“Malibu. The North Shore. Dolgarrog. A tiny village eight miles from the north Wales coast is the last place you’d expect to rank among cradles of surf culture. Yet work has just begun on the world’s first commercial Wavegarden, Surf Snowdonia.
The International Surfing Association is calling it “a historic moment that will revolutionise our sport”. Sounds too crazy? We decided to investigate…”
Read the full original article at Mpora.com
Surf Snowdonia Infographic by Mpora
Who’s Behind It?
Martin Ainscough, a serial entrepreneur who also owns the UK’s largest crane hire company.
Last year he heard about the Wavegarden, a prototype wave pool in north Spain, and decided it was just the job for a derelict aluminium smelting site he had bought near Conwy in Wales.
Having won over locals with the audacity of the £12m ($19.5m USD) Surf Snowdonia project as much as the promise of jobs, surfing’s first fun park is scheduled to open next summer.
“We’re not just producing a surfers’ paradise,” says Steve Davies, CAL’s managing director. “This will have quality restaurants, a coffee shop, an indoor children’s play building, a Total Wipeout-style pool and accommodation.”
Not all of the predicted 75,000 visitors a year will be surfers. Steve adds: “For the first time, people will be able to see surfers close-up. Now, the general public either see black dots on the horizon from the beach or see it on TV.
“Here, they will be able to sit with a coffee and watch a surfer actually go past from left to right. That must be good for bringing the sport to a much wider audience.”
Read the full original article at Mpora.com
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