The man who skied the distance of London to California without ever leaving Manchester’s Chill Factore has been given the opportunity to ski on a mountain for the first time in his life.
Downhill Dave, has until now never been on a mountain, despite being a seasoned skier for three and a half years.
The 57-year-old ski and snowboarding fan – whose real name is Dave Knowles – skis every day and has accumulated an incredible 5146 miles.
Dave, a Manchester taxi driver, has racked up the incredible distance all at Manchester-based Chill Factore, the UK’s longest indoor real snow slope. Until now.
Mr Knowles said: “I caught the bug after a skiing lesson at Chill Factore three and a half years ago and I’ve never looked back.
“I’ve never skied anywhere except Chill Factore and I can’t quite believe how lucky I am that Alpine Elements have been so kind as to offer me a free skiing trip to the French Alps.
“I can’t wait to go and put all those hours of practice at Chill Factore to good use on a real mountain.”
Dave, who jets off on his first foreign skiing trip this March, has completed an astonishing 46,008 runs down the Chill Factore slope – the equivalent of skiing down Mount Everest 100 times.
The opportunity arose after tour operator Alpine Elements saw his story and offered Dave an all-expenses paid week-long holiday in the hugely popular French ski resort, Morzine, as a reward for his dedication.
James Hardiman, the Managing Director of Alpine Element, said: “We know what a great feeling it is to ski and snowboard on the pistes and when we heard about Dave’s dedication to Chill Factore, we wanted him to experience this for himself.
“We are delighted to be able use our expertise to offer Dave the opportunity to fulfill a dream.”
Morwenna Angove, Chill Factore chief executive, said: “Dave has become a very accomplished skier since he’s been coming here and is a bit of a legend among staff.
“We are delighted for him that this offer has been made and he can finally see what skiing down a real mountain is like.
“But he’ll be back here on the slope at Chill Factore as soon as he gets back, he’s assured us.”
