Winter Olympic hero Jenny Jones to launch snowsport club for youngsters

Olympic medallist snowboarder Jenny Jones will launch a new snowsports club aimed at 11-18 year olds in Southampton next week.

Located at Alpine Snowsports – a facility operated by leisure charity Active Nation – the Snowsports Club will give young people the opportunity to experience skiing or snowboarding for the first time. For those with previous experience, the club will offer taster sessions in ski racing and freestyle.

Launching on 30 October, all sessions will be led by fully qualified instructors and will run alongside race and freestyle demonstrations from the experts.

The club will form part of a national initiative run by Snowsport England – called “30 Days of Snowsport” – designed to celebrate the start of the winter season.

Hayley Walker from Active Nation said: "The Snowsports Club is aimed at giving 11-18 year olds the chance to try snowsports, continue their participation in a fun, safe environment."

The success of Team GB at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games has led to increasing interest in Britain’s dry slope and indoor snow centres.

Team GB's performance has also lead to increased funding for the sport. British Ski and Snowboard, the sport’s national governing body, was awarded £4.89m by UK Sport over the next four-year Olympic cycle – a significant increase from the previous £1.51m allocated to snowsports.