Scottish Indoor Ski Slope to Close Permanently

3rd October 2023

Last modified on October 4th, 2023

Following a review of the economic and environmental conditions of the ski slope Braehead Leisure Partnership, the owner of XSite, has announced the permanent closure of Snow Factor. UPDATED

Works will begin to remove the ski slope during Autumn 2023.

The rest of XSite will remain open throughout the process.

“With so many alternative entertainment and fun experiences for people of all ages on offer, XSite will continue to be a great place to visit,” said the owners in a stement.

“It has been a very difficult decision to make and the Braehead Leisure Partnership has concluded that the poor condition and age of the facility, combined with the dramatically increased running costs of this 17-year-old installation, make it unviable for us to support the slope as a commercial operation going forward,” said Matt Beddow, representing XSite Braehead.

“Moreover, the underlying environmental impact of keeping eight million litres of snow and ice – equivalent to three Olympic[1]sized swimming pools – at low temperatures is a significant sustainability concern for us all.

“We must now focus on the future.

“We are working on options to reopen this amazing space as a new and thrilling attraction with a broad appeal.

Since the closure of Snow Factor, Braehead Leisure Partnership and its advisors have been working with a team of experts to tackle a series of complex challenges and situations.

They were discovered after the former operator entered liquidation and when the slope was returned to the owner.

Image c/o Xsite Braehead

Here is the full statement:

‘During the initial investigations, concerns were raised by HSE Scotland regarding the operation of the ski slope, leading to the appointment of the Glasgow office of Arup – a global engineering and sustainability consultancy – to provide advice to the building owner.

‘Extensive tests concluded that, due to the age and composition of the ski slope, it has been deemed unviable and it is necessary to remove all of the existing snow and ice as soon as possible.

‘This complicated work has required a lot of planning and will start in the late Autumn of 2023, taking around three months to complete.

‘Braehead Leisure Partnership regard safety as its number one priority and will now progress forward as quickly and safely as possible having now liaised with all the relevant authorities.’

One of the main reasons for closure put forward is exceptionally high energy costs

The energy consumed (on average 5,900 kwh per day) is equivalent to the electricity that 800 two-bedroom houses will consume in a day (based on Ofgem data).

The cost of meeting this energy requirement has increased by 500% since 2021.

There are also longer term environmental concerns cited

“The longer-term environmental impacts of a building consuming this much energy are also of considerable concern,” said the owners.

“For context, maintaining the temperature of the ski slope uses the same energy as over 6,000 fridge freezers per day (Ofgem) and produces over 500 tonnes of CO2e per annum using current Government figures.

XSite Braehead continues to offer an array of entertainment and experiences for people of all ages, including an Odeon cinema, Tenpin bowling, Climbzone, Gravity Active, Paradise Island Adventure Golf and Laser Tag, along with shopping and a range of food and drink options.