| Winter sports fans are usually fashionable types, | | | | countries where outdoor skiing or snowboarding is |
| seeking new ventures and experiences to satisfy | | | | very rarely possible. The history of indoor real snow |
| their adventurous outlook on life, so many are not | | | | slopes does go back many years in the far east |
| happy with returning to same ski resort every year. | | | | countries such as China and Japan. They seem to |
| They are always on the lookout for new ski areas, | | | | have had their time though as far as large complexes |
| developing regions, even new countries to visit and | | | | are concerned, perhaps because the size of the |
| try out their skills. Over recent years the typical ski | | | | potential customer market was never big enough to |
| resorts in France, Italy, Germany and Austria have | | | | support the bigger complexes that were built. In |
| come up against a stock of new opposition when it | | | | Japan the SSAWS (Spring Summer Autumn Winter |
| comes to attracting skiers to their slopes. These | | | | Snow) which was also known as the LaLaport |
| suggestions are just a few of the new possibilities | | | | SkiDome, comprised a massive 100m high structure |
| that are now open to skiers prepared to try out | | | | enclosing a slope of 500m yet closed down in 2002 |
| somewhere new. | | | | after operating for nine years. The centre was only |
| Indoor ski centres are a completely new alternative | | | | able to attract a fraction of the number of visitors it |
| and since their inception just a handful of years ago, | | | | needed to operate profitably. |
| have been proving very popular, particularly in | | | | |