Artificial ski slopes
A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to ski where natural slopes are inconvenient or unavailable....
in Europe, situated near Hillend near Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, South East Scotland. It is a national training centre for Scottish Olympians, with 29 having been trained there as of 2010, including Finlay Mickel
Finlay Mickel
Finlay Mickel is a former Scottish skier. He was educated at Stewart's Melville College in his younger years.Mickel first appeared in the World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada in November 2000...
, a former British number one downhill skier.
Being just outside the Edinburgh City limits to the south of the city beyond the southern bypass road
Edinburgh City Bypass
The Edinburgh City Bypass, designated as A720, is one of the most important trunk roads in Scotland. Circling around the south of Edinburgh, as the equivalent of a ring road for the coastal city, it links together the A1 towards north-east England, the A702 towards north-west England, the M8...
and in the shadow of the Pentland Hills
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...
, the centre is operated by Midlothian Council
Midlothian Council
Midlothian Council is one of the 32 local authorities of Scotland. Midlothian's administrative centre is based in Dalkeith and it covers an area from the south of Edinburgh to the Borders.It covers an area of 355.27 km² and a population of 79,710...
. It is used for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
and snowblading
Skiboarding
Skiboarding is a winter sport which combines elements of skating, snowboarding, and skiing. Skiboards are used and worn in conjunction with standard ski boots that connect to the skiboards with use of a binding. Skiboards can be grouped into two general categories. Regular skiboards are generally...
, and social use includes lessons for adults and children occurring all year round.
An outdoor facility, all runs are made of matting that is suitable for use all year round, and floodlighting
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
allows the slopes to be used in the evenings. A misting system ensures the slopes remain lubricated to increase speed and to create a more realistic surface.
It has two main slopes, a 20 m nursery slope and a jump slope; the slope on the left is 320 metres long and the large slope on the right is 450 metres long. Uplift is provided by a chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
and two button lift
Platter lift
A platter lift , platter pull or button lift is a surface lift, a mechanized system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill, along the surface of the slope. In Europe they are also known as Poma lifts...
s.
In 2010, the centre faced closure due operating at a loss and with Midlothian Council facing funding shortages. In March 2010, with losses of half a million pounds a year, and with fewer than 20% of the centre's users coming from Midlothian, a five month cost cutting plan was implemented, with the council due to consider either sale or lease by August 2010. A Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group campaigning to save the centre attracted 26,000 members. The council duly agreed a plan to keep the centre open, involving £600,000 of investment being spent on it by Sportscotland
Sportscotland
Sportscotland , formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Their stated aim is to help everyone in Scotland enjoy sport's many benefits....
, and the sale of green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land near the site to developers.