Scotland's biggest artificial ski slope is to stay open while officials try to cut costs before they consider selling it.
A report to go before council chiefs recommends Midlothian Ski Centre at Hillend stays open for the next five months while efficiency savings are implemented.
The plan then calls for council officials to come up with a strategy for the sale or lease of the site in August.
Midlothian Council said it could not pay the site's half-million pound a year losses.
The report, which councillors are due to vote on next week, also says it would cost £1.2million to close the slope down as there would be £300,000 in redundancy costs and £900,000 in dismantling fees.
Robin Harper MSP said: "I understand that councils across the country are having a tough time financially, but we cannot lose this incredibly important, and popular, sporting asset.
"Facilities such as Hillend are absolutely vital to produce the next generation of Scottish snow sports competitors.
"I have written to Scottish ministers requesting a meeting, and I will urge them to do everything they can to help secure its future. We must recognise the importance of Hillend to Scotland."
There has been a massive campaign on social networking site Facebook to save the dry ski slope.
Hannah Daulby and Lucy Singh, who created the campaign, said: "Our Facebook campaign has highlighted that support for Hillend is huge, with over 26,000 people joining the group."
Donald MacKay, Midlothian Council's director for education and communities, said: "We want to see the centre work as it is an asset for Midlothian, the wider Lothian area and for Scotland.
"But we are facing some extremely tough decisions as a council, with a £25m cut in funding expected for us in the next four years, and we have to look very closely at every aspect of the way the council works."
