Dame Kelly Holmes hits the slopes running

‘I’ve never even been on a ski lift before,’ admitted Dame Kelly Holmes after enjoying her first proper experience on real snow at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead.

Since retiring as a professional athlete the first British Olympian to win double gold has relished the freedom to have a go at a range of sports that might previously have interfered with her career on the track.

With plans to go skiing early next year she was keen to ensure a level of ‘snow confidence’ before hitting the slopes and booked lessons at The Snow Centre to help her feel more relaxed on skis.

Unsurprisingly Kelly proved a natural and progressed rapidly from the centre’s nursery slopes to taking the button lift to the top of the main 160m slope. As a ‘toe runner’ she found it easy to lean forward and adopt a positive skiing stance although she described skiing as ‘much more technical than running’.

Head of Snowsports, Pete Gillespie said, ‘Kelly’s obvious natural athletic skills combined with her ability to listen and act on instruction made her a delight to teach.’

And Kelly was full of praise for Pete’s skills in delivering the lessons, saying, ‘Pete’s a great instructor. Some people are good at what they do but simply can’t explain the technique to others.’

‘She added, 'As a beginner learning the basics in a controlled and safe environment would be of real benefit before hitting the slopes for real.' I have had a fantastic time learning a new sport and having never been to an indoor snow centre before I found it a great experience and it's definitely worth well doing. I would highly recommend it.’

As a Centre of Excellence The Snow Centre prides itself on offering the ‘best snowsports instruction this side of the Alps’ with 120 qualified instructors providing group or private lessons on the closest real snow to the centre of London. Currently The Snow Centre is offering Ski & Snowboard Days for adult beginners with six hours of tuition for £169 – or a course of four one and half hour lessons for the same price.

For details and bookings, visit thesnowcentre.com.