Chill Factor
e is the UK's longest indoor ski slope; a £31 million real snow centre located in the
Trafford Park area of
Trafford,
Greater Manchester, England. Designed b
FaulknerBrowns Architects the centre opened in November 2007, at which time it was the widest in the world, at long and wide at its widest point.
In 2010, the former sales and marketing director of
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...
Morwenna Angove joined Chill Factor
e as
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
.
In 2011, the
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for the longest chain of skiers to travel without breaking, was recorded at Chill Factor
e.
In May 2011, Chill Factor
e hosted the UK's first
Snowbombing event.
In 2018, Chill Factor
e rebranded as BEYOND, a new retail, experiential and leisure mix, which will bring additional restaurants and businesses to complement resident brands.
In March 2020, Chill Factor
e announced that its owners Extreme Cool Limited and U&I PLC had sold the company to Snow Centres Ltd who operate The Snow Centre in
Hemel Hempstead. They also announced that the CEO Angove would be replaced by Ian Brown as managing director. Snow Centre took over at the end of March and spent £500,000 on renovations.
Slope facilities
The main slope is served by two
drag lifts suspended from the ceiling, thus widening the available piste area and allowing for easier maintenance of the slope. This differs from the other centres in the UK where the lift supports are on the piste. In addition to the main slope, the centre features a beginner slope, a
luge
A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. A luger steers by using the calf muscles to flex the sled's runners or by exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh for s ...
track, and dedicated snow play and
tubing areas. Other activities include airboarding, snowscoot and
sledging.
Alpine Street
The centre includes a number of shops and restaurants in a themed '
Alpine Village' area. On the upper level of the village is The Sports Bar, and The Lodge restaurant with slope side viewing balconies and conference/event facilities with a capacity of up to 250 people.
References
External links
*
FaulknerBrowns Architects
Ski areas and resorts in England
Buildings and structures in Trafford
Indoor ski resorts
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