A significant investment in Tallington Lakes’ dry ski slope has seen the facility resurfaced with a state-of-the-art surface that will benefit anyone, from an expert in the sport to… well, to a novice magazine editor who had never seen a pair of skis in his life. This month we test both the new surface and the patience of the facility’s instructors, too!
Tell someone you’re going skiing in Lincolnshire and you’re likely to be met with derision. After all, the place is known for being as flat as a pancake, at least in the south of the county. But since the 1980s Stamford has been home to Tallington Lakes which – among its other watersports and leisure activities – offers an excellent ski experience recently enhanced with a brand new surface…
‘I must be missing something,’ I reasoned. Each year, colleagues, neighbours, clients, even my in-laws all excitedly report that they’ve booked their annual skiing holiday. Meanwhile I’d never even seen a pair of skis, let alone taken to a slope in this country or any other. Happily, Tallington Lakes’ Chas Shrosbree recently got in touch with Pride to report that the park had recently completed the installation of a brand new surface on its 120-metre dry slope. This, I reasoned, was the perfect opportunity to give the sport a go and find out what the fuss was all about.
Leaving the house in early December there was a final snarky comment from the present Mrs Davis to the fact that I’d return with a broken leg or two, whereupon her schadenfreude was replaced by the bitter realisation that with an incapacitated husband, Christmas would be ruined and she’d be waiting on me hand and foot for two weeks as I recuperated on the sofa with a barrel of sweets and a little bell to ring for a fresh cup of tea. The joke was no longer funny but fortunately for her, she needn’t have worried.
Whilst Tallington Lakes is very well appointed for those with more experience in the sport – a very well-stocked pro-shop, new obstacles for ambitious skiers – it’s equally well suited to catering for those who have never tried on a pair of skis… like me.
I was introduced to instructors Lotti Abbot-Christie and Matt Nicholson who assured me that even as a nervous novice, I could expect to see some progress after a taster session which would serve as a very condensed form of the tuition offered at Tallington.
Tallington Lakes is the site of a former gravel pit, which ceased operations in the 1970s and was subsequently purchased for redevelopment into a leisure facility covering just over 200 acres, much of which is taken up by the clear, spring-fed lakes which resulted from the site’s excavation.
A dry ski slope was created in 1987 and when the current owner took on the site in 2008, it was decided that more investment in the site could realise its potential.
As a result, Tallington Lakes – actually, its proper name is Activities Venture – Tallington Lakes or Tallington is a mere colloquialism – gained a climbing centre with 15-metre tower, plus provision for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and paddle boarding, zorbing and open-water swimming… all potential material for future features, but first I needed to get my ski legs.
Chas and the team are rightly proud of their new surface. It is, they reckon, the closest representation of skiing on real snow. Perhaps more importantly, though, is the fact that the surface is so advanced that it will benefit both enthusiasts and novices alike. It would be, Chas reckons, impossible to spend any amount of money and get a better surface than that which Tallington can now boast.
There are around 200 Snowsport England-affiliated places to ski in Britain – including Tallington – mostly clubs with dry slope facilities, but 10 outdoor facilities and about six indoor snow venues.
Tallington Lakes enjoys its position as the exclusive venue for winter sports within a radius of two or three hours. A venue in West Yorkshire offers ‘real’ indoor snow, whilst two additional centres in Norfolk and Hertfordshire provide a dry slope experience albeit without the swish new surface that Tallington can boast.
As for the merits of ‘real’ indoor snow, it’s still not exactly like the sort of snow you’ll encounter on the mountain, and the fact that you’re indoor remains an oppressive experience, at least according to the more experienced skiers I polled.
We reckon, then, that Tallington is not only the nearest but also the best quality experience for those seeking to gain a realistic grounding in winter sports, an opinion underwritten by Lotti and Matt who both learned to ski at Tallington at the age of four and 12 respectively and have each worked at the site instructing others for over five years. It was also lovely and sunny during our Friday afternoon visit, and actually, quite warm and pleasant.
“We teach groups or on a one-to-one basis and we’ve a mix of abilities from complete novices to fairly experienced people, or those who want to finesse a particular aspect of their abilities, for instance, transitioning from skiing to snowboarding or visa versa.”
“My youngest student is four years old, my most senior is in their 60s, and we have a mix of abilities right up to those who want to ski competitively.”
Lotti and Matt reckon that four sessions of tuition can see a novice make significant progress. First on the agenda is to familiarise a beginner with ski boots and the skis themselves, learning how to take them on and off.
This lesson also covers the art of walking, in skis, traversing the nursery slope sideways and establishing one’s self in the ski stance. Evidently it also covers listening carefully and learning from Lotti’s years of experience, as evidenced in my first tumble. Remember she said to put my weight forward and lean into my boots? Exactly that.
It seemed almost miraculous, but Lotti’s advice immediately turned a stumble into a graceful glide. Her patience, combined with sufficient professionalism to stifle giggles at a 43-year old man who suddenly finds himself unable to stand up is nothing short of transformative. Within minutes I’d just about managed to stand, walk and almost stop.
“Sliding down the nursery slope and stopping with the snowplough stance is the first and second lesson, alongside a general feeling of getting used to the sensation,” says Lotti.
“In a second lesson we’d introduce the lift, and get up onto the main slope, turning down into it and practising stopping.”
“By a third lesson we’d expect someone to be controlling direction and speed, turning and knowing a few warm-up exercises. It’s also the point at which we’d introduce poles.”
“We consider that recreational level skiing, and beyond that point it’s finessing skills, using the plough-parallel, Stem Christie and parallel turns, and increasing confidence.”
A natural? Hardly. But as a clumsy novice I really can’t praise highly enough the absolute patience and professionalism of Lotti and Matt and it’s easy to see why thousands of visitors enjoy Tallington’s winter sports facilities and its watersports each year.
“Generally speaking once people discover skiing they’re hooked,” agree Lotti and Matt. “There’s something about it which is liberating, perhaps the way you have to combine the physical movement with the mental challenges it presents.”
“Even we’re always learning, and I suppose it’s a bit like driving a car, where some aspects become automatic but you’re always in a sort of meditative mindset, concentrating on what you’re doing to the exclusion of anything else.”
“It’s also one of the few sports that you can enjoy socially, and pursue alongside family and friends irrespective of age.”
“We’re biased, says Lotti, “I’ve been skiing here from the age of four and working here for years, so it’s natural that I have an enthusiasm for the place, but to introduce Tallington itself and snowsports generally to others is really very enjoyable! I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather work… or ski!”
Find Out More: Tallington Lakes provides winter sports including skiing and snowboarding and climbing plus water activities like waterskiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, kayaking and windsurfing. It’s also home to lakeside lifestyle homes. Call 01778 347000 or see www.tallington.com.
