Industry News
A $200 million indoor snow center is set to be built in Australia.
Winter Sports World (WSW) is being developed just west of Sydney, in a town named Penrith, along the banks of the Nepean River.
The new indoor snow center would be the first of its kind in Australia and be open year-round for training and fun. Australia’s neighbor, New Zealand, currently operates Snow Planet, the only indoor ski center in Oceania. There are several nearby indoor snow centers across Asia as well, in Indonesia, China, and Japan.
The proposed indoor ski slope would be 300 meters (1,000 ft) long with an approximate vertical drop of 151 ft. Activities other than skiing that are to be built include an ice skating rink, ice wall, and rock wall. A 170-room hotel would anchor the property, along with restaurants, bars, and cafes.
The project was first proposed in 2018 but finally seems to be gaining some momentum. Penrith’s city council sees the development as an economic boom for the area, with visitors coming from all over to enjoy year-round snow. The facility hopes to provide year-round training for Australia’s Winter Olympic team.
When I think of skiing in Australia, my mind drifts towards major ski resorts such as Thredbo and Perisher. While those ski resorts are roughly 5 hours from Sydney, the proposed Winter Sports World will be 30 minutes from the city center. Just like Big Snow outside of New York City, Winter Sports World has the potential to open up the sport to those who never have had access before.
If all goes well, development plans are set to be confirmed in 2021 with construction beginning soon afterward.
By Jove, these damned hipsters know how to suck the fun out of life… I’m gunna build a coal-fired power station to power this joint, and we’ll be holding the Coal-Rolling World Championships in the car park every week, just outside the steakhouse, beside the hunting lodge. Cheerio!
Seems like a very energy efficient, eco-friendly way to build a ski resort. How do you guys support stuff like this?
Commenting on energy use before hearing anything at all about how it plans to run… typical internet dwelling hippy
I love the environment, but yeah I agree. For all we know they could intend to use solar power for this. Australia has LOADS of sunlight, it would be a waste not to use it.
Completely Agree, with most of our energy currently coming from unsustainable resources I don’t know who though this was a good idea. Hopefully it will be a carpet, instead of snow making?