Scotland's only indoor ski slope to close permanently at Xsite Braehead

Scotland's only indoor ski slope is closing permanently after investigations found it to be "unviable".

The venue had endured a turbulent few months - Snow Factor announced it would close until further notice after the company went into liquidation last year.

It claimed to be home to the longest indoor slope in the UK and offered various winter sports activities including ice climbing, skiing and snowboarding.

Failed attempts of revival

An online petition was started earlier this year by a group of concerned parents, who were urging new owners to come forward.

READ MORE: Group calls to reopen Scotland's only indoor ski slope at XSite Braehead

However, bosses representing the attraction say the poor condition, age and increased running costs make the slope unviable.

Work will begin this autumn to remove the slope, but Xsite Braehead will remain open during the process.

'A very difficult decision'

Matt Beddow, representing XSite Braehead said: “It has been a very difficult decision to make and the Braehead Leisure Partnership has concluded that the poor condition and age of the facility, combined with the dramatically increased running costs of this 17-year-old installation, make it unviable for us to support the slope as a commercial operation going forward.

"Moreover, the underlying environmental impact of keeping eight million litres of snow and ice - equivalent to three Olympic sized swimming pools - at low temperatures is a significant sustainability concern for us all.

Options for reopening

He added: “We must now focus on the future.

"We are working on options to reopen this amazing space as a new and thrilling attraction with a broad appeal.

"In the meantime, we continue to attract loyal visitors from across the region and the site has enjoyed a record summer of footfall, with blockbuster movie releases and a host of family-friendly free events contributing to one of its busiest-ever summers.

"I look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks and of course, we will keep XSite’s visitors and the local community fully updated on this journey.”

'Really disappointing news'

Writing on Facebook, Gavin Newlands MP said: "Really disappointing news this morning about the XSite Braehead indoor ski slope.

"I can’t say it’s come as a huge surprise given the sharp rise in energy costs since the site closed.

"It will come as hammer-blow to all of the users who came from all over to use the slopes, so its closure has a regional and national impact as well as a local one.

"The owners have promised that an exciting new destination attraction will take its place in the near future that will support more jobs than the ski slope.

"I will keep in touch with the management company to find out more details on this when I can."

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