Winter Olympian Jamie Nicholls celebrates importance of local sports facilities

Two-time Olympian Jamie Nicholls has paid tribute to vital local facilities such as Halifax Ski Slope for their key role in providing a platform for those inspired by the Winter Olympic Games to give snowsports a go.

The Yorkshire venue has become a hotbed of snowsport talent in recent years, with Beijing 2022 stars Katie Ormerod and Katie Summerhayes both training at the slope in their early careers.

Snowsports are so much more accessible than people may think, with many of the 200-plus clubs and facilities across the UK funded by The National Lottery.

And speaking at Halifax Ski Slope in support of Winter Olympic athletes and to celebrate National Lottery players' vital role in funding British talent, snowboard star Nicholls believes the facilities are vital in a country that does not boast as many natural winter venues as some of its Olympic rivals.

The 28-year-old, who himself grew up on the dry slopes of Yorkshire and competed at Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018, said: “They’re very important, and they are all dotted around the country.

“You only need to go on Google and search ‘my nearest slope to snowboard’ and I’m sure there’s one not too far away, whether that’s an indoor place or a dry slope.

“We’ve got The National Lottery doing an amazing job at funding these places and making sure the facilities are kept up to scratch and kept going. It’s there for people to get into.

“Snowsports have really kicked off in the UK. For a place without snow it’s amazing and we’ve got such a good group of athletes at the Olympics currently. I’d love to see that keep going.

“I want to be on the sofa when I’m retired and old, still looking back and thinking what we started is still going, and I’ll still be able to watch future