Indoor skiing to brush up on your black run skills

IF DECIDING to take the plunge, shun the summer break in guaranteed sunshine and book our first family skiing holiday seemed like the easy bit, trying to make the prospect come alive for the whole family was more of a test.

"You will love it," I said. The subdued chorus of: "Why, Dad?" was not quite what I'd hoped for. It was then I began to count back. Fiona and I had learned to ski, when, about ... 1986? Over 20 years ago? Did we still know how? And would a day trip to Glenshee infuse us all with confidence or not?

Thankfully, there was another, more convenient answer in SNO!zone at Xscape. I had heard of the indoor ski slope, trumpeted as the UK's longest at 200m, but it was only once we arrived at Braehead to the west of Glasgow that I appreciated this was indeed 'real' snow, pumped across the slope during the night then flattened before the skiers and snowboarders arrive.

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It has so far attracted millions of visitors, now being categorised by VisitScotland as a four-star attraction, but we went on a Sunday afternoon and it was the perfect time for a family introduction, which started with some sledging and general messing around on the snow, getting the girls in the mood and easing the shock of the plunging temperature (minus 4C, but it felt lower).

The introductory lessons for the children took place on a nursery slope and, while the friendly and relaxed instructor spoke of moving on to the big slope, the girls were quite happy building up their confidence there. It did not take long for Fiona and myself to find our skiing feet - she would accept that it is a bit liking riding a bike if it wasn't for the fact she has never liked bikes since a succession of childhood accidents.

But we progressed surprisingly quickly to eventually enjoying great runs down from the top, with instruction and without. It was great, too, to enjoy a bit of fun together knowing the children were having a ball on the nursery slopes, where we could see them.

The other thing I liked, and must help beginners, is that we didn't all have our ski gear yet, so while Xscape has some good ski shops on hand, we were able to hire equipment and clothes as part of the session (apart from gloves).

It all did the trick. SNO!zone eased worries about our first family holiday on the slopes. We enjoyed last winter's sledging, but the verdict was that this was a more fun way to try out different snowsports - a hilarious penguin came out to sledge with the girls, and we all had a shot of the 'rockets' and the inflatable ring on the ice slides.

And rather than come off a Scottish hillside and into the car, we were able to dry off, warm up and within minutes be sitting in one of the many restaurants, where children eat free. We didn't go to the cinema or the ten-pin bowling alley and neatly dodged the laser games, but did succumb to the climbing wall and aerial assault course.

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That may not feature in our first family skiing holiday, but everyone is now at least talking about hitting the slopes with an enthusiasm I believe is real. With the money that has been spent, that is reassuring.

www.snozoneuk.com; www.xscape.co.uk

This article was first published in Scotland On Sunday, 14 November, 2010