 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Haven't been near a dry slope since childhood but I have skied at Tamworth on a very busy weekend morning. Far busier than anything I have ever witnessed in resort and there was definitely potential for accidents/injuries but fortunately everyone seemed to be behaving very carefully and considerately...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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skimottaret, a pretty loaded question there.
You don't mention the causes of the potential injuries.
I wouldn't say that a hard icy snowdome surface is any softer than falling on dendix. There obviously won't be the same degree of abrasion injuries or dry slope thumb. It's ofset by the fact that there are nowhere near as many injuries caused by collisions, as dry slopes are normally much less busy.
From my experience of Hemel as a dry slope, I dispute the fact about radio communications/ slope patrol/first aid care.
If I had to choose I'd much rather fall on snow than dendix though.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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skimottaret, I've skied a fair amount on both surfaces. I'd think that the large majority of injuries were relatively minor (including thumbs, though I know they can be quite disabling), and per user hour I'd think these were a lot higher on dry. Much less common major injuries I'd guess at being about the same per user hour. Only thing is at peak hours there will probably be more users at any given time in a dome. This obviously increases the absolute number of injuries per hour but could also increase the rate of major injuries per user hour, due to serious collisions and perhaps the deterioration in snow quality. Of course it's difficult to say how much by, or if the effect is even significant, and I'd also guess it would have little effect on the rate of the much more common minor injuries. Certainly I'd still expect the rate of all injuries per user hour overall to be higher on dry, whatever the circumstance but this is just my conjecture.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I ski two or three times a week on our dryslope, one in an instructed session, and have had a couple of sessions in different snowdomes. Dendix can be unpleasant to fall on, but the vast majority of falls do not cause injury. Our slope is supervised and covered by CCTV monitored in the office, and it is very rare to see reckless skiing, and in five years, (other than in the beginner lessons on the nursery slope) I don't think I've ever seen a collision. That said, it is not that uncommon to have an ambulance turn up to cart someone off!
In the snowdomes the surface is friendlier - but there is still plenty to hit - concrete pillars, and the end wall are not exactly collision friendly, and some leave obstacles out on the slope. Also in snowdomes the surface allows skiers to reach greater speeds in a very limited space, they get crowded, and there is some pretty poor skiing.
Overall, more likely to suffer injuries from falling on dendix, but more likely to collide with another skier, or solid object in a snowdome - a draw?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've skied on both, but far more often on dry slopes. I've never had a serious injury on either, but I'd say beginners are more likely to hurt themselves falling on a dry slope. Collisions are more likely in a snowdome due to the over-crowding and faster speeds.
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Six of one, half a dozen of the other I'd say.
As has been pointed out many domes tend to be far more overcrowded than dry slopes, certainly that's my experience of Tamworth, making collisions far more likely (and IMHO skiing at peak times far less of a pleasure).
Tamworth has a far harder surface than any other dome (at least that's my observation but have only been to MK once and no other domes) and I know of people who have broken bones there and have heard the horror stories from MK of people breaking limbs when colliding with objects on the slope. Remember that dry slopes have different surfaces, snowflex being softer than Dendex, but on the latter one of the more frequent accidents is the incidence of broken or sprained fingers as a result of inexperienced people grabbing hold of the matting when they fall.
All in all though if I were offered the choice between a wipeout on Dendex or a wipeout on the type of snow that's now used at the best domes, e.g. Chill Factore and shortly Hemel, I think I'd chose the domes but I try to avoid wipeouts in the first place, especially having torn a tendon in my shoulder on Dendex one time when I mistimed a slalom gate!
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Dendix sucks. Relatively simple falls can lead to significant wrist and hand injuries. So my money would be on dry slopes having more injuries.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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One of my mates broke his thumb falling on Dendix. But he was a complete beginner. I've skied on it for years and never had a problem other than 1 minor cut from a piece of wire sticking up. I think snowdomes are the best choice for total beginners mainly for this reason. For more experienced skiers I think plastic is safer, as the risk of collision is pretty much non-existent.
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Dry slopes have a very dangerous surface to fall on, generally no lift attendants/slope patrol nor radio communications.
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I don't know what dryslopes you've been to but sheffiled ski village always has someone sitting at the top waching the t bar and they stop it as soon as anyone falls. They all have radios and there are generally enough members off staff atound to see as soon as anyone has an accident.
Dendix may not be the greatest stuff in the world to fall on but Snowflex is actually comfier than most snow conditions found on piste or in snowparks, you just have to make sure you leave no skin exposed as you can get carpet burns.
Being much bigger than a snowdome it never gets overcrowded except on a saturday morining but even then its nothing like the chill factore.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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having seen [and indeed featured in] the accident book for a dry slope in Glagow and the tamworth snowdome [worked for over 3 years at each] i would say the accidents on the dry slope were more frequent but less serious...mainly abrasions and the odd more serious dislocation/break but to be honest these were few and far between.... on the snow slope the accidents tended to be more serious, mainly due to people moving faster in a more crowded environment
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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what got me thinking about this was that MK was branded "dangerous" which i dont agree with. A long term monopoly that has been arrogant in thinking the rubes will put up with bad service and overpriced product perhaps, but not dangerous.
In terms of accidents i would say minor is having to come off the slope cause it hurts (scrape, tweaked thumb, banged shoulder etc) and Major requires a visit to hospital (breaks, knees, dislocations etc).. Just during my 70 shadowing hours i saw a dislocation and two badly broken fingers/thumbs. Never once saw anything needing a hospital visit in the dome in much longer time period. I did see someone dragged up on the poma and get all beat up as they got frightened and tangled up and no one was there to hit the e-stop...
I think that well run and maintained Dry slopes such as norwich, sheffield, gloucester, old hemel etc. have fewer accidents than the smaller more shoestring operations with poor matting, old rental gear and less or no slope patrol yet nobody slags off the minor dry slopes...
In some ways MK/Xscape is the big bad corporate catering more to the general leisure market and is mainly out to make a profit, and the little dry slopes are run by enthusiasts out of love for the sport, typically on a shoestring.
TO be controversial, in a perverse way MK as a big corporate, who has more punters, is more likely to be sued and may place a higher premium on safety.
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FAQ
's seem to have the impression that MK is full of crazies, is poorly managed/patrolled and is dangerous to ski at. To my mind dangerous equates with getting hurt.
