One of Scotland’s and the world’s longest established dry ski slopes, at the Loch Insh outdoor activity centre in the Cairngorms National Park, is reported to have surpassed its £45,000 crowdfunding goal required to resurface its slope.

The Loch Insh dry slope was first installed in 1988 by the Freshwater family behind the outdoor activity centre. The family have been involved with the development of skiing and snowsports instruction in Scotland since the late ’60s; Clive Freshwater was a founding member of BASI and chairman from 1967 – 1979, helping create the foundations of the organisation it is today, training and grading snowsports instructors giving avenues into employment all over the world. It was he who had the Loch Insh dry slope in 1988, and in the 35 years since has seen it become ever more  vital in meeting the needs of visitors and locals as snow on the mountain has become less reliable while also offering a year-round opportunity to learn snowsports.

The announcement was made by Proslope, who will be supplying their Proslope Synthetic Surface for the upgrade.

“By upgrading from their old existing Dendix ski surface, Loch Insh are embracing the future of outdoor skiing here in the UK. This decision reflects their commitment to providing their visitors with the highest quality ski experience, and we couldn’t be prouder to be a part of their journey,” a Proslope spokesperson said, adding, “The positive response from the crowdfunding campaign demonstrates the strong support for not only Loch Insh as a destination, but also for Proslope and the demand for our next-generation synthetic ski surfaces in the market.”

Regional government development body Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are seeking to match the final crowdfunded total meaning that Loch Insh are on target to raise more than £90k towards this project