Bridget’s Adventures: Skiing in the city on a moving no-snow slope
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Forget layering. At this indoor skiing slope, you don’t need your beanies, masks, or even thick jackets.
Bridget Tan
SINGAPORE - I have never seen snow, and the prospect of falling headfirst into snow chills me.
So when I walked into Urban Ski at Millenia Walk, I was pleasantly surprised to realise that it was a comfortably cool environment, and no snow was in sight.
Instead, the adjustable ski slope is covered with a layer of nylon carpet that is sprayed with water to mimic the smoothness of snow.
The slope at Urban Ski, which opened in July 2015, is essentially a giant treadmill that simulate a downhill motion. I am told it's easier and better to learn skiing indoors, as feedback can be given immediately.
For a start, I was given tips on how to stand and hold onto the bar in front of me, but I definitely wasn't prepared for the sudden jerk when the slope began to move. Thank goodness I held on to the bar, tight.
In time, I recovered my composure, stayed on my feet and got the hang of skiing on the slope.
The tough part came at the snowboarding segment. Having both legs bound to a board made it extremely difficult to manoeuvre.
At the end of the 30-minute session, I felt like I had just done a full body workout, along with all the aches and pains.
