Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Great views, great fun, great facilities |
| Disadvantages: |
Can be a bit expensive |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I have written various reviews about Llandudno, the town itself, the Great Orme, the Tramway and the Copper Mines to be specific. I am very proud of my new home town as you will see in these reviews and so I thought I would tell you about the ski slope that we have here.
The Llandudno Ski & Snowboard Centre is owned and run by John Nike Leisuresport.
It is situated on the Great Orme about 415 feet above sea level so before you even begin to think about skiing, snow boarding etc. you have a fantastic view of Llandudno Bay and the Irish Sea.
The facilities at the centre consist of a 200 metre ski slope and training slopes which have all recently been laid with a Perma Snow surface, a 750 metre 'Cresta Ride' toboggan run, an Alpine Adventure golf course, and Austrian style Alpine Bar and restaurant and free parking.
Courses are offered in skiing and snowboarding and there are also sno tubing sessions on offer with 'combo' tickets available for certain activities.
The web site for the centre www.llandudnoskislope.co.uk and it gives al the information about prices, opening times etc. I will try and give you a flavour for the centre in this review without going into too much detail about the times and prices as there are that many different variations available I will bore you all silly by the end of the review!
Who said 'No change there then?' LOL!
The centre is open from 10am to 10pm throughout the year.
You are required to wear long trousers, a long sleeved top and gloves when skiing or snowboarding on the slopes.
Skiing
The ski slope is available for open practice and costs £13 per session for adults and £10 per session for under 16's; this includes the hire of the skis. To use the ski slope is this way you must be Level 4 or above in your skiing proficiency.
There are various lessons available from individual tuition which can be purchased one lesson at a time or in blocks of lessons to save money to group lessons offering the chance to learn specific skills such as turning, controlling speed etc. There are also gift boxes available containing 3 x i.5 hour lessons, a disposable camera, certificate, badge and a skill level card. You can train here to become a skiing instructor and they even do lessons for tots from 4 years old! Ah, bless!
There is also an Alpine Ski Club which costs £25 for an adult and gives you a discount on selected lessons, open skiing and Leisuresport World goods.
Snow Boarding
Again there are various different lessons and free time available together with a Snow Boarding Club giving a range of discounts. You need to be at level C or above to take advantage of the Snow Boarding sessions.
Sno Tubes
These look great fun! They are large inflatable rings which you sit in to slide down the ski slope either alone or linked to others. The minimum age for this is 4 years old and sensible shoes must be worn - no heels or open toed shoes! This costs £6 for half an hour or £5.50 if you are in a group of ten or more. I haven't tried this but I have to say that I would like to!
Toboggan Run
This is the one that I have had a go on! I haven't tried skiing or snow boarding as I am not good with heights. I tried skiing on nursery slopes at Telford many years ago and it terrified me! My descriptions of the skiing and snow boarding have been based partly on the web site and partly from watching the participants when we have been up to the centre.
The toboggan costs £4.50 for two rides or £4 if you are in a group of 10 or more. Children must be aged 4 or over to ride and children between 4 and 7 years old must ride with an adult of over 16 years of age, and the child rides free.
This ride is open from 10am until dusk each day but is weather dependant so if the weather is bad it won't be available.
You sit in the toboggan and are pulled by cable up to the top of the 750 metre run where you are deposited in the run and gravity takes its course! There is a brake in the front of the toboggan which you pull or push depending on whether you want to slow down or speed up.
There are many twists and turns on the way down the side of the Orme and there are warning notices to tell you to slow down. I have to confess that the first time I tried this I took the warning notices somewhat too literally and went down the run very slowly but I speeded up with my next try!
I really did enjoy this and it is especially fun if the sheep are grazing around the run! I t seems really odd to be on what amounts to a fairground ride whizzing past sheep!
Alpine Adventure Golf
This is a small 9 hole course for all the family to enjoy. It costs just £3.50 for a round or £3 if you are in a group of 10 or more.
Alpine Lodge
From the lodge you have a lovely view of Llandudno Bay and also of the ski slopes, toboggan run and golf course.
This is decorated in typical Alpine style with lots of wood and sells a wide range of alcohol and sort drinks as well as tea, coffee etc.
There is always a light menu available and they can cater for conferences, parties, lunches and dinners.
The thing I must stress if you visit the Alpine Lodge - there is one of my RNLI collecting boxes on the bar so do put a coin in it for me won't you?
There are many different packages available from parties including food and one or more of the facilities out on the slopes to Ski and coffee mornings and fondue nights.
In Conclusion
Even though I haven't actually skied here I always enjoy my visits whether it is to empty our RNLI box and watch others having fun or to have a go on the toboggan run.
The easiest way to find the place is to head for the Great Orme in Llandudno and follow the signs - it is a bit difficult to explain exactly how to get to the centre. You can see the white slope of the centre as you walk along the sea front so that gives you an idea of the direction in which you will be heading to find it.
The phone number is 01492 874707 and the address is as follows:
Llandudno Ski Centre
John Nike Leisuresport Complex
Great Orme
Llandudno
LL30 2QL
This review has also been posted on Dooyoo.
