Dianne Bourne gets herself all padded up to try the hottest Latino fitness craze in some very different surroundings - this time it's Zumba on snow down at the Chill Factore.

IF you thought taking part in latino fitness craze Zumba made you look daft - with all that bottom shaking and hip wiggling - then try doing it in some snow.

In a huge padded thermal suit and boots.

And with the co-ordination skills of the ambominable snowman.

Yes, this was the scenario as I headed to what has been billed as the world's first ever zumba sessions on snow - right here in Manchester.

Being an intrepid sort of girl, and ever desperate to find the most effective way to shift those wobbly bits, I couldn't resist the lure of a new exercise class - especially as it promised to work off even more calories than the regular frenetic zumba sessions that have become so popular across the globe.

The exercise exclusive is taking place over at Manchester's huge snow centre Chill Factore in Urmston, and the first ever class saw around 30 fearless females wrap up in our woollies for the bizarre arctic aerobic extravaganza.

It really is freezing cold inside the snowdome, so the thermal layers, hats and gloves are most definitely necessary, even though you work up a sweat within the first 10 minutes of the session. This is partly why organisers reckon it's such a good full body workout, with the mix of hot and cold your body faces helping your metabolism to work overtime in burning those calories.

The zumba session itself was probably a little gentler than ones I've been used to, but then the instructors are being mindful of the fact that we're attempting to twist and gyrate our bodies while balancing on the less than stable snow surface. But there were certainly no slippages during our session, and I found that keeping myself stable on the snow became an extra sort of boon to the workout in general. Instructors reckon that working against the resistance of the snow forces a much higher range of movement in the lower body which makes it perfect for toning the upper legs and bottom.

There's the same crazy latino music you'd expect in a zumba class, and the same bonkers booty-pumping moves. The fact that participants are wrapped up in bobble hats and mittens while going wild to J-Lo and Shakira certainly adds to the mirth of the occasion, if nothing else. You can wear your own thermals, or padded jackets, trousers, gloves and boots are all available to hire from Chill Factore.

After a huge take-up for the inaugural classes, bosses at Chill Factore are hoping they've got a hit on their hands.

Morwenna Angove, chief executive at Chill Factore, says: "Zumba is the world's most popular new fitness craze and we are delighted to be the first to launch this on snow, right here in Manchester.

"It's a first not just for the city, the region or even the UK - but for the world. A true global first. We know it is going to become hugely popular and we expect it to be copied around the world once it takes off here."

Amos De Roover, an experienced fitness and Latin dance coach, will be heading the Zumba on Snow classes at Chill Factore.

He says: "The body has to work much harder in colder environments so the Zumba on snow work-outs will prove to be a hugely beneficial cardio-vascular routine for people looking to improve their fitness. Working on snow means it takes longer for the muscles to get warm and once warm we'll be working extra hard to maintain the optimum temperature for effective exercise. Exercising on snow has an added benefit of reducing the impact on the knee joints, so perfect for a wide range of fitness levels, ages and abilities in our safe, effective and very fun class."

And, if nothing else, seeing yourself in a bulky snowsuit certainly gives you inspiration to try and melt away more pounds!

Chill Factore will be hosting zumba sessions every Tuesday and Thursday, 7pm to 8pm. Classes cost £5 per session, including snow boot hire, or £40 for a course of 10. For details see chillfactore.com

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