SNOW GLORIOUS SNOW

A DAY'S SKIING AT HIGH WYCOMBE

The invitations said : "Come and Ski on Thursday. Real snow guaranteed !"

- interesting as there has not been a single flake all winter in London.

Clearly something going on at Wycombe Summit Ski and Snowboard Centre on the morning of Thursday 3 February. There were two outside TV broadcast units in the car park alongside what looked like a small blue and white shipping container with a logo that read Snowline.

The day’s objective was to demonstrate the first UK use of the Snowline^TM All Weather Snow Gun. The main training slope was covered with real snow and enjoyed by skiers and snow boarders of every level.

By mid-morning, everyone who had tried the snow were clearly impressed and unanimous in their praises. This included beginners, very experienced instructors and two championship skiers!

Wycombe Summit regulars, they now have a total membership of over 800, were very pleased and comments included : "This will make a very big difference before our holiday in the Alps" and " there is such a difference between the plastic and the real thing."

"This snow is very good and provides a more realistic surface than artificial snow I have tried indoors." Richard Hardingham, a senior Ski Club instructor continued: "The snow has compacted and already created small moguls to make turning much easier. Real snow creates a better grip on the mountain and supports leaning better. Even with 100 metres of snow or so it is very worthwhile for training. Potentially, this could be very good indeed for British competitive skiing as it would provide the opportunity for young skiers to train in realistic conditions. This is something the sport really needs."

One of our most promising young skiers was there on the day, Chemmy Alcott, the No.2 Ladies Slalom champion. Chemmy, who had taken a few hours off from swotting for "A" levels said: " This is a great innovation for British skiing the. I could do my training here without having to fly away at the weekend to train on snow. The plastic surface was a great innovation for beginners - but it's not like real snow."

Also enjoying the snow was Graham Bell Former British No1 Downhilll who, with his brother Martin, were England's strongest representation in Olympic and competitive downhill skiing in the late 90s. Graham was enthusiastic: " I’m really impressed - to ski on real snow in this country is fantastic. What is good about this surface is that it is just like real snow - my four-year-old son would love it."

Martin Bell had skied at the European launch of the Snowline^TM in June 1999 in Brussels when the temperature had been over 23°C.

One of the Nursery slopes lived up to its name as some tots from the local Marsh Primary School were invited up to enjoy the snow on ski-bobs.

The camera crews worked hard. There was a live feed on Carlton from the snow at lunchtime on the day, with interviews with Chemmy and Graham , BBC sport coverage on Friday. Later on Thursday evening reporter Emma Walden spoke live coming down the slope on the London Tonight programme: "This is wonderful, it is actually real snow with a soft landing unlike the hard plastic. Experts say it is like the real thing. This will make skiing accessible to all. It will be particularly good for groups of children. This will be a shot in the arm for British competitive skiing. Who needs Europe when you've got High Wycombe"

Wycombe Summit’s MD, Andrew Lockerbie explained that the use of the snow machine was a test: "This is the first time that an outdoor artificial slope in England has had a fully operational main slope with real snow on it. This is a great opportunity for our customers to ski and board on snow for just a short time. It is partly an experiment. If the Snowline machine proves to be the success we hope it will be we may well consider purchasing one so we can offer real snow all the year round."

Other trade interests were represented at the Open Day including those from the leisure centre industry and film and special effect users.

The Snowline^TM All Weather Snow Gun is manufactured in Nantes, France, by Frigofrance s.a. A technical summary is included Notes for Editors, below.

_____ end ____

Notes to Editors:

1. The Snowline^TM All Weather Snow Gun is distributed in the UK by

AFR Refrigeration Ltd,

Units 5 & 6, Delta Park, Smugglers Way,

London, SW18 1EG.

Tel: 0181 875 1999 Fax: 0181 875 0125/0124

    2. Technical Summary

Unlike existing snow making equipment which works only in sub-zero temperatures, the new Snowline^TM All Weather Snow Gun will produce snow in ambient temperatures of -5 °C to 30°C. It operates by mixing subcooled water with subcooled air, making up snow before discharge from the machine.

This technology has been successfully used in Japan since 1991 and has proven reliability over the years. These machines now make a total of more than 20,000 cubic metres of snow daily and Frigofrance s.a. have supplied the majority of these snow guns for the last two years.

Further details from:

E-mail: contact@geneglace.com

Anthony Lydekker

Lydekker & Partners

Hurlingham Studios

Ranelagh Gardens

London SW6 3PA

Tel: 0171 371 8663

Fax: 0171 371 8667

E-mail: lydekker@dial.pipex.com