Get into the spirit of the Winter Games by trying out some of the sports for yourself around the county.

Chatham Ski Slope and Snowboard Centre

Boasting the longest artificial slope in the South East, the centre in Capstone Road is the perfect place for skiers and snowboarders of all ability to practice and learn new skills.

Open practice sessions are available in snowboarding and skiing, priced £16 for a 90-minute session. Thrillseekers looking for something different can also try out a couple of activities off the slopes.

Jump in a toboggan on the Cresta Run, winding your way through more than 700m of tree-lined track, controlling the speed of the car using the brake handle. Or slip down the 80m Viper Track in a Sno-tube. Prices vary. Call 01634 827979

Bowles Centre, near Tunbridge Wells

Young and old can learn to ski and snowboard at this activity centre at Eridge, a registered charity.

There are two dry ski slopes, a short softer nursery slope for beginners and the longer, steeper main slope.

Experienced skiers and boarders can head along to one of the open sessions, priced £8 per hour for adults and £7 per hour for under 16s. Private and group lessons are also available.

Bromley Ski Centre

Whether you are a beginner learning to snowplough or a regular snow skier, there is something to suit at the Bromley Ski and Snowboard Centre.

The 120-metre main slope is served by two lifts and has a mogul run designed to test even the most accomplished skier, while beginners can go out on the nursery slope, which has the ideal gradient to learn to ski safely.

Open seven days a week all-year round, group and individual lessons are available, priced from £12 for children and £22 for adults.

The centre is just off the A20 at Orpington. Call 01689 876812.

Folkestone Ski Centre

Skiing, snowboarding or tobogganing are available all-year round at the Folkestone centre, with lessons available for beginners.

Classes are from £8 for children, £12 for adults, with open practice sessions priced £5 for adults and £4 for juniors. Sledging costs £4 for a one hour session. Call 01303 850222.

Silver Blades Ice Rink, Gillingham

Test your balance (or lack of it!) on the ice at the county’s only indoor rink. Public skating, including skate hire, is priced from £7.

The rink also offers lessons in skating and speed skating and coaching in ice hockey.
Pick up some tips by watching resident hockey team the Invicta Dynamos, who will be playing against Chelmsford at the rink on Sunday, February 9. The match starts at 5.15pm.

Admission is £9.50 for adults, £5 for children aged 16 and under. Call 01634 388477.

Fenton’s Rink, Tunbridge Wells

Have a go at the sport known as ‘chess on ice’ at England’s only dedicated ice curling rink.

Qualified coaches are available to encourage beginners and sessions take place seven days a week until April.

Curling is usually played with two teams of four people and to hire one lane for eight players costs £152 for two hours, which works out at £19 each, including equipment, shoes and coaching. A coaching session for juniors aged 11 to 20 takes place at 6pm on Tuesdays. This costs £8 per person, including shoe hire. Call 01892 826004.

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on the BBC

Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine and Jonathan Edwards will lead TV coverage of the action from Russia, daily from 7am to 8pm on BBC2.

The Opening Ceremony, which will see more than 2,000 performers welcoming the world to Russia, will be live on BBC2 from 3.30pm on Friday, February 7.

The Closing Ceremony celebrating Sochi’s hosting of the Games as the Olympic flame is extinguished in the Fisht Stadium, starts on BBC2 at 4pm on Sunday, February 23.

Sochi

Host city Sochi has a population of 400,000 people and is situated in Krasnodar, the third largest region in Russia.

On the Black Sea’s coast, Sochi is one of the most popular resorts in Russia, attracting nearly two million tourists each summer.

Local culinary specialities include shish kabobs, blini (Russian crepes) and Solyanka, a hot and spicy soup.

The Games will be organised in two locations – a coastal cluster for ice events in Sochi and a cluster in the Krasnaya Polyana Mountains.

Sochi’s temperature during the competition is expected to be around 8C (47F), the warmest ever at a Winter Olympics.

Its newly-built 40,000-capacity Fisht Olympic Stadium will be used again to host soccer teams for the 2018 World Cup.

The Winter Olympics run from Friday, February 7, to Sunday, February 23.