OREANDA-NEWS. August 30, 2011. The winter entertainment complex SNORAS Snow Arena, which is worth LTL 110.7 million, opens its doors in Druskininkai on Friday. Bank SNORAS provided LTL 58 million loan for building the only complex of indoor mountain skiing in the Baltic States, reported the press-centre of Bank SNORAS.

The total value of this project seeks LTL 110.7 million, from which the money of the structural funds of the European Union comprises LTL 40 million, while the funds of UAB "Stamita", the private investor which built the complex - LTL 70.7 million.   In May last year Bank SNORAS granted LTL 58 million loan to the construction company "Stamita".

"Bank SNORAS financed prospective business projects even during the difficult times," says Raimondas Baranauskas, the President and the Chairman of the Board of Bank SNORAS. "We are sure that Druskininkai complex of closed ski slopes with artificial snow covering will contribute to expansion of the infrastructure of tourism, active recreation and health improvement as well as increasing the fame of Lithuania."

According to the chairman of the board and the co-owner of the construction company "Skirnuva", which was building the complex, and  Andrius Stasiukynas, the head of "Stamita" company which owns the arena, SNORAS Snow Arena, which is perched on an impressive hill in Mizarai village, just half a kilometre away from Druskininkai, is one of the largest indoor ski slope complexes in Europe, whereas according to the whole of the technical parameters it claims to be among the top five indoor skiing resorts in the world.

"People from Scandinavian countries, Poland, Ukraine and other Baltic States have already expressed interest in SNORAS Snow Arena. As a matter of fact, a similar all year round operating complex is more than a thousand kilometres away in Hamburg (Germany)," says A. Stasiukynas, the owner of UAB "Stamita".

Three ski slopes and snowboard runs are arranged on the territory of 8 hectares, from which two operate inside the arena and one outside. Visitors, who do not have the outfit or gear for skiing, will be able to rent it. 1 thousand lockers for keeping personal items, cabins for changing clothes and showers are installed in the clothes changing zone.

Apart from the indoor and outdoor skiing runs, a lot of other types of entertainment will operate in the snow arena:  skiing and snowboarding school DruSkiSchool will be founded in SNORAS Snow Arena complex, DruFunPark - the park of four level slopes and entertainment - will be waiting for children, as well as shops and restaurants.  Up to 1 thousand visitors will be able to have entertainment simultaneously in the complex.

"If within a year we have about 130-140 thousand visitors, the investments in the construction of the winter entertainment complex would be bought off in 15 years," calculates A. Stasiukynas.

In the future it is planned to build a hotel with SPA centre and to offer more additional services: climbing artificial rocks and Aerodium vertical flying tunnel. Presently 59 persons are employed in the entertainment complex, and 10 additional new work places will be created in the nearest future.

The initiator of constructing the winter entertainment complex, which will operate all year round in the resort, is the municipality of Druskininkai city, according to the concession agreement the operator of this object is "Stamita" which built it.  The general contractor of the arena construction is UAB "Skirnuva".