The Midlothian Snowsports Centre, formerly the Hillend Ski Centre, is the second longest

dry ski slope A dry ski slope or artificial ski slope is a ski slope that mimics the attributes of snow using materials that are stable at room temperature, to enable people to ski, snowboard or snow tube in places where natural, snow-covered slopes are inc ...

in Europe, situated near Hillend near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, South East Scotland. It is a national training centre for Scottish Olympians, with 29 having been trained there as of 2010, including

Finlay Mickel Finlay Mickel (born 6 December 1977) is a Scottish skiing coach and former downhill skier who competed in World Cup competitions 2000–2009 and the 2006 Winter Olympics. Downhill skier Mickel was born on 6 December 1977 in Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

, a former British number one downhill skier. Being just outside the Edinburgh City limits to the south of the city beyond the southern bypass road and in the shadow of the

Pentland Hills The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale. Etymology The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...

, the centre is operated by

Midlothian Council Midlothian Council is the local authority for Midlothian, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, covering an area immediately south of the city of Edinburgh. The council is based in Dalkeith. Since the last boundary changes in 2017, eighteen co ...

. It is used for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

snowboarding Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...

and snowblading, and social use includes lessons for adults and children occurring all year round. An outdoor facility, all runs are made of matting that is suitable for use all year round, and

floodlighting A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...

allows the slopes to be used in the evenings. A misting system ensures the slopes remain lubricated to increase speed and to create a more realistic surface. It has two main slopes, both of which are accessed from the top of the long tow and chairlift. It also houses a 20m nursery slope next to the café 360, two combined 20m nursery slopes positioned next to a premium tubing set-up which both include magic carpet style uplifts, and also a jump slope. Uplift to the main slopes is provided by a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. They ...

and two

button lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

History

In October 1966, plans were announced to use the artificial ski slope at Hillend for a scheme to select candidates for ski instructor courses. In 2010, the centre faced closure due operating at a loss and with Midlothian Council facing funding shortages. In March 2010, with losses of half a million pounds a year, and with fewer than 20% of the centre's users coming from Midlothian, a five-month cost-cutting plan was implemented, with the council due to consider either sale or lease by August 2010. A

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

group campaigning to save the centre attracted 26,000 members. The council duly agreed a plan to keep the centre open, involving £600,000 of investment being spent on it by

Sportscotland Sportscotland (officially styled sport), formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland. The Scottish Sports Council was established in 1972 by royal charter. The body works in partnership with public, pri ...

, and the sale of

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

land near the site to developers. In 2019, Midlothian Council applied for planning permission to extend use of the site, hoping to add leisure facilities such as a zipline, alpine coaster and soft play, as well as tourist accommodation, retail and restaurants.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8511534.stm , title=Olympic effort to save Midlothian ski slope , publisher=BBC News , date=2010-02-12 , accessdate=2010-02-12 {{cite news , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8574130.stm , title=Cost-cutting plans for ski slope , publisher=BBC News , date=2010-03-18 , accessdate=2010-08-27 {{cite news , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-11108620 , title=Deal to save Hillend dry ski slope backed , publisher=BBC News , date=2010-08-27 , accessdate=2010-08-27

External links

Official website
Geography of Midlothian Ski areas and resorts in Scotland Sports venues in Midlothian