 Poster: A snowHead
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There's also Another World, between Bradford and Halifax, near Ogden Resevoir that has a coupole of rope tows, lots of really old skis, very small but fantastic views of the South Pennine. Probably 6 years since I've skied there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This thread has turned into an archive of portable ski tow locations in the north of England. A good thing 
I’ll add a few more. With the Carlisle club (100m and 200m portable tows ) we skied Hallbankgate, great Mell Fell, the A686 below Hartside, High Brow near dowthwaite head, the ‘bungalow’ field above Alston, the lime kiln field above Ashgill Force, the west side of Great Dunfell and the east drift, just below the radar station. I think they also took a portable across to Cross Fell one day from Hartside using a Garron tracked vehicle? And of course at Yad Moss. See some pictures from about 1978 http://web108.extendcp.co.uk/yadmoss.co.uk/history/
Not the Carlisle club, but there also used to be portables out regularly on Kirkstone pass.
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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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We had a great weekend in early 96 at Castleside, County Durham, organised by Consett YMCA.
It was the County Durham equivalent to the 3 Valleys, with 3 rope tows spread over 3 separate fields! 
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| Quote: |
| We had a great weekend in early 96 at Castleside, County Durham... |
It still appears on UK locations on Snow-Forecast.com
Top station height is shown as 725m - the same as Yad Moss - so it must still get snow! Didn't ever ski there but the location is right next to the main A68 IIRC? So access perhaps easier than Weardale!
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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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Castleside is at about 267m asl. It gets snow predominantly from an easterly or a northerly. The problem with the modern winter is that we are just not getting cold easterlies and only one long fetch easterly in the last 20 years. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
| This thread has turned into an archive of portable ski tow locations in the north of England. A good thing |
Finally caught up with the 20th century and moving away from a history spoken history passed down through the generations 
(it would have to be vlogged to be the 21st Century - although lost ski areas of the Pennines might give us something to do next summer PeterS)
A couple of the outdoor centres in Teesdale ran portable tows - at Langdon Beck in the field facing the road below the church of St James the Less. I have also seen them out at Middleton in Teesdale in the field just by the speed limit sign as you head East. There was a portable cross country 'dry slope' which arrived some time in the mid to late eighties. It was up at Langdon Beck then appeared in a field near Lune's Bridge in the 1990s. Never saw it in use it just seem to deteriorate over the years. Four Seasons - the outdoor shop in Barnard Castle used to sell cross country kit.
Looking at the photo posted earlier I think it is probably Harwood not Teesdale. Just based on the amount of fencing and how the hill looks in the background.
@mountainaddict, I think a lot of the stuff about Pennine Skiing comes from the old Snowlion website and it's never been corrected or updated.
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@Peter S, Fabulous!
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OAP, Mountainaddict, while we’re on the nostalgia highway, there doesn’t seem to be anything on the internet about the grand proposal for a Weardale dry slope (with snow making I think) that was heavily promoted in the 1980s. Can you remember where it was going to be? I think runs of up to 400m were being proposed?
Also did anyone else ever see the feasible study that was prepared for the northern England ski Federation circa 1970 ? It assessed various sites for snow holding. The front runner was of course Great Dun Fell but access was always going to be the issue there. There must be a copy around somewhere?
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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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Indications that it may be going cooler again from the 21st.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Chris_n I think the one @Peter S is referring to is a plan in the 1980s to create a Sheffield Ski Village style dry slope complex. As far as I could work out it was around the area of Black Bank Forest nr Wolsingham. Probably one for online newspaper archives, it would have been in the Northern Echo.
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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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I think that the entire poma run + at Yad should be made into a year-round dry slope. Great short turn practice 
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| Quote: |
| while we’re on the nostalgia highway, there doesn’t seem to be anything on the internet about the grand proposal for a Weardale dry slope (with snow making I think) that was heavily promoted in the 1980s. Can you remember where it was going to be? I think runs of up to 400m were being proposed? |
| Quote: |
| As far as I could work out it was around the area of Black Bank Forest nr Wolsingham |
I agree with oldagedpredator on this one. I definitely remember it being proposed for near Wolsingham and recall seeing artists' impressions of snow-covered ski runs coming down through a snowy forest...
I've always been under the impression that the forest in question was next to the main road that goes from the A68 roundabout into Wolsingham.
I've also scoured the internet for evidence - but have drawn a blank. Think I'll ask some of the Weardale Ski stalwarts next time I'm up there....
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Im sure a few years ago (on this forum) someone posted up a mock piste map of a ski resort of Cross fell. It was fantastic and offered quite a lot of skiing. I cant seem to find it though which is annoying.
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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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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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@mountainaddict, and that's 'itineraries' off the top of Chapel Fell at Weardale. In some ways the comprehensive run list opens up the area to more people, although it removes some of the fun of half remembering where runs that might not have been skied for 20+ years are.
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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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| Quote: |
| the fun of half remembering where runs that might not have been skied for 20+ years are |
Wasn't it the epic winter of 2009-10 when absolutely everything and everywhere in the Pennines was last skiable for a sustained period?
IIRC, snow lay at the ski areas more or less permanently from January to early April. And Weardale offered night skiing in April! Not that they installed floodlights - it was just when the clocks went forward We went up after work, which was brilliant!
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Looking at the GEFS model the forecast is more encouraging than of late. Cooler than average from next week and the possibility of snow showers and drier weather. Nothing big at the moment and we might find that the snow showers are down the east coast but it’s a start again. Freezing on the Pennine tops by the middle of next week.
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Cheers Peter S - Things could be looking up at last...(Before the next lockdown??  )
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Time to invest in snowmaking?
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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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Not cold or dry enough for conventional snow making in the Pennines, although a snow factory might just about be feasible at say Allenheads.
Hoping we don’t get another lockdown. COVID cases have been declining in Northern England and Scotland recently. I Imagine Christmas might reverse that though
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Fri 18-12-20 19:58; edited 1 time in total
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| Peter S wrote: |
| ....although a snow factory might just about be feasible at say Allenheads. |
I could go for that How much?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Glenshee’s double unit cost a £1m I think, .........then there is the cost of running it.
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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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Should start to freeze up and dry out a little from next Wednesday so at least the walking should be good in the high Pennines.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
| Glenshee’s double unit cost a £1m I think, .........then there is the cost of running it. |
I think you would just need Glencoe sized unit, anything like that would need to come from a grant. If the forest hadn't been felled something in the area of Killhope would work as it's protected from the weather.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| oldagedpredator wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Glenshee’s double unit cost a £1m I think, .........then there is the cost of running it. |
I think you would just need Glencoe sized unit, anything like that would need to come from a grant. If the forest hadn't been felled something in the area of Killhope would work as it's protected from the weather. |
The large TechnoAlpin snowfactory output is only just over double the smaller unit, but comparing the Lecht and Glenshee, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that the big unit is around 3x more productive in real terms. When you are piling snow up into large cones, the double production of the large unit does not double the surface area of your cone. This means when a stormy mild and wet day, you lose a smaller % of your production from the large factory than you do with a small one.
A single T40 fan gan can match the daily output of a small snowfactory in around 12hours at -2 wet bulb temperature, a TF10 in around 4 hours. You'd only need around 100 hours of temperatures at or below -2c wet bulb for four TF10s to match the 100day production of a small snow factory! How much of a frost hollow is somewhere like Allenheads? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Copy some US resorts.
Blow snow near the highest peak. Scrape down the hill. Store under wraps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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In terms of the North Pennines, Snow-forecast.com is currently showing:
- 13cm of snow on 23rd December 2020.
- Clear weather on the 24th.
- Freezing level at 600m.
Simply having a wonderful Christmas time?? We can but hope...
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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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Burnhope Seat forecast (via Yad website) has a few cold, hopeful-looking snowflakes 23rd & 26th and in between, too
Dare we dream?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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[quote="mountainaddict"]
| Quote: |
| IIRC, snow lay at the ski areas more or less permanently from January to early April. And Weardale offered night skiing in April! Not that they installed floodlights - it was just when the clocks went forward We went up after work, which was brilliant! |
I was in Scotland at the time but still came down just for the experience of evening skiing. Think 2010 was the first time some lines had been skied since the 80s. I always liked the head of the valley when it blows in and you get good cover back to the bottom of F1.
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Pennines snow forecast later this week now downgraded to paltry amounts... 
There's time for it to change again though - snow dances permitting...
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Good news is Yadcams are atleast showing snow this morning. The bad - Penrith / Eden valley setting up as a hot spot for the new strain of covid. I'm feeling less optimistic about getting out at the moment.
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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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Weardale is at least looking the right colour this morning. Lots of precipitation down here by the mouth of the river. Unfortunately I think the temperature will be too high by now up there for it to be snow.
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Fair bit of wet slippery white stuff up the tops this morning, some on top of ice. Some reasonable depth in places, mostly just a smattering. Not really useable yet
Lots of road chaos though: Hartside and Killhope both have stuck or skidded lorries. New Tier protection system???
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FAQ
