To Resurface & improve gradient of Loch Insh slope

Aim: We need your help to replace our ageing artificial ski slope with a new, extended, state-of-the-art and climate-ready facility.

Our New Quest for Snowsports at Loch Insh

Loch Insh is a family business built by the Freshwaters offering Watersports and snowsports experiences in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park. To meet the growing needs of the local community and the increasing number of visitors to the valley, we need your help to raise £ 55'000 to replace our ageing artificial ski slope with a new, extended, state-of-the-art and climate-ready facility. We are crowdfunding for this project as we have been awarded grant funding from Highland and Island Enterprise, which we need to match funds through fundraising, not revenue.

To create everlasting memories for generations to come, we aim to improve the slope gradient, enabling more turns and much more fun! 

• We want to replace the old surface with the latest technology to make learning safer and easier. 
• We want movable freestyle features to open up the slope to more intermediate riders previously not catered for, aligning with the demands of today's young skiers and boarders. 
• We aim to install sprinkler technology to make our surface feel as good in the summer months as it does when it's covered with snow. 
• Finally, if we reach our stretch target, we hope to afford an upgraded "magic carpet" lift system to help make skiing and boarding more accessible and inclusive to all. 

The renewed dry ski slope will feed year-round grassroots ski and snowboard coaching for the whole area giving the Highlands the same access opportunities as the successful slopes in Aberdeen and the central belt, giving youngsters in the highlands a chance to access their passion for snowsport year-round.

But all this costs money…

The story of Loch Insh Dryslope

Since Loch Insh was established in 1969, we have worked to showcase all the joy and excitement that can be experienced in the pristine natural environment of the Scottish Highlands and educate the importance of protecting it for today and tomorrow. After all, the best way to educate people about environmental challenges is to get people out there because we all protect what we love. Our new slope will give many more people the perfect first step into snowsports and offer more of a challenge to nurture interests into a passion year-round. Opening the door for long-lasting memories for generations of families, using the outdoors and nature to connect in the most natural way.

You already know that we offer Watersports and Adventure at Loch Insh. Perhaps you don't know the Freshwater 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. Clive added the loch insh dry slope in 1988, which has been vital in meeting the needs of our visitors and locals as snow on the mountain has become less reliable and offers a year-round opportunity to learn snowsports. Now we want to do more.

For many, skiing and snowsports are their first taste of the mountain environment. We see each session the sheer unbounded pleasure learning to slide brings to everyone, especially young people. We want to introduce more people, locally and for our many visitors, to the world of snowsports at Loch Insh and give them an amazing (as close to snow as we can make it experience) which is why the upgrade is needed and why we are asking for your help.

Creating a Climate-ready facility to continue creating memories for generations… 

We plan to make this a year-round destination for local and tourism markets when this project is complete. There will be club nights for the local community, and we will carry on increasing skiing and snowboard lessons to local and UK schools and groups to inspire the next generation into snowsports. Attracting visitors to learn to ski and board will extend our season and deliver more visitors to the local areas throughout the year, securing more jobs within our business and locally as we target traditionally down times of the year from October to April, Creating memories for generations of families, educating and being climate-ready is a core part of our offer and will be at the heart of everything we do.

But all this costs money…

Smiles for Tiles

We will only be able to do this with your kind assistance. If you love snowsports in the Cairngorm National Park, we would be delighted if you could contribute now to our fundraising efforts.

Every penny you contribute will be matched up to 55k, so you are literally giving double, which means we can deliver more for the local community, attract more visitors, generate more smiles and make more people care about the priceless and pristine environment that we all love. Thank you in advance for supporting our quest.

How we would like to ‘Thank You’

• £20 -1 hour on the ski slope once completed
• £50 -  2x 1 hour on the ski slope once completed, 2 x Loch Insh T-shirts 
• £100 - 2 x summer 1-day activity tickets 
• £125 - 5 x 1hr group snowsport instruction on the new proslope min age 3
• £150 - One Founder Proslope Tile, Name on a Founder plaque on founders area, Founder tile - covers the cost of a whole proslope tile but won't be individually identified.
• £200 - 1 x 12 month season pass for slope, does not include snowsport hire. 
• £300 - 4 x summer 1-day activity day tickets including jungle float; 2 x Loch Insh T-shirts; 
• £1000 - 1 x off peak 1-week stay for up to 4 people in a company-owned chalet; Family 2-day activities ticket including jungle float;
• £1500 - 1 x off peak 1-week stay for up to 4 people in a company-owned chalet; and Family 5-days activities ticket including jungle float; and A two-course meal for up to 4 people in the Boathouse Restaurant including a bottle of Prosecco;
• £1,650 - Corporate Proslope Tiles (Limited edition to ten Corporate Founders) - Strip of tiles (corporate) - covers the cost of a whole strip of proslope tiles but won't be individually identified. Corporate Founders plaque; Advertising banner on side of slope for first year
• £5,000 - 5 x off peak 1-week stays for 4 people in a company-owned chalet; and 10 x summer 1-day activity day tickets including jungle float to share with your team; Your brand / logo listed on our social media images and on our published contributor list on our website. 
• £10,000 - 8 x off peak 1-week stays for 4 people in a company-owned chalet; and 10 x summer 1-day activity day tickets including jungle float to share with your team; Your brand / logo listed on our social media images and on our published contributor list on our website 
• £15,000+ -10 x off peak 1-week stays for 4 people in a company-owned chalet; 20% off for your company’s staff members when booking accommodation direct throughout 2024; Your brand / logo listed on our social media images (related to crowdfunding) and on our published platinum contributor list on our website. OR Your company team building weekend or conference at Loch Insh with use of the Ptarmigan Dome; Teas & Coffees; and activity day tickets for use on the same day for up to 25 delegates, including Jungle Float; 20% off for your company’s staff members when booking accommodation direct throughout 2024; Your brand / logo listed on our social media images and on our published contributor list on our website.

Smiles for Tiles!

This project successfully funded on 8th April 2023