A new indoor snow centre has been proposed for the city of Penrith in New South Wales, Australia, about 30 miles west of Sydney.
Detailed plans for the $200 Aus ($130m) Wintersports World (WSW) have been put forward for a centre with a 300 metre long indoor snow slope with a 46 metre vertical on a 2.35ha site with the developer projecting 231,000 people visiting the centre by 2025 with the ‘Adventure Capital of NSW’ appealing to both local western Sydney residents and domestic and international tourists.
Local developer Peter Magnisalis told regional media that, “Underpinning this concept is an indoor ski centre with a ski slope designed to be one of the top 10 high performance training centres in the world.”
Along with the main slope the complex will include an 80 metre beginner slope, a snow play area, ice skating rink; ice climbing and rock climbing areas and fitness facilities. There would also be a 170 bed hotel, function centre, cafes, restaurants and bars.
WSW’s structure has been designed by sustainable architects Environa Studio and would aim to be carbon neutral. The facility would also be used as a year round training centre for Australian snowsports athletes.
Mr Magnisalis is believed to have submitted a planning application to local authorities and hopes that construction will commence soon, be completed by 2020 and the venue open by 2021. It has not been reported whether finance is in place for the development if approved.
Australia was home to one of the world’s first three ‘modern era’ indoor snow centres. Mt Thebarton, later re-named Snowdome Adelaide, opened its prototype indoor snow slope in 1987 and it operated for 18 years before shutting down in 2005. Laster a second Australian indoor snow slope operated at a theme park on the Gold Coast but no indoor snow centre is known to be operating in the country at present.
