By Bianca Coleman
Cape Town - Global warming being what it is, our winters are becoming milder annually.
When the hankering for an icy experience hits, head off to the new Snow World activity park at GrandWest, Cape Town.
You may already be familiar with the similar slipping and sliding at Canal Walk during the summer holidays, but this one takes it all to a new level. There are multiple slides, snow tubing and snow boarding, a snow play area, Ice Age animals and an alpine village and ice bar for over-18s.
The snowboarding experience is a new one for South Africa and takes place inside what is essentially a giant freezer. We arrived en famille and my adventurous 16-year-old niece was keen to give it a try. Do note that numbers for the snow boarding are limited to six during every 45-minute session so reserve a spot to avoid disappointment.A compulsory lesson is included.
Jodi was whisked off to be kitted out with boots and a board. “Was she wearing that jacket before?” I asked her mom, at the same time noticing other riders who were going to be tubing on the adjacent slope were being given hooded ponchos. “Is it really that cold in there?” I asked one of the staff members. “Minus four degrees,” he said.
Seriously? Rider or not, I had to feel this for myself.
Turns out he wasn’t making it up and I had to put on my jersey. It’s genuinely chilly, but I doubt it bothers anyone who is whizzing down on a board or in a tube. Spectators are welcome inside the fridge, but there is also a viewing deck upstairs.
The instructors are hot young guys and help novice snow boarders as much as necessary. Jodi took to it like a natural, but I’m pretty sure she didn’t mind being caught by them at the bottom of the slope as she slid gracefully into their open, waiting arms.
The tubing slope is suitable for all ages and I know from previous experience it’s loads of fun. Separate from this cold room are the other activities - a solid 1.2m ice slide, a 40m spiral helter skelter and a 35m dipper slide. Animatronic Ice Age animals like a woolly mammoth and sabre-toothed tiger are part of an exhibition which provides information about them.
The alpine village and ice bar serve refreshments, including ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Fun Finder ran a story about N2Ice Cream Lab last year. You’ll find Snow World in what used to be the Magic Castle and you find it by going through the amusement arcade. Tickets are available at the door or through Webtickets. Snow World will be there until the end of July and can cater parties for all ages, or any private or corporate function.
Opening hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays 12pm-10pm, Fridays 12pm- pm, Saturdays 10am- 11pm, and Sundays 10am-9pm. Snow World is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except during school holidays. Sessions are sold in 45-minute blocks beginning at the top of the hour. A full access pass (including everything) is R140. A snow and ice rider pass (snow tubing in snow box, two ice slides, Ice Age animals, snow play area) is R120 a session. A mini-pass for one ice slide, snow play area and the animals is R60 and a non-rider pass is R50.
Weekend Argus