Ski Club of Manchester local skiing
We have regular ski meets at Manchester's indoor slope, Chill Factore. Some are purely social events while at others the club provides instructors on a fairly informal basis.
N.B. You must be a member of the Ski Club of Manchester to participate. It is possible to join on the day provided full payment is made. Details and application form here.
Check our events page for dates and times and join the mailing list for updates and reminders of meets.
It is up to each individual to book the slope for themselves in advance. SCoM members can get a 15% discount by presenting their membership card at "Guest Reception" when booking in person or with the discount code shown here when booking by telephone (0161 749 2222). Bookings can also be made online but do not benefit from the Club discount. However the summer Chill Factore Lift Pass discount of 20% is currently available when booking online.
SCoM Chill Factore minimum standards
As a pre-requisite for any of the Ski Club of Manchester, SCoM, bi-monthly sessions at the Chill Factore, members must meet the following minimum standards:
- Be able to control and link turns.
- Be able to control speed and direction.
- Be able to stop safely.
- Be comfortable with variable piste conditions.
- Be competent to use a drag lift to the top of the main slope.
More details on standards can be found on the Chill Factore website. These requirements apply to both instructed and non-instructed SCoM sessions.
If you cannot meet the minimum standards above, you will be asked to leave the slope and you must pay for your own lessons with a Chill Factore instructor. Only once you have achieved the minimum standards above will you be able to join any SCoM session.
Instruction
SCoM pay for the provision of Ski Instruction from the Chill Factore during the build-up to the ski season and throughout the winter months (September through to February). Typically three or four ski instructors are hired for our Tuesday morning sessions and one for Wednesday evening sessions.
Ski Mornings
Ski Mornings are usually every second Tuesday in the month. Book ahead directly with Chill Factore to be sure of a place on the slope. We also have Friday morning meets in October and November when there will be moguls on the slope. We'll have a single instructor on those days.
On the days where we provide coaching (September through to February) the instructors will be available from 10.00am to 12.00 noon. We all ski and chat (some can even do both together!!) and go for coffee or lunch afterwards.
Coffee shop — Costa Coffee — opens 9.00am.
Slope opens 7.30am.
Jennifer Bridgland will usually be there to meet and greet from about 9.30am.
Ski Evenings
Evening ski meets are usually every fourth Wednesday in the month from September to February. The Club provides an instructor from 7.00pm to 9.00pm for those who wish take advantage of free tuition. Again we go for a coffee, chocolate or beer afterwards.
Val Poole will usually be there to meet and greet from about 6.30pm.
News from the Chill Factore
Wednesday evening 28th November 2024. Reporter: Val Poole
A reasonable turnout, 7 members enjoyed excellent tuition from John Q, the slopes weren’t overly busy, just a little bumpy and icy in sections but nothing the fab 7 couldn’t handle.
We welcomed new member Alana.
Tuesday morning 12th November 2024. Reporter: Brian Allcock
18 members attended and four Chill Factore instructors. Because of this there was a maximum of 5 members or less per instructor, this made for great one to one instruction. Myself and three others were with Rowena, apologies if I misspelled that. This made for a very intense and useful session concentrating on balance and flexion. I think we all finished the session with lots to work on. Chatting to my friend Richard he skied with an instructor who worked on movement also giving an intense and useful session. All four sets reported interesting sessions.
The slope was in good condition with both lifts working so virtually no queues.
Coffee and stickies were taken at Costa Coffee.
Hope to see more members next month, don’t miss out.
Tuesday Morning 13th August 2024. Reporter: Janet Winstanley
There were 5 members attending the August morning session. Unfortunately, with only one Poma available, queuing was inevitable. It was not possible to have as many runs as a normal Tuesday morning session.
John Cook gave us all very useful advice on upper body positioning with pole less drills as an aid.
Tuesday Morning 9th April 2024. Reporter: Janet Winstanley
We enjoyed our first Tuesday morning session this April, on freshly groomed and very quiet slopes. The summer sessions, both morning and evening, are an excellent opportunity to maintain ski legs whilst the slopes are quiet. Plus, there is the added bonus of receiving advice from John Cook when he is available.
Please note that there are exceptions to the normal SCoM session dates for May due the slopes being closed for maintenance and hopefully the installation of new snow-making equipment.