We wouldn’t have considered the rootin’est, tootin’est, swelterin’est state of Texas as somewhere to build a dry slope, but someone’s gone ahead and planted one in the town of New Braunfels.

http://mpora.com/videos/AAdqscqdsz5p

The Texas Ski Ranch, as it’s known, may be a relative tiddler when compared to the dry drymats on these shores, but its natty blue slope appears to be enough to get the basics down, and even some beginner’s freestyle. There’s lots of flash new Burton gear on hand, and who knows – if it catches on, there could be cause to build a Liberty-esque megaslope there.

So why the Lone Star State? Well, despite not having any ski resorts, Texas has the sixth largest number of snowsports enthusiasts out of all fifty states, according to this study. Given that it’s the second largest (almost three times the size of the UK) and also the second most populous, the aw of averages probably has a part to play here.

Besides, Travis Parker is from Texas, and he’s rad.