The longest ski slope in Britain is officially being built for £300 million

Forget the Alps, you may soon find yourself heading to the Welsh countryside for ski season instead.

There have been plans to build an enormous ski resort in Wales for several years now. Rhydycar West was first mooted for Merthyr Tydfil (a town in the Brecon Beacons) way, way back in 2012. After more than a decade, it’s taken a significant step towards finally becoming a reality – and this week it’s finally been confirmed. 

The Welsh government gave the green light to Rhydycar West in November 2025, but this week the project has received planning permission from Merthyr Tydfil council. The £300 million resort is set to become the UK’s largest indoor snow centre and its 400m long slope will be one of the longest in Europe. Proposals for the centre also include an indoor tropical water park with water slides and an artificial beach, hotels, 30 woodland lodges and a conference centre.

Rhydycar also has ambitions to  a ‘world class’ and ‘internationally recognised’ destination for sports teams and elite athletes as well as tourists. It’s expected to be the the headquarters of Team GB’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic teams. 

Ali Tyebkhan, Rhydycar West CEO, said: ‘This is an amazing moment. It marks the culmination of many years of hard work as well as
patience. Thank you to all our team, partners, supporters and the local community – we could not have done this without your ongoing support over the years. We are very excited and looking forward to the next stages of work and delivery of the development.’

Vicky Gosling, chief executive at GB Snowsport, added: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that Rhydycar West has been awarded outline planning permission. This is a game-changing moment for British snowsport. We’ve already shown that the UK can compete, and win on the world stage, but having world-class, home-based facilities will elevate our potential even further.

‘The proposed indoor snow centre at Rhydycar West represents a huge opportunity to support and accelerate our current and future talent, giving athletes the elite training environment they need right here at home. It’s an exciting milestone.’

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