Did you know that Carlton was home to one of the first dry ski slopes in the UK?
The slope was built during the late sixties on land near the Richard Herrod Centre in Carlton and remained a popular venue for birthday parties until the late 1990s.
The dry ski slope had a 20-metre vertical and was reportedly extended by 80 metres in length during its existence.
The slope peaked in popularity during the 70s and 80s and was heavily used during snowy weather when local kids would flock to the site with their makeshift sledges made from tea trays.
Sadly by the 1990s the slope was haemorrhaging cash and also required costly renovation work.
Its closure was proposed in 1999 and it was hoped that a consortium of snowboarding groups might take over the running of the slope but were unable to cover the costs.
A protest petition signed by 100 children, who used the ski slope for sledging, was handed in to the council but failed to save it from closure at the end of the last century.
Do you have memories of the Carlton ski slope? If so, let us know in the comments section. belwo
I used the slope many times when it first opened. If I remember correctly, the original slope was shorter and was extended (where the side railings are in the photograph) to give an extra ‘drop’. It certainly gave me the basics before venturing onto real snow. There was an Austrian employed to manage the slope. I think his name was Karl. Happy memories.
I had skiing lessons here in the 90’s. It wasn’t very popular so I was the only one there.
I learned to ski at Carlton Ski Centre in 1980 as a 10 year old as a participant on a school group from Ryhall Primary School in Rutland. It was a very clever scheme to introduce the students who had signed up for a school ski trip to Marreleva in the Italian Alps to learn the basics ahead of the trip. At that time, it was the basic 60 metre slope.
But the 3 x 1 hr lessons I had at Carlton gave me the basics to succeed on the snow in Italy. I was promoted to the lead group in Italy and on the chairlift and on main slopes from day 1!
I ended up representing East Midlands at National ski competition and I Certified to be a ski instructor and taught hundreds of people to ski at Tallington Artificial Ski Slope near Stamford, Lincolnshire.
I also taught both of my (now adult) daughters to ski, and they now book their own ski holidays! We live in Sydney, Australia !
Thank you Carlton Ski Slope! You started something that has endured!