 Poster: A snowHead
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JP, Thanks for that. I'm one who has been put of going again till it quietens down. Sounds like it has or as you say they're Christmas shopping.
Really glad you enjoyed it. It's a great facility. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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JP, glad to hear things are settling - Ultrasound seems to be finally curing the post-op pain in my knee, so looking forward to joining my family on the slope in January, wonder how busy it will be then?
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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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surfski, Peak times are 6pm to 11pm weekdays, all weekend, and bank holidays. Off peak is up to 6pm weekdays.
Your lift ticket straddled the 6pm cut off, so your price was a combination (don't ask me the formula) of peak and off-peak price.
If you pre-book and pay over the phone, just roll up into the pre-booked queue (shorter and faster) and your details will be there at the desk.
Yes, it's quite steep at the top, for an indoor snow slope! The fact that the surface is not flat (like Tamworth) is a positive bonus, it makes it interesting, it improves your skiing, and represents the surface of a mountain much better! Why on earth would you want the surface flat and smooth! 
If you join as a member you will get a proximity/hands free lift pass, so no need to feed tickets into the slot.
Note for all future customers: If you get a paper barcoded ticket, make sure you pick up the elastic to go with it at the rentals desks, so you don't have to keep taking the ticket in and out of your pocket all the time! 
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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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| Quote: |
Peak times are 6pm to 11pm weekdays, all weekend, and bank holidays. Off peak is up to 6pm weekdays.
Your lift ticket straddled the 6pm cut off, so your price was a combination (don't ask me the formula) of peak and off-peak price.
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veeeight,
Thanks for that helpful info telling me when peak and off peak times are. Next time i will definitely pre-book over the phone for next Monday afternoon. I take it when you do pay with your card do they give you a number or something so when you arrive at the pre-booked desk you just tell them? 
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Note for all future customers: If you get a paper barcoded ticket, make sure you pick up the elastic to go with it at the rentals desks, so you don't have to keep taking the ticket in and out of your pocket all the time!
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I did pick up an elastic so i could tie it around my neck, but it was still a pain. Next time i think i will bring my lift pass holder so then i can clip it onto my jacket.
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If you join as a member you will get a proximity/hands free lift pass, so no need to feed tickets into the slot.
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It doesn't warrant me being a member as i don't live close enough to go regularly, plus i only go a few times before i go off on my main ski holiday. 
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 12-12-07 10:01; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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has any been to the early morning session on a wednesday morning at 7.30 am, is it quiet then, just wondering as i have to go to manchester once a week and thought this was a good time to get some turns in
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i don't live close enough to go regally
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Are you the queen?
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I went again last Sunday wit Ben my 5yr old son- much better than the opening weekend.
No queue to get (prebooked) ticket, 5mins for skis and lift waiting time minimal.
The slope was still not too busy even when full- and Ben managed to more or less schuss from 2/3rds up.
I think the staff are getting all the snags sorted out - for example the snow had been shovelled at the top of the lifts so it was easy to get off- last time Ben got a bit stuck as there was a little uphill immediately after lachezing the poma.
We did really quite alot of skiing in the 1.5hrs.
SCGB membershio gave us £50 off mebership between the to of us- which cuts sessions by 33% I think.
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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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Overflow car park is now in operation so no car parking problems
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You know it makes sense.
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well we finally made it last saturday (15th) with 25 kids and several adult staff members.
Some observations for areas of improvement which i hope they will take on board are,
Suitable dropoff place for buses with kids ie right outside the doors rather than having to march them across the carpark and roads. carpark bays are too small and impossible if youve got a baby to get in and out of a car. Im sure there will be regs about numbers of disabled car park spaces required but in the real world they are mostly empty.
Better organisation of group bookings ie the instructor meeting them before they get kitted up which was a bit chaotic, a couple of people dedicated to sort boots and ski's out would have helped enormously rather than trying to keep an eye on 25 kids running all over the place. They need someone to liaise with staff to keep things organised.
There is definitely a need for bigger lockers, i ended up having to take up 2 to get all my stuff in and there's nowhere to leave your own ski's.
The snow i thought was excellent, the staff very friendly and helpful much more like going to Rossendale than going to Cas where they all seem like grumpy school kids.
The main slope seems quite empty but there was long q's at both lifts which peaked every half hour with a big influx of people, the annoying lift pass system didnt seem to help matters either.
Christmas PA music.... horrid !
Coffee... outrageously expensive !
the only hickup to note that we had to split the one group of boarders up due to something with the booking system so we had kids waiting around with nothing to do while the others were in their lesson.
There doesnt seem to be a logical step with lessons, except to book a very expensive set of 3 which a lot of our kids wont be able to afford.
Overall we were very pleased with the event, the kids loved it which is what it was all about and we are all looking forward to going back.
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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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nbt, Your video - some people have said on here that the slope is steeper than Castleford, but from your video it doesn't look it. What's your impression of the steepness?
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Poster: A snowHead
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It's a nit steeper than I expected, once on it you don;t really notice it. I'd have graded it around a blue in a resort. In the pictures you can see where the wall panels join, those lines go straight up, so you an work out the angle at roughly 15% at a guess?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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nbt, thanks.
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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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NewSkier, My hubby has skied Tamworth and Castleford and said he didn't think Chill was any steeper than Castleford. Perhaps the main difference is that Castleford has a flat area half way down, and the gradient is less from their on to the bottom, whereas Chillfactore is the same all the way
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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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sharon1953, thanks. Tamworth's quite different - I'm told the bottom bit's the steeper bit, but not sure myself. The steepness at the top depends on the route chosen round the curve - I choose the shallower, outside course! Cas is supposed to be 15% at the top, and 10% after the flatter bit. I'd like to go over to Manchester sometime but don't want to scare myself silly of course and the fact that it's the same steepness as the top of Cas might well mean I'd do that - I can just about cope with it, but not very happily Maybe I'll just have to wait till they have some suitable lessons and go then, or wait till after going to Vallandry in Feb.
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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 didnt feel it was any steeper than cas but my other half did, the extra bit of width and ceiling height seems to make it shorter, the lighting is a lot better than cas too, it doesnt feel as gloomy or claustrophobic.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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NewSkier, what about having one of those taster sessions and then moving onto the slope when you have your ski legs. I notice there are flattened areas half up the drags, so assume they will be getting the newer skiers who are moving from their basic lessons, to disembark at these points. But often this is harder to negotiate than staying on to the top!
I remember Tamworth being very icy at the bottom and narrow because they always had lessons going on at the bottom half on either side. This doesn't happen at Chill, as they have a designated learner area. I've been scaring myself for 12 years, but find the quality of the snow has a lot to do with it, it can make a blue run ski like a red, and a red ski like a blue. The more snow, the easier to turn and slow. If Chillfactore maintains the piste properly, and there's no ice, you probably won’t notice the difference.
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sharon1953, surely the taster sessions are for absolute beginners and would be how to slide a bit and stop on the nursery slope? I have passed the Cas level 4, so am a "recreational skier", however my problem is that I have not really made progress on from there, so am still nervous on the top of the slope, but absolutely fine on the lower half. I went a couple of times to Tam with my sister (it's half way between us) having found on a couple of visits to Cas that their Summer penchant for loads of ramps made it such an obstacle course that it was not improving my confidence but reducing it. I got on ok at Tam - others who have known it before say the snow is better there now than before, though they do as you say teach one side of the main slope. However at Cas they have toboggan/ice-slide areas each side so their available lower bit's really narrow too.
What I'd really need I suppose is an "orientation" or "refresher" session at Manchester to introduce me to the place and give me confidence. None of the indoor places seem to do that, but at this time of year I'd have thought it would be quite popular - something aimed at the person who's done just a week or so and is nervous about just having a go, but wants to get their ski-legs again before going abroad. The only way of doing this at the mo seems to book a private session and that's a big no-no on cost.
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NewSkier, How about phoning the centre and explaining your situation and see it they can tailor make something, maybe tag onto a group lesson that is ready to use the main slope. I know exactly how you feel; I always use the first couple of hours of our hols to play around in the nursery area, just to familiarise myself with the concept of facing down hill, with pieces of wood strapped to my feet that don’t grip!! 
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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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sharon1953, Might do that after Christmas  . And when I get to Vallandry I'll have all day pn the Sunday to play in the nursey, as long as I can find it! Lessons start Mon.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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mcfcPaul, yes mate thats the only poor thing the lift passes 
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| sharon1953 wrote: |
| NewSkier, what about having one of those taster sessions and then moving onto the slope when you have your ski legs. I notice there are flattened areas half up the drags, so assume they will be getting the newer skiers who are moving from their basic lessons, to disembark at these points. But often this is harder to negotiate than staying on to the top! |
Hi,
A friend of mine booked and completed is 3 lesson booking, on the 3rd lesson they took him on the main slope about 1/3rd the way up, and set off from there with the instructor. He was boarding though, can't imagine skiing being much different
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You know it makes sense.
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just got back from 1st trip to the chill factore , booked on phone at 8.30am then arrived at 9.30 . it then took 25 min to pick up ticket( the pre-booked queue was longer than the turn up queue) and get geared up , ready for a 10 o'clock start.
the first half hour was great, with perfect snow and no queues for the tows, but after that it got really busy and it seemed to take ages to get back up the slope
it didnt help that people took ages to get their ticket out of their pockets and into the machine the right way up , but all in all it was a good 1st visit , i think the slope has just the right pitch to allow you enough speed to practice your turns and technique
i will definitely go again, but probably for the early morning session on a wednesday, if anyone else gets up for the 7.30 am start let me know
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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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Neilski, Chillfactore management, I think, are watching this forum for feedback, but the continued problems with the lift pass system seems to be eluding them! The system at Castleford is a bit primitive, with a huge ticket swinging from your jacket, (that has to be manually read) but at least it doesn’t cause delays! So if you’re listening out there, lets have these problems sorted, before the season is finshed 
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Poster: A snowHead
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sharon1953, couldn't agree more, this was my only real gripe , but for such a modern place you would think someone would have come up with a better idea, when you only have an hour and a half time is precious
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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maybe they should take a leaf out of tescos books and get some of those barcode scanners that work by waving it in front of it, or maybe have it further down the line ??
Could everyone post what days and times they went when they found it busy or quiet ?
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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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Not been, but from the various comments I have read on the topic, it seems that the simplest/cheapest way to improve the delays situation with the lift passes would be, as Royal says, to move it further back from the actual lift, so that people use the scanner while already standing waiting in the queue rather than just before getting the lift. Of course the long-term solution is electronic ones that u keep in your sleeve pocket. It'd probably cost less in passes overall, as users would keep and re-charge the same card rather than the place continually issue new paper ones.
Tamworth's system seems to work well. You get a plastic re-usable card that you put into a turnstile to gain access to and exit from the slope area. It logs the times and if you overstay beyond your paid-for time you are charged extra.
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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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Well that's how "hands free" lift passes work in the rest of the world - they seem to have the right turnstiles there, but not the know how! They do have the plastic cards, because they were in use the week before it officially opened, and if they use a deposit system, people have the choice to return the card or keep it for future sessions; so a once only financial outlay for the company. All seems so simple, logical and achievable!
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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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Wonder if somebody's got the dopey idea paper ones are cheaper - doh! Am sure the lifts I've used abroad (all electronic wave-at type) have the machines set fairly well back down the queue too, so any minor problems don't cause loading delays.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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NewSkier, It will depend on the type of machine that they have installed. Some (even quite big) resorts use barcoded ones for one or two day passes and the hands free ones for longer periods, others have disposable/recyclable hands free passes plus ones that are intended for reuse with names and photos.
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| Quote: |
! Am sure the lifts I've used abroad (all electronic wave-at type) have the machines set fairly well back down the queue too, so any minor problems don't cause loading delays.
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The first time I went to Chill Factore I was given an electric lift pass that I slipped into the back of my ski glove. It worked a treat. Why not use them and have a bin to recycle them afterwards, IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE?
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let face it though if the worst thing people complain about is the lift pass they havent got much to worry about !
Does anyone know if they do private ski lessons there?
I saw an instructor the other week who once taught me at Rossendale years ago (Im sure his name was John Bolton?) who was really enthusiastic and changed the way I ski'd in just one lesson, fantastic chap, I'd love another ski lesson from him.
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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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| Quote: |
let face it though if the worst thing people complain about is the lift pass they havent got much to worry about !
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I agree to a point, but when there are three or four empty buttons for every one occupied and a big queue because people are fumbling for passes it does get frustrating.
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FAQ
