Photos: Wi-fi gets ice cool on the slopes

Wireless web goes skiing

Chill Factore, a ski village on the outskirts of Manchester which has the UK's longest indoor, real-snow ski slope, along with bars, restaurants and conference facilities, has installed a wireless network across its complex.

The network, which was designed and installed by Pennine Telecom, provides free public wi-fi for visitors but is also being used by staff for checking lift passes on the slope itself.

Stuart Wright, head of IT at Chill Factore, said the network allows staff to use laptops to access company systems no matter where they are. "It effectively means they can take their office with them if, for instance, they go to a meeting room," he said.

Photo credit: Chill Factore

The network consists of five Proxim AP4000MR wi-fi mesh access points, backed up with networking equipment, to cover the whole complex.

Pictured here is one of two 'outdoor' stations which operates in temperatures as low as -30 degrees.

Photo credit: Chill Factore

As well as offering visitors free wi-fi, the network is used by staff with handhelds for order-taking in the complex's bars and restaurants.

Photo credit: Chill Factore