May 16 2024

Scotland's sole indoor ski slope is to be turned into an ekarting rink amidst concerns by its new owners over safety, repair costs and an enormous energy bill.

Braehead Leisure Partnership, owners of XSite, have enlisted interior designers Ward Robinson (now part of Ryder Architecture), to overhaul the cavernous space, reconfiguring it for the change in use while retaining the current bar and service areas.

In a statement, Phil Pritchett, director of Pritchett Planning Consultancy, wrote: "There have been several changes within the building since its inception. However, the ski slope has remained since the outset until its closure in 2022 due to safety, ongoing maintenance, and repair considerations as well as the sustainability of operating a real snow indoor ski slope which requires 5900kwh of energy to run every day which is unsustainable.

"The reuse of the vacant ski slope is essential for the future well-being of the XSite centre which requires the replacement of the former anchor use in the building to support the creation of new jobs and the long-term viability of the centre."

The 63,733sq/ft go-kart rink will re-use existing services with no external modifications required. 

4 Comments

#1 Posted by Tammy Scoosh on 16 May 2024 at 12:25 PM

It's already been emptied so it's hardly a slope anymore, just a tall shed. I'm surprised it didn't stack up as a business as it's so central, but hey-ho, lets see if go-karting is better.

#2 Posted by Mark on 16 May 2024 at 21:55 PM

I'm glad it's going to be used for something but it's no ski slope. I'm convinced the reason it failed was the website - I checked it a few times over the years and only saw info on lessons - I was convinced they didn't have open sessions until a friend corrected me... right before they closed. What a waste.

#3 Posted by Patrick Thorne on 17 May 2024 at 07:04 AM

On the energy cost side, whilst I'm sure its true costs are high, all of the other 100+ indoor snow centres around the world are still trading (incl 5 in England), some have covered their roofs in solar panels and are 100% self sufficient and in some cases export excess energy to the grid to make money, so it is doable...

#4 Posted by gaga on 19 May 2024 at 14:23 PM

Skiing is a bit middle class for glasgow anyway

Post your comments