Olympic inspiration leads to a boost in beginner skiing and snowboarding enquiries
As the country goes ski and snowboard crazy following the exploits of British athletes in Sochi, the Ski Club of Great Britain say the phones have been buzzing with enquiries from people wanting to try skiing for the first time. The Ski Club’s dedicated team of experts is available to answer any questions new skiers and snowboarders may have; from enquiries about kit, equipment and instruction, to advice on which resorts to choose and skiing with a disability or special need.
In a commitment to help boost participation in snowsports the Club recently introduced Beginner Membership for those new to skiing and snowboarding. The new membership is tailored to complete beginners providing all the information, advice and discounts they need to get started on snow and progress throughout the year.
The recent burst of interest and enthusiasm for wintersports has also been observed by governing body Snowsport England who stated that outdoor ski and snowboard slopes and indoor snow centres have never been busier with people eager to give snowsports a go. Ski Club Beginner Membership complements GO SKI GO BOARD, Snowsport England’s national participation campaign focused on engaging more people in snowsports (www.goskigoboard.org.uk).
Ski Club of Great Britain Chief Executive, Frank McCusker said: “The phones don’t seem to stop ringing and we’ve observed spikes in visitor numbers to the Ski Club website (www.skiclub.co.uk), especially around the ‘learn to ski’ and ‘artificial slope’ information and advice pages. The aim of introducing a new membership was to make skiing and snowboarding more accessible for beginners. Market analysis** had shown that many were put off by the perceived cost of skiing or they just weren’t very familiar with the sport. Britain’s success and inspirational talent showcased at Sochi has moved wintersports into the spotlight and it’s great to see the associated buzz and lift in participation as people realise it’s not expensive to have a go. Ski Club discounts, dedicated information team and a vibrant community are all here to help maintain interest and involvement in the highly addictive world of snowsports.”
Individual Beginner Membership costs just £23* and allows access to hundreds of Ski Club discounts on holidays, travel, clothing, equipment, instruction and artificial slopes in the UK. Info & advice, resort pages, industry-leading snow reports and Ski Club TV are also valuable online resources at skiclub.co.uk for those just starting out.
Beginner Membership is available for one year. As skiers and snowboarders progress they will be able to upgrade their membership and take advantage of other Ski Club member benefits such as skiing with a Ski Club Leader and going on a Frestracks holiday. Beginner Family Memberships are also available for families learning to ski together.
More information is available at: skiclub.co.uk/beginner or call 0845 45 807 80
Ends
Please contact Vicky Norman, PR Manager Ski Club of Great Britain for more information:
vicky.norman@skiclub.co.uk / 07740 642 262
* Offer is only available to beginner skiers or snowboarders joining the Ski Club
for the first time, signing up with a Direct Debit.
**Visit Tirol research carried out by Opinion Matters between:
16 - 23 October 2012. Sample: 1535 UK Adults
The Club of Great Britain is a not-for-profit snowsports organisation which offers benefits to over 30,000 members. The Ski Club helps members get the most out of their snowsports with 100's of discounts on travel, kit and holidays; access to industry-leading snow reports; info & advice on all things wintersports-related and exclusive access to the Ski Club Leader service. Visit: skiclub.co.uk
Snowsport England is the national governing body for snowsport in England snowsportengland.co.uk or facebook.com/SnowsportEngland.
GO SKI GO BOARD is supported by funding from Sport England as part of Snowsport England Whole Sport Plan. Over £1.1 million is being invested in increasing participation into Snowsport England over the next four years. With the aim of increasing the number of people regularly skiing and snowboarding at facilities in England. This is the largest ever investment Sport England has made into Snowsport England. www.sportengland.org
The Tirol Tourist Board is the exclusive destination partner of GO SKI GO BOARD. For more information visit www.visittirol.co.uk
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