Tag: Sochi

Hit The Slopes This Summer

SteveGeneral / Snowsports

Freestyle SkierIf the exploits of Team GB at the Sochi Winter Olympics have got you interested in learning to ski or snowboard then why not hit the slopes this summer to learn the basics ready for a ski holiday in Andorra next winter!  The team at Chill Factore in Manchester, the UK’s longest indoor real-snow slope, have put together an interesting infographic showing the benefits of training in Britain.

If you see yourself as the next Jenny Jones then you can also look at www.goskigoboard.org.uk which is a website from Snowsports England to help you find out where you can get involved in skiing and snowboarding. (more…)

Background to Sochi

SteveSnowsports
The Sochi mascots sitting in the snow

Man carrying the Olympic torch for SochiRussians have always known Sochi as a holiday resort city on the Black Sea, about as far to the south-west as you can get in this enormous country. It also has the distinction of being one of the world’s longest cities at 145 kilometers in length. For an idea of scale, that would be like Blackpool stretching from the southern Lake District to Rhyl, or Brighton stretching from Portsmouth to Hastings. The length has been the result of growth and the amalgamation of neighbouring seaside towns.

This one-dimension spread isn’t merely because of a love of the sea air, however. There are only a few miles between the shores and the foothills of Western Caucasus, and that doesn’t leave much room to build on – except by spreading outwards. The mountains are also, of course, key to Sochi’s successful bid – because in the winter months they almost always get a healthy coating of beautiful, deep snow. (more…)