Indoor skiing makes me think of funny fake snow and blasting music. So I was not in a rush to go and try out Malaysia’s first indoor ski centre, First Traxx in PJ. A looming trip to colder climes and my children who are Nordic only on paper and were in serious danger of having to take ski lessons with toddlers, prompted me to give it a go – and they had a blast!
What to expect at First Traxx?
First Traxx has no fake snow, but a conveyor belt type of slope made of tiny brushes, that is a bit like a treadmill on a slope. There is a bar to hold onto, useful in the beginning to get your balance, and to practice getting the right position of the skis.
The lessons at First Traxx need to be booked ahead and they last 30 minutes. A lesson is typically done in slots of 10 minutes, alternating with another group – 10 minutes on, 10 off. We were a bit dubious of this but the skiing is actually quite tiring and the breaks were a welcome respite. Husband pointed out that on a real slope a lot of time is spent on getting back to the top of the slope. Especially with young learners getting to the lift area, getting on to the lift and staying on it until the top can be tiring and stressful.
The instructor we had was friendly and professional, and the ratio of three students per instructor at First Traxx made sure they all had enough attention, hand-holding, and gentle guiding to avoid crashes. After their first lesson, even the kids had enough balance to keep on going and knew the basics of stopping – a good start! We were told that the surface translates well to real snow, and if anything it is less forgiving than a real-life slope. This means that if you crack it here, you’ll be grand on snow.
The pricing seems quite high, at MYR 159 per session and a family session adds up quickly. But as the hubby pointed out, it should not be seen as an alternative for a cheap and cheerful weekend activity but really, it should be compared to a private sports lesson. Considering the small groups and equipment involved, it is probably not more than a ski lesson in a resort. Just doing it before heading there leaves you more time to enjoy the slopes and be more confident, we reckon.
Here is a short video of our first trial – not quite ready to conquer the slopes of Niseko yet =)
For more info, visit their website. And for a trip report from Japan, check out our post on skiing in Hokkaido.
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