A new indoor ski slope in the heart of south Wiltshire has already taken more than 30 bookings on the first morning of its launch.
The infinity ski slope has been launched by the newly-formed South Wilts Ski Club in an old tractor shed at Bapton Manor Farm near Stockton, just south of Warminster, just off the A36 and A303 junction.
It's the latest business venture by Nick Jenkins, the founder of the Moonpig online greetings card retailer and a former BBC Dragon’s Den investor.
Mr Jenkins was ‘delighted’ with the response to the launch, saying: “It has been brilliant. The phone has been ringing off the hook.
“We’ve been inundated with bookings this morning. We’ve had around 30 bookings already.
“People will be prepared to travel quite a long way to it. We are already picking up bookings from people far and wide.”
Mr Jenkins, 57, who lives at nearby Stockton House, has invested £400,000 to set up the South Wilshire Ski Club and the new indoor ski slope.
He's banking on a target market of 1.8 million people from the UK who go abroad to ski every year.
His market research estimates around 400,000 people live within a 45-minute drive-time radius of the Wiltshire centre.
That would encompass most of the large towns in west and south Wiltshire, as well as some in Dorset, Hampshire, and the cities of Bath and Southampton.
“If we can attract just five per cent of those, that’s 20,000 skiers. I only need 500 for the business to be successful,” he said.
He's hoping to attract beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers of all ages and abilities and believes the new slope will particularly appeal to families.
“We are hoping it will attract families, typically two adults and two children, who want to prepare for the skiing season from January to April.
“If they are preparing for a skiing holiday, they will probably want to start in the summer.
“Skiing is a very expensive holiday and you don’t want to spend all day on the nursery slopes, you want to be at the top of the mountain.
“You can learn more quickly than you can in snow because you don’t spend time going back up the mountain.”
The club’s resident instructor is Craig Philpott, 31, who learned to ski at the age of 18 at the Mendip Activity Centre at Churchill near Bristol.
He says the indoor slope offers ski enthusiasts an opportunity to learn how to ski, refine their technique, or build up their fitness before the ski season.
“In a one-hour session we can teach you as much as a whole morning on the nursery slopes.
“The surface is always the same, the weather is the same and there is no one to crash into you. You can focus on your technique.
“It’s great for introducing children to skiing before their first ski holiday so you can quickly skip the nursery slopes.”
Visitors will receive personalised one-on-one coaching from Mr Philpott, who can also provide video playback of each session.
This will allow the student to observe and correct any unique habits in their technique.
SWSC sessions run from Wednesday – Sunday (Wednesday 12 noon-8pm; Thursday and Friday 11am-6pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm).]
Sessions cost from £30 per person for 30 minutes in peak time and £18 per 30 minutes off-peak.
The club is offering a 40 per cent discount if you book a block of six sessions, meaning they would cost £360 during peak time and £216 off-peak.
To book a session, visit https://southwiltsski.com.
Ski boots, helmets, and skis are provided free of charge.
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